The effects of different patterns of adult social interaction during play on children's exploration of toys and emotional responses was investigated with four preschoolers with moderate developmental delays. Results suggested more positive emotional responses during child-centered play than during the adult-centered condition and the possible…

Interactions between 25 mothers and their developmentally delayed children (ages 2-5) during 15 minutes of semi-structured free play were coded independently with a global rating scale and a behavior count coding scheme. Correlational analyses were performed around three central themes: (1) the nature of the relationship between maternal…

This observational study examined 60 mothers' comments during play with their 4- to 8-month-old infants who had been either full-term, preterm well, or preterm sick. Mothers of sick preterm babies engaged in the most overall talking, mothers of full-term babies made the most negative remarks, and mothers of healthy preterm babies made the fewest…

Evaluation of the conversational behavior of 36 children (ages 48-59 months) playing in dyads with 3 different materials (modeling dough, a farm set, and animal puppets) found that each toy elicited the same amount of talking, though there were differences in discourse structure attributable to play materials. (DB)

This study investigated the effects of a peer-mediated intervention on the social interaction of five triads composed of preschoolers with autism and typical peers. Improved rates of social interaction during play were clearly associated with the peer intervention for four of the five children with autism. (Author/DB)

The amount and intelligibility of spoken language output were evaluated in 15 deaf children (ages 4 to 9 years) during 15 minutes of free play with either their mothers or a hearing peer. Results indicated that significantly more speech was produced during the children's interactions with their mothers. (Author/DB)

This study observed 65 friendship/acquaintance dyads, half of which involved one child with learning problems, among preadolescent children during play. Unlike friendships between children without disabilities, friendships involving a disabled child were marked by limited collaboration and shared decision making, a low level of cooperative play…

This study, involving 40 young siblings of either handicapped or nonhandicapped children, found that siblings of handicapped children engaged in more parallel and social play and were more nurturing with their siblings than were control children. Mothers were more likely to deliver commands, directives, and reprimands to siblings of handicapped…

This pilot study examined the playground social behaviors of eight children (ages 6-10) with language impairments (LI) and their typical peers. Analysis of videotape recordings found LI children spent significantly less time interacting with peers and demonstrated significantly more withdrawn behaviors than did their peers, with group membership…

This study examined the effect of various intervention contexts on the ability of young children (ages 3 and 4 years) with language impairments to effectively direct communications to a partner and to vary communicative intentions. The six children in the study were either nonverbal or in the early stages of developing verbal communication and all…

Mothers from inner-city, poor families with high-risk infants were interviewed when their infants were three months of age concerning sources of support (e.g., fathers, relatives, friends) and types of support received (e.g., goods, services, advice, financial support). Observations of the mother-infant interaction in a free-play setting were also…

Developmental research and educational practice involve conversations between children and adults. The conversational aspects of these situations have rarely been occasions for reflection. Discrepancies between the child's expectations and the adult's intentions can lead to misunderstanding, for example, at school or during a research interview.…

Longitudinal videotape recordings of six young children with autism and six age- and language-matched children with Down syndrome in structured play with their mothers were analyzed. Findings of reduced expression of positive affect by autistic subjects suggest that their known deficits in attention and affective responsiveness persisted even in…

In this study, clique analysis methodology was used to analyze the social interaction of preschoolers (two with social delays and four nondelayed) in a nontraining or generalization setting. Analysis suggested that students with social delays became more integrated during free-play times following peer-mediated instruction. (Author/DB)

An interactive model of language intervention that targeted specific vocabulary was evaluated in a study of 16 mothers and their preschool children with language delays. Children in the experimental group used more target words and acquired more symbolic play gestures than those in the control group. Mothers in the experimental group reported a…