Observed 10-, 26-, and 42-month-olds playing under several distraction conditions to describe development of attention and distractibility. Found that casual attention decreased and focused attention increased with age. Ten-month-olds were more distractible than older children, even during focused attention. Infants were most distracted by the…

This study compared early pragmatic skill development in 76 children (ages 1-4) with severe or profound hearing loss enrolled in either a simultaneous communication (SC) or oral communication (OC) approach to language learning. Results indicated some advantages of the SC approach, although overall frequency of communication and breadth of…

This article first reviews early social and communication indicators of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in infants and toddlers. It then reviews evidence-based intervention practices for children with ASD and identifies principles for providing intervention for infants and toddlers at risk for ASD. Issues addressed include providing intervention in…

Examined contribution of temperamental inhibitory control to conscience development. Found longitudinal stability in inhibitory control from toddlerhood to early school age, with inhibitory control increasing with age, and girls outperforming boys. Reaffirmed links between inhibitory control and multiple, diverse measures of children's conscience…

Examined toddlers' behavioral inhibition and wariness with peers in novel situations involving unfamiliar settings, adults, and peers. Found little consistency of inhibited behavior across the three situations. Consistently inhibited toddlers had fearful temperaments, showed distress after maternal separation, and had mothers who were warm and…

Presents the theoretical background for the concept of mastery motivation and describes three characteristics of mastery motivation in toddlers: behavioral manifestations in multiple domains, developmental changes in those manifestations, and the influence of the socializing environment. Implications for assessment of individual differences and…

Assessed emotionality of firstborn boys at 3 months, parenting behaviors at 15-33 months, and infant inhibition at 36 months. Found that children's inhibition was predicted by supportive parenting and by a combination of infants' high negative emotionality rating and low positive emotionality rating. Parenting influences were more apparent for…

Lists tips to enhance toddler-adult relationships focusing on respectful interactions and a constructive environment. Emphasizes the following developmental needs and interests of toddlers: (1) supporting development; (2) planning the environment; (3) guidance for toddlers; (4) toddler play; (5) developmental milestones for toddlers; and (6) what…

Authoritative parenting has been demonstrated to promote healthy, loving children across home environments of different SES income levels. However, anecdotal evidence shows that some children who encounter nonsupporting parenting and an impoverished environment may develop into remarkably resilient children. Further research is needed in this area…

Recounts a teacher's initiation into the process of documentation over several weeks as she joined toddlers on a "fishing trip." Draws on Piagetian and Vygotskian theories to understand and enhance children's play. Discusses how documentation is used to communicate and converse with children and offers teachers opportunities to…

Free play and elicited language samples were obtained monthly for 10 to 12 months from five late talking children. Analysis indicated that three of the children resolved their late onset of speech by 33 to 35 months of age. Both quantitative factors (e.g., limited phonetic inventory) and qualitative factors (e.g., atypical error patterns) were…

Three studies examined preschoolers' performance on free labeling of prototypical facial expressions of basic emotions. Findings indicated that children's errors remained even when method factors (poor stimuli, unavailability of an appropriate label, or production task difficulty) were controlled. Use of emotion labels increased with age…

Three experiments introduced 2- and 3-year-olds to novel adjectives either using full noun phrases and describing multiple familiar objects sharing a salient property or describing nouns of vague reference. Found that both groups mapped novel adjectives onto object properties when given taxonomically specific nouns with rich referential and…

This article examines the latest technological advances in hearing aids and explores the available research to help families and professionals make informed decisions when fitting amplification devices on infants and young children. Diagnostic procedures, evaluation techniques, hearing aid selection, circuit and advanced technology options, and…

A study examined the eliciting potential of two tasks, one for proto-imperative and another for proto-declarative communication intentions. These tasks were offered to 18 toddlers with deafness. Results indicate both tasks process sufficient eliciting potential to measure both the prelinguistic and early linguistic illocutionary force of children…