How parents support social learning at the preverbal level for toddlers with autism is rarely reported, limiting the field's understanding of factors that may influence early development of social competency. As a central challenge in autism that is resistant to intervention, preverbal social initiating is an important indicator of social…

The current study investigated the impact of birth order on vocabulary and social language development in 1338 first-born and 1049 s-born autistic youth (M age = 9.03 years, SD = 3.57; 86.4% male) from the Simons Simplex Collection. Frequentist and Bayesian analyses revealed mixed findings in language development. There were no differences in…

Children on the autism spectrum often experience difficulty generalizing social skills across environments and contexts, which can make developing friendships challenging in early childhood. This means that, in addition to initial social skills instruction, children with autism may need specialized supports to promote the generalization of newly…

Conversations with families about understanding and nurturing their young child's development can be both rewarding and challenging. In this article, two seasoned HealthySteps specialists and two HealthySteps physician champions were asked to reflect on this central aspect of their mission in serving infants, toddlers, and families and on what…

Adolescent literature has the power to positively impact and support the identity development of all adolescents, regardless of ability, gender, race, cultural, or linguistic background. Yet, we contend that this is only possible through the intentional, purposeful, and cognizant selection of texts that accurately and respectfully portray…

This study was designed to explore how Black students' sense of belonging has been impacted, if at all, by social media at the University of Georgia showcasing how social media influences their psychosocial development in a collegiate environment. More specifically, this study framed the stories of the participants as counter-narratives, a key…

Theoretical foundations are fundamental to research in health and physical education. They reflect historical and cultural ideas and values. In this article, we seek to introduce the philosophy of "Bildung" from the Nordic-German cultural region to an English-speaking audience as one theoretical foundation for student-centered teaching.…

As school authorities strive toward inclusive models of education for children with neurodevelopmental delay and disability (NDD), many kindergarten curricula have mandated pedagogy centered on learning through play. Children with NDD tend to experience greater social isolation and lower rates of social play engagement compared to typically…

In an increasingly fast-changing and diverse world, the role of socio-emotional skills has become more crucial. These skills are correlated with academic and professional achievement, healthier interactions, and greater well-being. Contrary to commonly believed, socio-emotional skills are not innate and can be taught and learned. Although there…

Vygotsky's (1993) "Fundamentals of Defectology" is a radical's handbook of deaf and disability studies. Vygotsky's overall research program views disabilities, including deafness, from an integrated biosocial and critical theory standpoint. In two movements, I introduce an "American Annals of the Deaf Special Issue" on…

The current study examined the development of early adolescents' social perspective taking (SPT) through collaborative small-group discussions. A total of 250 fifth-graders were assigned to three conditions, Collaborative Social Reasoning (CSR) discussions, Read-Aloud (RA) and Regular Instruction (RI). SPT was assessed before and after the…

The article investigates how a change in educational status from general education to special education is associated with students' social confidence and academic outcomes. This study uses longitudinal data, a difference-in-difference model, and propensity score matching techniques. Findings indicate that students placed in special education, on…

Cyberbullying is widely acknowledged as a serious public health problem affecting adolescents and youth. Numerous digital and non-digital interventions have been developed to minimize cyberbullying occurrences considering the negative social and psychological effects of cyberbullying on youths' development. Therefore, to gain deeper insight into…

Nursery practitioners often highlight the difference between the children who attend morning sessions and those who attend afternoon sessions, with the feeling that the morning session children are more receptive and show greater improvement in their development than those who attend in the afternoon, but no specific data OR evidence has been…

Social and emotional (SE) skills are interpersonal, self-regulatory, and task-related behaviors that are important for adaptation to and successful performance across all domains of life, including education and workplace settings (Casillas et al., 2015). Family engagement affects the development of these important skills (Brooks & Lambert,…