A method for empirical classification of autistic and autisticlike children, based on behavior observations of 35 males and 11 females (ages 4-28 years) was examined. Factor and cluster analysis indicated four subtypes, characterized by perseverative thinking and play, motor disturbances, schizotypal/schizoid features, and anxiety and negativism.…

Seven sequential ordinal scales of sensorimotor development are briefly described. These scales permit modification in the strategy for assessing infant development, investigating its structure and investigating infant-environment interaction. (GO)

In an effort to provide on a continuous basis information on the growth and development of Detroit's preschool students, a procedure for "Preschool Progress Reports" was implemented. The procedure requires teachers to record classroom observations of all students' skills three times during the school year on preprinted scan sheets, which…

This study examined behavioral development during the first year of life of 41 infants diagnosed with cerebral palsy, hypotonia, or hypertonia. The KID Scale, an empirically normed, caregiver-report inventory which covers behavior in five domains (cognitive, motor, language, self help, and social) was administered at about 5, 9, and 12 months…

An experiment demonstrating that children in Piaget's preoperational stage, who generally still cannot give conceptually correct answers to questions about rate and time, evidence an ability to imitate a given rate-time relationship demonstrated by the experimenter. (ST)

Correlations among motor, visual, auditory, and language subscales of a primary device, Yellow Brick Road, with subsequent academic achievement on the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills were moderate (.35 to .81). Comparisons of third-grade boys and girls on the screening device yielded little difference. Implications for educational screening…

The relationship between four characteristics of children entering first grade (cognitive, dental and motor development, and adaptive behavior) and achievement at the end of the first grade year were determined. Interrelationships among the independent variables were also determined. (Author/GK)

The behavioral development of rural Guatemalan infants was assessed shortly after birth on a Neonatal Assessment Scale (NAS) and at 6-, 15-, and 24-months-of-age on a Composite Infant Scale (CIS). Summary variables based on NAS performance poorly predicted later assessed performance even as recently as six months after birth. The CIS modestly…

Movement is motivated, encouraged, and governed by psycho-social development, motor development, and humanistic principles as well as by exercise physiology and kinesiology. The Basic Stuff series identifies the body of knowledge which underlies purposeful movement and can be integrated into concept or fundamental skill curricula. (JN)

Effects of sensorimotor training on intelligence and adaptive skills of 40 profoundly retarded adult residents of a state institution were investigated during a six-month intensive training program. (Author)

Compared coupling characteristics of clapping simultaneous with walking or galloping, consistency across trials, and phasing variability among 4-, 6-, 8-, and 10-year-olds. Found that for walk/clap tasks, children adopted adult-like coupling patterns by age 8 and with the same consistency by age 10. Across age, children became less variable in…

The author notes that teachers who continually require students to sit still and stop talking apparently prefer to teach a grove of trees rather than a classroom full of students. School environments should be designed to enhance the development of student brains -- and student brains are about movement, not motionless stagnation. 21st century…

Stability of the Early Screening Profiles (ESP), developed by P. Harrison, was examined with a sample of 23 non-handicapped preschool children (14 females and 9 males) ranging in age from 3 years 0 months to 6 years 0 months at the time of initial testing. The sample was drawn from a rural/suburban community in the midwest with a predominantly…