Compared mothers' perspectives of children's peer-related social development from matched groups of children with developmental delays, communicative disorders, and typically developing children. Found that mothers rated children's social development as highly important, offered primarily internal rationales for success or difficulties in…

Describes how the Spectrum Teaching Styles can help physical educators develop an instructional environment that allows learners to meet the national content standards for physical education while providing learners with a quality educational experience. The paper discusses the development and use of the Spectrum and the development of…

Evaluation of social-cognitive skills in 23 young children with autism or other developmental delays found tests involving others' attention were more difficult for children with autism than tests involving others' behavior. However, the typical developmental pattern of first sharing, then following, and then directing attention or behavior was…

Socialization of women in developing countries inhibits their education and employment in scientific and technical fields. This mindset perpetuates poverty and limits economic and social development. Solutions include elimination of gender bias, information dissemination, replication of successful development projects, use of role models, and…

A study of the interactions of 27 dyads of children (ages 5-11) in a play-date situation were examined; one dyad member had Down syndrome. Dyads similar in gender, chronological age, and classroom experiences had better quality interactions. Twenty dyads met strict friendship criteria and could be classified as friends. (Contains references.)…

This article examines the key issues of motivation, peer relationships, and identity as they pertain to adolescents with hearing impairments. These issues are discussed within the framework of the social and psychological development of adolescents who can hear and then are connected to research with adolescents with hearing impairments. (Contains…

Notes that the focus in early-childhood care has shifted to nurturing neurons, in keeping with research indicating that early social and emotional experiences are the seeds of human intelligence. Explores the elements of quality early care in preschool settings, highlighting sites across the country. (HTH)

Discusses the meaning of discipline and the absence of coercion within a Montessori framework, noting the importance of social skills for the development of creativity. Highlights aspects of teaching methodology for elementary and high schools. (JPB)

American and Korean fourth- and fifth-graders were administered the Student Social Attribution Scale (SSAS), designed to assess students' explanations for social successes and failures. Results reveal that Korean children showed significantly higher Failure Effort scores and American children showed significantly higher Success Ability scores.…

The potential for using giftedness for good or evil is explored. Parents are urged to steer gifted youth into multiple pay-it-forward channels as they develop, so they will apply their gifted potential in a wise and caring manner to problems of the here and now. (Contains four references.) (CR)

Investigated how Greek kindergartners construct and negotiate the context of their shared beliefs, experience, and interests through the form and meaning of their social behavior. Found that prosocial behavior in the form of empathy was a commonly accepted peer culture concern. Empathy forms either a friendship criteria, which questions the issue…

This article offers guidelines for using children's and adolescents' literature as a means of fostering social learning while developing literacy skills. It reviews the literature on teaching social skills, considers book selection, offers a model for using literature to teach social skills, suggests literature formats for teaching social skills,…

This article reviews research on the typical development of joint attention and challenges that infants and toddlers with autism experience in achieving this milestone. We define joint attention as coordinating attention to an event or object with another individual, sharing interest and social engagement, and showing an understanding that the…

The position advocated within this article is that the construct of "school readiness" has a social component, and that attempts to evaluate children's interpersonal readiness for kindergarten should be judged in relation to their likely success at mastering specific social school entry tasks. Social school entry tasks, which most likely stem from…

The social development of young people is a single, continuous process, the objective of which is for young people to absorb the social experience accumulated by preceding generations and to renovate that experience in qualitative ways and transmit it to future generations. In as much as it is a component of more general processes of the reforming…