Comments on Skinner, Zimmer-Gembeck and Connell's study (PS 528 522) which investigated the relationship between elementary school students' beliefs-performance cycles and their perceived control and classroom engagement. Notes methodological and theoretical issues and controversial issues raised by the study. Discusses the links to other…

Two studies examined developmental outcomes associated with services in inclusive and self-contained preschool classrooms. Children functioning at relatively higher levels of social and emotional functioning performed better in inclusive settings than in specialized settings and children in full-day classrooms achieved higher rates of progress…

Reviews "Children in Long-Term Foster Care: Emotional and Social Development" by Colette McAuley, an intensive study of 19 children in middle childhood in their first two years of foster placement in Northern Ireland. Maintains that the book's strengths include its discussion on interviews with children, the applicability of attachment…

Considers the implications of nonparental care for cognitive development and behavior problems in Swiss young children. Finds that the effect of nonparental care on behavior problems was mediated by the pattern of attachment to the mother and that the effect on cognitive development was mediated by the quality of care. (DSK)

This article discusses the importance of obtaining developmental history in the screening and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders in children. Steps for obtaining developmental history are described and general guidelines are provided. Instruments for collecting developmental history and diagnostic indicators for autism spectrum disorders are…

Examines why a sixth-grade teacher in a Waldorf classroom selected the particular forms of representation for the lessons in a thematic unit. States that the teacher represented the lessons in ways that would bring about experiences, feelings, and imagination (such as story telling, visual arts, and singing.) (CMK)

Interviews with 47 Mexican-American children in grades 2 and 6 and their parents revealed that parental ethnic socialization about ethnic discrimination was associated with children's development of ethnic knowledge. Children's understanding of ethnic prejudice was related to their ethnic knowledge but not their ethnic behaviors. Contains 24…

This article reviews data collected during evaluation of two programs based on conductive education principles established in Sydney in the early 1990s by parents of preschool and school-age children with motor disabilities. Results indicate programs based on conductive education are not more effective than other currently available forms of…

Notes that "Loveys," or transitional comfort objects, are an important prop in some children's emotional and intellectual development. Provides developmental information, and describes types of children who typically use loveys, challenges to child care programs when the object comes to school, and how children give up their attachments.…

Describes how caregivers can support young children's writing development. Outlines stages of writing: scribbling, drawing, invented letters, random letters, copying words, developmental spelling, and conventional spelling. Provides tips on what to say to children in each stage of writing. (KB)

This article introduces a whole-word approach to phonological analysis and demonstrates the approach by conducting an analysis and outlining treatment recommendations for a child with phonological disability. Rationale for using a whole-word approach and also for defining phonological typologies are presented, along with four components of a…

In developmental research, the family has mainly been studied through dyadic interaction. Three-way interactions have received less attention, partly because of their complexity. This difficulty may be overcome by distinguishing between four hierarchically embedded functions in three-way interactions: (1) participation (inclusion of all…

Teaching styles were investigated in 28 middle-class sibling dyads (older sibling M age = 8.2 yrs; younger sibling M age = 5.11 yrs) using two sets of block design tasks (five easy; five hard). Older siblings employed a greater number of strategies (i.e. physical demonstrations, scaffolding, corrective feedback) in the hard than in the easy tasks,…

This study investigated families of children with autism spectrum disorders using early intervention and early childhood services, as well as the perceived efficacy and developmental outcomes related to the services and service delivery methods. Results indicated that a variety of recommended practices are not being used by families and…

Our purpose in this report is to evaluate scientifically that body of literature relating the effects of prenatal and postnatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) upon neurobehavioral, health-related, and cognitive deficits in neonates, developing infants, children, and adults. The data derive from seven cohorts: six cohorts of mothers…