Videotaped 1- to 6-year-olds' day care routines and adults' work after extensive consultation on the Storycrafting method to study children's thoughts and collaborative behavior. Found that children's viewpoints are elicited when they play an active role and when educational work is directed by telling stories, playing, and doing research. Noted…

A review of the literature on mixed-age settings reveals benefits in the areas of social and cognitive development. Research on the psychosocial advantages of mixed-age groupings is less consistent. Factors such as group size, age range, time together, and context-specific curriculum activities may have a relationship to the level of success and…

Used heart rate and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) assessed at 33 to 35 weeks gestational age to predict developmental outcome at 3 years for very low birth weight infants. Found that RSA measures predicted developmental outcome beyond effects of birth weight, medical risk, and socioeconomic status. For infants < 1,000 grams, RSA maturation…

Alternative educational goals that have been at the root of educational conflict in the United States are explored: (1) democratic equality; (2) social efficiency; and (3) social mobility. Conflict over these goals, especially the domination of the social mobility goal, has resulted in a contradictory structure that impairs educational efficiency.…

A study evaluated a therapeutic intervention program for young adults with severe autism at the Oasi Institute in Troina, Sicily. The program, which integrates gentle teaching, humanistic applied behavior analysis, and functional communication training, provides opportunities to acquire functional skills through errorless learning activities.…

Two studies of gifted 3rd through 7th graders (n=311) enrolled in a summer academic program explored the possibility that social coping strategies could be measured. Six social coping strategies were identified: denying giftedness; minimizing focus on popularity; social interaction; humor; conformity; and denying the impact of giftedness on peer…

A study investigated psychosocial functioning in 16 Swedish adults with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism. The majority lived independently; all but one were unemployed; and none was married or had children. Most persons needed a high level of public and/or private support. Overall adjustment was rated good in 12%. (Contains…

A study examined the response of two adults who attended a music activity therapy program in which music activities encouraged peer interaction. Music activity therapy was compared with a control condition (i.e., ball and target games). Both conditions increased the level of positive interaction, however, music therapy was least effective.…

Performance by 23 deaf children (ages 7-14) on a role-taking task correlated positively with camp staff members' ratings of emotional adjustment, self-image, communicative effectiveness, and role-taking skill. Role-taking performance, however, was not reliably related to measures of aspects of social behavior such as altruism and helping.…

The ecobehavioral arrangements of 14 early childhood special education and 10 early childhood regular education classrooms in Tennessee and Minnesota were observed and coded. Children in regular early education classrooms tended to spend proportionally more time in play, whereas children in special education classrooms spent proportionally more…

Although 1980s school reform efforts focused on improving student achievement, they overemphasized content coverage and testing for content retention. Future secondary reforms must transcend student "production" to reach all students consistently, emphasize application of curricular content, model critical thinking and decision-making, and foster…

An evaluation of the New Parents as Teachers (NPAT) program concluded that a high quality parent education and support program conducted during a child's first three years measurably increases the child's intellectual, achievement, and language abilities. Parental involvement with parent educators during home visits is the single most important…

Investigates the relationship between early interactional patterns and later cognitive performance in 29 infant-mother pairs. Results indicate that cognitive milestones are relatively uniform in the first two years of life. Socio-emotional development showed a variety of profiles. (RJC)

Examines whether a good relationship with both parents can buffer male adolescents from divorced families against detrimental effects of divorce by preventing adjustment problems, compared to adolescents from intact families. Studied three subject groups: divorced/good relationship with both parents; divorced/poor relationship with both parents;…

Two experiments compared effects of play initiation training on subsequent social interactions between preschool/kindergarten students with severe disabilities and their nonhandicapped peers within play contexts. Training the disabled child in social initiation and play skills was more effective than providing awareness activities and rewards to…