This study examined the effect of a mother-baby intervention on the quality of mother-child interaction, infant-mother attachment security, and infant socioemotional functioning in a group of depressed mothers with infants aged 1-12 months. A randomized controlled trial compared an experimental group (n = 35) receiving the intervention (8-10 home…

This article highlights the importance of peer interactions for pre-school-aged children's social and language development and demonstrates the need for professional development in this area. Learning Language and Loving It[TM]--The Hanen Program[R] for Early Childhood Educators and Preschool Teachers is a professional development program that is…

The study investigated the effects of two psychological education programs (Developing Understanding of Self and Others--DUSO, and Human Development Program--HDP or Magic Circle) on the affective growth of 42 visually impaired children in grades kindergarten through 3. (Author/SBH)

A study examined the effectiveness of social story interventions for three young children (ages 3-6) with autism spectrum disorders. Results confirmed the effectiveness of this intervention for reducing the frequency of target behaviors. Target behaviors remained at a low level even after the social story interventions were discontinued. (Contains…

Society and the life experiences of children and youth changed considerably during the last century. Schools today are expected to do more than they have ever done in the past to implement effective educational approaches that promote academic success, enhance health, and prevent problem behaviors have grown significantly. Broad-based, school-wide…

Schools are seen as having a central role to play in the "Every Child Matters" (ECM) effort, which many are finding somewhat challenging, an additional pressure and something of a departure from their usual role. One way forward may be to help schools make links between ECM and other activities with which they are starting to engage but…

Zins and his colleagues pointed out that understanding implementation of school-based prevention programs is a critical issue as we get more sophisticated about strategies to promote children's social and emotional skill development. This commentary discusses school-based program implementation, challenges, lessons learned, and future directions…

Over the past decade researchers have identified intervention strategies and program models that reduce delinquency and promote pro-social development. Preventing delinquency, says Peter Greenwood, not only saves young lives from being wasted, but also prevents the onset of adult criminal careers and thus reduces the burden of crime on its victims…

The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and the Canadian Mothercraft Society are running a day care program for infants (from 3 to 30 months of age) designed to facilitate their cognitive, personality, and social development through personalized adult-child interaction, guided learning situations, free play, and specialized care.…

Describes a study that supports the idea that participation in sociodramatic play builds the language competence of young children and that play is vital part of good preschool programs. (HOD)

This study explored the effects of a model of social skills training on 4- to 5-year-old children with low peer acceptance. The cognitive-social learning model aims to improve children's social behaviors through teaching effective cognitive social strategies and providing opportunities for children to practice social behaviors and monitor them…

Examined contention that social and intellectual development of African-American college students is nurtured better by traditionally Black colleges than by predominantly White colleges in 250 African American college students. Results did not support superiority of traditionally Black colleges. (Author/ABL)

An increasing number of classroom assistants (also called teaching assistants and sometimes learning support assistants) are employed in schools throughout the UK, but their impact appears variable. This paper presents an evaluation of a local authority project which placed five additional classroom assistants (CAs) in three primary schools in…

During prebaseline observations, three students diagnosed with autism were unable to make social initiations to another individual. The ability to make initiations would be considered a "pivotal response" in that it would allow an individual to come into contact with a wide variety of social reinforcement. A multiple-baseline design was…