Socio-emotional skills are highly prized on the labour market these days; many writers say that competencies of this type help to increase individuals' employability, but educational institutions consistently forget their responsibility for providing training in them. Most jobs call not only for knowledge and specific technical competencies, but…

The relationship between symbolic play and other domains, such as degree of autistic symptomatology, nonverbal cognitive ability, receptive language, expressive language, and social development, was investigated. The assessment files of 101 children with Autism Spectrum Disorder were studied. Nonverbal cognitive ability and expressive language…

This study aimed to investigate the relationships between abilities to initiate and respond to joint attention and symptoms of autism that have, and have not, been theoretically linked to joint attention. Participants were 51 boys and five girls with autistic disorder, aged between 2 years and 6 years 5 months. Measures of joint attention…

A rating scale is developed for preschool classrooms to assess the physical environment's role in children's development of cognitive and social competency. The scale is tested in 98 classrooms, and children are assessed on two measures of competency in a subsample of these classrooms. Findings indicate that the physical environment is related to…

Distinctions between males and females arise as a result of a complex developmental process involving biological, psychological, and sociological forces. Much research on male gender identity development has spurred from the increased interest in the etiology of homosexuality over the last two decades. Political, religious, and moral issues often…

The investigation of developmental integration among preschool children included a descriptive study of social proximity and social integration in a university-based model program, a replication of the methods and analyses in seven community sites, and a comparative analysis of the findings. Observations of geographic proximity and social…

The report presents summaries of findings from three substudies dealing with the early interaction patterns between handicapped infants and their mothers. The first substudy compared dyads composed of handicapped and nonhandicapped infants and their mothers. Analysis of videotaped observations, questionnaires and diaries completed by mothers…

Cognitive social skills were assessed in 22 learning disabled (LD), 18 behavior problem, and 20 control boys in grades 7-9. Measures included an interview tapping social knowledge, self-reported behavior, generation of alternative solutions to social problems, and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised Vocabulary Scale. Sociometric…

Provides a framework for understanding the value of water play for preschoolers and offers suggestions (materials and activities) for incorporating it into a program. (Author/ED)

The growing influence of Western culture has greatly affected African women's status and image in the traditional society. Working women are confronted with the dilemma of preserving family traditions while changing their behavior and image to become members of the labor force. (MR)

John Dewey's philosophy emphasizes the school's ordered continuation of education in the home. Social development, cooperation, responsibility, self-discipline and motivation were of utmost importance. Teacher responsibility involves creating linkages between the child and environment. Curricula based on children's personal experiences bridge the…

An assessment of the occurrence of three forms of humor (responsive, productive, and hostile) during the activities of 30 nursery school children. The three humor forms were not significantly correlated. The relation of the ongoing activities and the pattern of humor exhibited, along with the significant sex differences in humor expression are…

Scientific-technological progress and its social consequences are clarified in relation to the moral practices and conditions of socialist society. (Author/KM)

This article discusses social dimensions of the play form. (PD)