Children's magical explanations and beliefs were investigated in two studies. Found that many four-year olds view magic as a plausible mechanism, yet reserve magical explanations for certain real world events that violate their causal expectations. Parents and culture at large may at first actively support magical beliefs whereas peers and schools…

This article contrasts the philosophies of early childhood special education and early childhood education and discusses a service delivery approach, known as activity-based intervention, which combines strategies for both fields and utilizes behavior analytic techniques within child-directed activities. (Author/DB)

Describes the Family Education and Training (FET) Program, an innovative job training effort in New Haven (Connecticut). The FET Program prepares trainees for employment in early child care and education and assists them in obtaining a Child Development Associate certificate. In addition, the development of trainees' children is enhanced. (SLD)

The relationships between emergent literacy skills and phonological awareness in preliterate children are examined, and a developmental model for facilitating literacy development is presented. Suggestions for enhancing metaphonological skills and a checklist for the early identification of young at-risk children are offered. (Author/DB)

Reports on the assessment of 636 children who were identified in a 1984 Scottish low birth weight study. Discusses adaptations of standardized tests that made it possible to test 27 children who had been judged as impossible to test because of developmental disabilities. (CFR)

This article describes TORCH infections, a congenital cluster of infections including toxoplasmosis, syphilis, rubella, cytomegalovirus, and herpes which often results in developmental disabilities for infected children. Methods of transmission, incidence, and developmental outcomes for common TORCH infections are described, as are program…

A case is made for bilingual education in Britain, emphasizing the importance of the heritage language in child development. For children to appreciate language diversity, they must gain insight into the nature and form of languages and their roles in society. (SLD)

Examines children's everyday discourse processes in three early education settings to document how friendship relations are produced in everyday discursive practices. Results indicate the importance of viewing friendship as a collective and cultural process. (CFR)

This response to a previous article comparing guidelines for developmentally appropriate practice in the fields of early childhood education and early intervention/special education stresses the importance of individualizing application of principles and the need to look beyond effectiveness and efficiency as dimensions for evaluating practice.…

Presents 6 summaries of documents and 10 journal articles concerning elementary and early childhood education in an international context that were recently included in the ERIC collection. (AP)

Describes early childhood developmental deficits associated with long-term poverty as indicated by the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). Suggests substantial disadvantages in cognitive development among young children in chronically poor families. Deficits appear in a variety of indices of cognitive or socioemotional development,…

Examined the impact of individual environmental and biological risks on the home environment of three-year olds in a sample of low birth weight, premature infants. Suggests that compared to nonpoor families, poor families experienced more multiple risk factors. Poverty clearly had a negative effect on the provision of learning experiences,…

British teachers excel in managing students' behaviors during classroom learning activities. The paper examines the major differences between British and American schools for young children, then discusses three factors that influence British teachers' abilities (knowledge of child development, structuring of learning activities, and shaping…

Reviews research on the attitudes of nondisabled children toward disabled children in regular classroom settings, and on patterns of play among at-risk and non-at-risk children. Implications for camps include encouraging social skills development through an atmosphere of peer friendship development, and helping at-risk children develop verbal…

Trends in staff development for camp counselors include using experiential training activities, inviting outside speakers to address staff on topics of concern, and teaching staff about child-related issues. Addresses problems in working with staff and provides suggestions for increasing the effectiveness of staff training programs. (LP)