Discusses the renaissance of motor skill acquisition studies that are affording new insights into the processes by which infants and children learn to control their bodies. The article explains how studies are now focusing less on how children perform and more on how the components cooperate to produce stability or engender change, thus making…

Compared the early literacy development of English-speaking preschoolers and kindergartners to that of Spanish-speaking children. Subjects wrote at least six words and one sentence, then interpreted their own productions. Found that syllabic writings in English-speaking children were like those of Spanish speakers; found differences in how…

Three possibilities for the pathogenesis of childhood autism are considered. Little evidence exists for autism as a basic affective disorder, as proposed by R. P. Hobson, but growing evidence supports childhood autism as a basic cognitive disorder, as the author argues. The author's original theoretical perspectives are revised. (SLD)

Reviews four books: (1) "A Dynamic Systems Approach to Development: Applications" (Linda B. Smith and Esther Thelen, Eds.); (2) "The Psychology of Gender" (Anne E. Beall and Robert J. Sternberg, Eds.); (3) "Children's Understanding: The Development of Mental Models" (Graeme S. Halford); and (4) "Adolescent Storm…

Suggests a way of teaching science to young children that is consistent with Piaget's interpretation of the child's spontaneous animism and that elicits a personal and in-depth response to knowledge. Describes construction and use of an environmental bubble to enhance children's interest in the night sky. (SW)

This study evaluated an Extended Optional Infinitive theory of specific language impairment (SLI) in children, which suggests that SLI children omit finiteness markers longer than do normally developing children. Comparison of 18 SLI 5-year olds with 2 normally developing groups (ages 5 and 3) found that SLI subjects omitted finiteness markers…

Describes a paradigm for identifying male involvement in Comprehensive Child Development Programs (CCDP) that is based on 4 years of service delivery for 40 adult males participating in Project EAGLE, a federally funded CCDP in Kansas City (Kansas). The paper addresses issues of diversity of characteristics and participation patterns of the males…

Reflects on researchers' conceptions about psychological growth over the last century. Discusses five themes relevant to developmental research: (1) the selection of phenomena for study; (2) the use of continuous dimensions or categories to describe children's characteristics; (3) continuity versus discontinuity in development; (4) the influence…

This paper first examines views of developmental dyslexia in the 1960s and the 1970s; then discusses issues of the 1980s (e.g., the importance of verbal efficiency); and then projects to the 1990s the challenges of computer technology as mediated learning, "bounded rationality," and "collective rationality" in education. (DB)

The syntactic development of preschoolers (n=22) who later became disabled readers was compared to that of similar children who became normal readers. Expressive and receptive syntactic abilities were examined from age 30 to 60 months. The dyslexic group was poorer on all measures until age five, when both groups exhibited similar syntactic…

Reviews research regarding the sexual identity, personal development, and social relationships of children of gay and lesbian parents. To date, there is no evidence that the development of children of gay and lesbian parents is compromised relative to the development of children of heterosexual parents. (BC)

The study found relative independence of the specific components of self-concept in 200 gifted pupils enrolled in self-contained enrichment classes in grades 5 through 8. Self-perceptions of social and scholastic competence and of physical appearance were the major contributors to self-concept. There was no evidence of a developmental process. (DB)

This article reviews normal visual development and the role of visual gaze behaviors in attention and social interaction, discusses how the information applies to many multiply handicapped visually impaired children, and describes ways of incorporating this information into assessment and programing. (DB)

This study assessed the family history of speech, language, and school problems in 62 young children (mean age 28 months) with developmental expressive language delay (ELD). Comparison with normally developing children indicated no strong familial component of ELD. (Author/DB)

There has been a systematic underestimation by researchers and educational theorists of children's true abilities, with a distorted portrayal of childhood. Current understanding of children rests on a network of narrow assumptions about children and their abilities. A new research methodology is needed, with the child as the ethnographic…