This paper reviews what is known about social coordination in young children with disabilities, describes how social coordination develops in children with and without disabilities, discusses the role of social coordination in developing social competence, examines how available assessments of social skills address the concept of social…

Examines gender differences in social network (SN) development from early to middle childhood and the relation of network characteristics to school competence through mothers' reports of the SNs of 38 sons and 37 daughters. For girls, SN characteristics correspond to teacher ratings of social competence in school. (SLD)

Presents an overview of the research literature concerning the significance of adolescent friendship. Topics addressed are (1) the ubiquity of friendships; (2) friendship stability; (3) conditions of friendship, such as reciprocity, commitment, and equality; (4) similarities among friends; and (5) social and emotional development fostered by…

Evaluation of the Kent Scoring Adaptation, which determines developmental ages in several domains based on an infant's performance on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, with 27 at-risk infants supported the concurrent validity of the cognitive, language, and, to a degree, social domains of the Kent procedure but not the fine and gross motor…

Studied the relationship of family background and child care quality to preschoolers' cognitive, language, and social development. Concluded that family background variables were significant predictors of children's cognitive and language development, and that child care quality variables significantly predicted social adjustment and were a…

The Walker-McConnell Scale of Social Competence and School Adjustment is intended for screening and identifying elementary-aged school children with social skill deficits. The instrument is divided into two components covering adaptive classroom behavior and interpersonal social skills. This paper describes the test's administration, summation of…

Two studies investigated the impact of moving on gifted children. While academic performance was not hindered by moving, parents and students reported varying criteria for admittance to gifted programs were frustrating. Frequent relocations had little impact on long-term development, but did cause some social difficulties in the short-term. (CR)

Comments on research related to current controversies in the education of students with emotional and behavioral disorders, including postmodernism, prevention, full inclusion, socialization by peers, and the future of research on social development. (Author/DB)

Proposes and briefly discusses several hypotheses concerning the unique developmental status of peer relations in the first three years of life. Analyzes the meaning of individual differences in very early peer competencies. Suggests that developmental differences in peer relations might translate into hypotheses regarding early individual…

Identifies conceptual and methodological strengths of Hawley and Little's article and commends the pedagogical value of the approach taken. Notes that questions still unanswered concern the validity of adult caregiver perceptions of social dominance, the relationship between competition hierarchies and hierarchies based on directed agonism, and…

A longitudinal study examined the developmental progression of mother/child conflict and conflict resolution strategies spanning the toddler to preschool years. Emphasizing verbal negotiations, the study showed that mother/child conflicts peak at 30 months, and, although toddlers tend to rely on refusing, preschoolers rely increasingly on…

Interviewed mothers of preschoolers with special needs about beliefs regarding social-skills development. Found that mothers viewed their children as below average in social competence and perceived social skills as difficult to teach or change. Belief in internal causation was more frequent than external, with internal attribution negatively…

Camps developing inclusive programs can incorporate ideas and strategies from a successful inclusive recreational program in Hong Kong. Strategies focus on participants' structured interactions, extensive personal contact, joint participation, equal status, cooperative interdependence, communication, and age-appropriate behaviors. Lessons learned…

Describes "Off the Beaten Path", a program that takes at-risk students out of the traditional classroom and puts them into a camping atmosphere in order to increase academic achievement, improve self-esteem, and promote better social skills. (WRM)

A study that examined social outcomes of 59 elementary school students with learning disabilities, 72 low- to average-achieving students, and 54 high-achieving students, found that students in the consultation/collaborative-teaching setting demonstrated more positive outcomes than students in the co-teaching setting on friendship quality and peer…