A study of 97 Mexican-American infants born in south Texas found that language-development scores for receptive and expressive communication at age 22 months were influenced by mother's generation from Mexico and father's education level. Cultural influences on maternal teaching style and child-rearing practices are discussed in relation to school…

A study analyzed the language development of 200 children at 14, 24, 30, and 42 months and assessed their symbolic play at 14 months. Children from families with dyslexia (n=103) had lower maximum sentence length at 2 years and object naming and inflectional morphology skills at 3.5 years. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

This study examined the importance of personality characteristics to identity formation using data from Terman's longitudinal study of high IQ children. Results indicate that positive traits such as perseverance, purposiveness, desire to excel, and self-confidence are conducive to a successful identity formation and to the adoption of the…

Development of reading speed in Italian children with dyslexia was estimated using individualized growth curves for 38 children with dyslexia tested longitudinally from 2nd-8th grade and compared with controls. Their reading speed development followed a linear trend of .3 syllables per second per grade, half the increment observed in controls.…

Explores preschool-age children's perceptions about social relations. Conducted a comparative experiment with children brought up within a family versus within a children's home focusing on social development and social experience as actualized through play, artistic ability, and communicative speech. Discusses the results. (CMK)

Examines the relation between a play-based assessment tool, specifically the PLAY observation system, and a standardized assessment of cognitive and social skills of preschool children. Recorded the level of play each child exhibited. Play behaviors reflected the child's cognitive and social developmental functioning. (CMK)

Describes a study of third and fifth grade students that investigated moral dilemmas involving computer and Internet use. Significant differences were found between children's moral reasoning in everyday situations compared to those involving computer and Internet use, but gender differences were not consistently detected. (Author/LRW)

Explores practices in a Yamaha Music School to determine in what ways these practices were congruent or incongruent with the National Association for the Education of Young Children Developmentally Appropriate Practice guidelines. Includes children, ages four to six, their teachers, and parents in the setting. (CMK)

Parent responses to 4-H surveys evaluating the outcomes of camp experiences indicate that children improved most in areas of social competencies and self-confidence. Caring staff and exposure to a variety of learning opportunities were two of the most positive aspects of the camp experience. Similar research is being conducted by various national…

Children with developmental delay are at increased risk for behaviour problems, but little is known about risk and resilience factors. Previous research has established links between maternal sensitivity and behaviour problems in typically developing children, but no studies have examined maternal sensitivity in the development of behaviour…

Within alphabetic languages, spelling-to-sound consistency can differ dramatically. For example, English and German are very similar in their phonological and orthographic structure but not in their consistency. In English the letter "a" is pronounced differently in the words "bank," "ball," and "park,"…

Child care quality plays a crucial role in children's social and cognitive development. While child care quality is a critical issue for all children, it matters more for low-income children. Policy makers have increased the emphasis on allowing parents, not government, to make decisions about the type of care they want for their children. Yet…

This study examined the developmental attainments of children with visual impairments, aged 6-59 months, with and without emotional deficits, behavioral deficits, or both. It found that an emotional or behavioral deficit was significantly related to gross motor and visual motor integration, expressive and receptive language, and social or personal…

Recent years have seen a global endeavor to prioritize early childhood care and education as a foundation for later learning and development, as evidenced by the Global Guidelines for Early Childhood Education and Care in the 21st Century (Association for Childhood Education International/World Organization for Early Childhood, 1999). Such efforts…

The priorities in education continue to be on the development of the mind, often to the detriment of the body. A balance between both entities appears to be a logical goal since both are needed and used throughout one's lifetime. This article discusses the use of GEAR (Getting Energized and Recharged) activities at one school. These are physical…