Gender-typical play is observed throughout childhood for non-autistic children. However, there has been limited research into the gender typicality of autistic children's play compared to that of non-autistic children. In a longitudinal population-based cohort, we compared gendered play behaviours in autistic and non-autistic children using…

The authors investigated the outdoor physical play of Norwegian first graders in after-school programs using a study that viewed play from the children's perspective. The authors identified three themes of the physically active play they observed--"playing with friends," "no one decides," and "I can do it." Their…

This article focuses on how children, independent of abilities, create healthy identities and spaces in kindergarten, and is based on a qualitative CGT-study carried out in Norwegian Kindergartens. Data sources include Life-form interviews with 24 children, with and without disabilities. Children placed health in the context of their daily-life…

Emerging empirical evidence supports play's potential to stimulate and foster scientific creativity. Focusing on how play relates to scientific creativity in adulthood, this review synthesizes the current state of knowledge in four areas: the play element in scientific research, the playfulness of scientists, mechanisms through which play affects…

Prematurity is a particular challenge for parents that severely affects the interaction and relationship dynamics between children and their caregivers. Previous studies mostly focused on the infancy of preterms but did not examine the development process. This study highlights whether preterm children and their main caregivers still differ in…

Developmental Delay (DD) is an IDEA classification for young children who fail to meet developmental milestones at typical times. Young children with delays in social or emotional development may show deficits in social skills. Noting the importance of early intervention, identifying effective social skills interventions for children aged 3-5 is…

By 12 months, English-learning infants have an awareness of the sound patterns of word forms that constitute acceptable labels for objects in their native language. In the following experiments, we replicated and extended previous findings that Canadian English-learning infants will not link function-like words with novel objects. Across three…

Classification is a complex process that involves scientific concepts and higher-order mental processes such as abstraction, generalization, and pattern recognition. Even though it is an important competence for understanding the world, dealing with data and information, and solving complex problems, the education system embeds just its simplest…

Promoting positive relationships among young children is an important step towards improving their long-term social and academic outcomes. Children who have low rates of interactions with peers, who are identified as self-isolating, and who demonstrate other internalizing behaviors are at-risk for poor social and academic outcomes and therefore,…

There is limited research targeting communication interventions for children with severe/profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. This study addressed outcomes from a communication course for parents of children with severe/profound intellectual and multiple disabilities and follows up on a previous publication by Rensfeldt Flink et al.…

Play-based learning is an integral component of the early childhood classroom; however, little research has been conducted around how children with and without disabilities engage in play within an inclusive preschool setting during center time. The present investigation utilizes the Play Observation Scale and Test of Playfulness to descriptively…

The current study is the first to examine the role of exploration in play milestones development using a multi-measure micro-analytic approach. Fifteen infants, between the ages of 8 and 17 months, were observed in their natural home environment once a month for a one--hour session; their spontaneous mouthing and fingering and their play level…

Despite calls for an increase in diversity and equity in early childhood classrooms, preschool teachers sometimes struggle to effectively address race in their classrooms, leaving young children to try to make sense of it themselves. Therefore, in this qualitative study, researchers examined how race issues were manifested in the play of young…

Contemporary education policy--which fixates on "the impact agenda" and tailors academic pursuits to narrow utilitarian (read "economic" and "employment") aims--emphasizes measurable results starting as early as kindergarten. Whether the education experience fosters anything approximating a love of learning seems to…

Most research on mathematical play and learning is focused on early childhood. This study examines how mathematical play and learning manifest in older children in a mathematical videogame designed by the first author, "Rolly's Adventure." We examined how players experienced mathematical play as they played "Rolly's Adventure,"…