This annotated resource guide lists books, periodicals, and organizations relevant to the needs of parents of children with disabilities. The books and periodicals were chosen as being up-to-date, accurate, written in parent-friendly language, written with a parent's information or support needs in mind, generally affordable, or considered a…

A study of 22 children with autism and 19 children with mental retardation found that, when prompted, school-age and adolescent subjects with autism did not differ from children with mental retardation in production of functional play acts and situationally appropriate object substitution, but did produce fewer novel pretend play acts. (CR)

As part of a commitment to quality, child care workers acknowledge the need to deliver an anti-bias curriculum; gender is one area of concern. This paper examines some of the research about development of gender segregation behaviors in young children, particularly during conflict resolution, and suggests appropriate strategies for addressing…

Assessed the effect of cocaine/polydrug in utero exposure on early childhood development while controlling for covariant factors. Analysis of two matched samples of preschoolers (20 with drug exposure and 20 without) revealed that both groups scored approximately one standard deviation below the expected mean in social skills, auditory…

Responding to the fact that young people today have more personal problems and challenging behaviors, Camp CHI (Lake Delton, Wisconsin) and seven day camps affiliated with the Jewish Community Center of Chicago began utilizing trained clinical camp consultants to address individual camper's behavior problems and related staff needs. The positive…

Uses national longitudinal data to explain the intergenerational transmission of divorce. Findings suggest that parental divorce elevates the risk of offspring divorce by increasing the likelihood that offspring exhibit behaviors that interfere with the maintenance of mutually rewarding intimate relationships. Offers four hypotheses for future…

Time-diary data on activities of 1,680 children aged 4-13 revealed that children's time spent on home computer use was positively associated with cognitive skill test scores and self-esteem and did not adversely affect time spent on reading, sports, or outdoor play, except for heavy users (over 8 hours daily). Such children had substantially…

This study examined interrelations among 7- to 11-year-olds' typical emotions, goals, and behavior during peer conflict and the predictive value of emotions and goals for behavior. Findings indicated that children's goal friendliness during peer conflict related to low anger and high sadness intensity. Children reporting nonconstructive behavior…

This article describes a framework for addressing the social and emotional development and challenging behaviors of young children. This pyramid framework includes four levels of practice to address the needs of all children, including children with persistent challenging behavior. An example is provided demonstrating how to implement this model…

Presents a bibliography of 59 books, journal articles, and web sites for further reading on preventing and responding to children's challenging behaviors. (SD)

Presents staff tools for dealing with upset campers whose parents are divorced or separating, such as acknowledging and listening. Gives tips and sample legal language on how to determine marital status and parenting arrangements; whom to call with questions; and which parent can enroll, visit, authorize medical treatment for, and pay the bill for…

Examined gender differences in dominance and play among 48 preschoolers linked in girl-girl and girl-boy dyads. Findings reveal girl-girl dyads had more cooperative play, boys had higher functional play, and girls engaged in more dramatic play during feminine activities whereas boys displayed more dramatic play during masculine activities,…

Describes a proposed model for considering sensory processing as an important factor in young children's performance. Discusses ways the model can be used to provide a framework for understanding various patterns of behavior; identify disabilities (poor registration, sensitivity to stimuli, sensation seeking, and sensation avoiding); and develop…

Parents (n=64) rated their four- and five-year-old children's positive and negative behaviors so as to investigate interparent agreement. Results indicate low to moderate interparent correlations across all four scales. Absolute differences between pairs of mothers' and fathers' ratings were large and consistent across instruments. (RJM)

Presents a study in which children, ages 18-47 months (n=30), were observed for 30 minutes in a playroom to determine if: (1) stereotyped toys impact children's play; (2) their behavior influences cognitive development; and (3) which toys are appropriate for the assessment sessions. Includes references. (CMK)