Developed the Toddler Behavior Checklist (TBC) using parental reports of the frequencies of 103 patterns of behavior in children from 9 to 48 months old. Five scales were derived from factor analysis: Oppositional, Immaturity, Emotional Instability, Physical Aggression, and Shyness. Four scales demonstrated excellent reliability; reliability of…

Twenty-one autistic and 21 nonautistic retarded adolescents and young adults were compared on British Picture Vocabulary Scale items considered emotion-related or highly abstract. Autistic subjects' lower scores on emotion-related items suggest autism-specific impairments in grasping these concepts. No differences were found for abstract/concrete…

Asserts that emotions are based on cognitive appraisals of occurrences. Argues that cognitive models have heuristic value for research and practice and examines objections concerning the validity of those models. Discusses the usefulness of these models for several educational and developmental goals. (KO)

Reviews research on family processes that affect the socioemotional functioning of children in poor families and families in economic decline. (PCB)

This paper describes a 14-year follow-up research study conducted in Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada), examining blind children's educational, social, and emotional development. The paper also reviews the research literature on blindness in children, focusing on family reactions, early development, special problems, outcome, intervention, and…

The cross-cultural comparison of 90 families with mildly retarded children in Japan and 93 similar American families found the relation between cognitive opportunities at home and the child's social competency similar but the relation between affective aspects of the home environment and the child's psychosocial adjustment to differ between the…

Examines the course of emotion expression development during the first 2 years of 58 full-term and preterm children through videotapes of mother/infant pairs. Mothers' contingency behavior appeared to have an effect on emotional development, as did birth status and gender. Prematurity was associated with differential socioemotional development.…

Studies the perceived source of self-esteem among 300 children aged three to five. Results indicate that peers are the predominant source of self-esteem in the low intensity ("like") condition and parents are the predominant source of self-esteem in the high intensity ("love") condition. (RJC)

The study of affect comprehension in 15 children with pervasive developmental disorders (ages 7-10) and normal children matched for mental age found that the disabled children were impaired on affect matching compared to the controls and were impaired on face and affect matching relative to their own performance on object matching. (Author/DB)

Assessed the impact of different forms of maltreatment on the socioemotional development of 70 children aged 5-7 years in a day camp. Maltreated children scored lower than the comparison group on self-esteem and prosocial measures and higher on withdrawn behavior ratings. (RJC)

Examines several writings by female Caribbean writers who address the formation of female identity, mothers as vehicles of culture and history, and the identity confusion that comes when this function is removed. The barriers between blacks and whites under slavery and colonialism and how these conditions affected female identity development in…

Focuses on ways caregivers can promote the development of empathy in young children. Discusses the role of empathy in moral development, how empathy develops, and the influence of genetics and experience. Suggests that to promote development of empathy in children, teachers can model caring behaviors, name and interpret emotions, role play helpful…

This paper discusses the use of bibliotherapy with gifted students and introduces "cinematherapy," the use of movies to help students explore important issues in their lives. Plot summaries, post-viewing discussion questions, and questions relating movies to gifted students' lives are presented for "Stand and Deliver" and "Wargames." A list of…

This article describes the House of Shalom Youth Centre Program in Ontario, Canada, and the group model which was developed there for working with youth. Six career counseling workshops were developed using the "Life Skills" lesson model. An example of an experiential exercise is provided. (LKS)

Identifies salient characteristics of learning disabilities, how learning disabilities affect individuals in social relationships, and how groups can be used to effectively facilitate individual growth. This is achieved due to therapeutic factors such as universality, instillation of hope, altruistic information sharing, and group interaction.…