Presents the scientific basis for the impacts of the environment on children and describes the differences between adults and children in physical, biological, and social environments. The article highlights why children should not be treated as "little adults" in developing environmental policy. (GR)

Explores young children's mark-making in a domestic play setting. Suggests mark-making indicates aspects of the relationship between semiotic and conceptual development. Focuses on contexts in which mark-making occurs and on the authenticity of the learning events in which children participate. (DLH)

Offers advice to parents and teachers on addressing children's natural curiosities about their own bodies and those of others. Recommends using anatomically correct terms and dolls, and children's anatomy books; advises what to do when children engage in sex play, self-exploration, and masturbation, or use toilet language. (DLH)

This article comments on two studies (EC 629 876) that investigated the validity of a set of 15 general growth outcomes (GGOs) for identifying young children with disabilities. It discusses concerns that the respondents were not culturally diverse and need to provide public and empirical demonstrations of the operationalization of the outcomes…

This article summarizes findings of "What Grown-ups Understand about Child Development," a national survey to gauge America's knowledge about child development. The findings suggest a need for more and better information on topics such as expectations of young children at different ages, theories on spanking and spoiling, and choices of…

The construct of complexity has been advanced as a variable in the efficacy of treatment for children with functional phonological disorders. This article focuses on clinical complexity as it influences selection of target sounds, with three clinical factors reviewed: consistency of error, normative age of acquisition, and number of errors.…

In an attempt to devise a methodology for characterizing children's intuitive theories of drug action, 217 children in Grades 1 to 6 were interviewed about how two substances, alcohol and cocaine, cause behavioral changes in their users. Measures tapped both structure (Piagetian complexity of causal reasoning, coherence, and construction of a…

The arts play an important role in human development, enhancing the growth of cognitive, emotional, and psychomotor pathways. Neuroscience research reveals the impressive impact of arts instruction, such as, music, drawing and physical activity, on students' cognitive, social and emotional development. Much of what young children do as…

This article raises several opinions to thoroughly carry the spirit of the Sixteenth Party Congress, adapt to the requirements of the new situation and tasks, completely raise the ideological and moral quality of minors, and further strengthen and improve the development of ideology and morality among minors. Strengthening and improving the…

In the present political climate, politicians are singling out children's programs and services for budget cuts. The need for teacher education programs to prepare early childhood teachers as children's advocates is becoming ever more evident. For years, the National Association for the Education of Young Children has called for greater…

Background: Previous studies suggest that failure to thrive in infancy may be associated with adverse sequelae in childhood. Although cognitive abilities have been extensively investigated, little systematic research is available on other aspects of development. Methods: Eighty-nine children who failed to thrive as infants and 91 controls were…

Background: Five DNA markers (single-nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs) have recently been found to be associated with general cognitive ability "g") in a sample of 7414 7-year-old twins. These children have also been studied at 2, 3, 4, and 7 years of age on measures of cognitive and language development and behaviour problems; family environment…

Background: Arithmetical skills are essential to the effective exercise of citizenship in a numerate society. How these skills are acquired, or fail to be acquired, is of great importance not only to individual children but to the organisation of formal education and its role in society. Method: The evidence on the normal and abnormal…

Background: The aim of the study was to examine the association between anxious/withdrawn behaviours at age 8 and the development of internalising disorders in adolescence and young adulthood (ages 16-21). Methods: Data were gathered over the course of a 21-year longitudinal study of a birth cohort of over 1,000 New-Zealand-born young people. Over…

To provide an array of perspectives on the future direction of foster care, five experts across various disciplines and backgrounds were asked to respond to this question: "How can the child welfare system be improved to better support families and promote the healthy development of children in foster care?" This article presents their responses…