Maintains that the mental "playground" of young people, the field of opportunities where they learn to grow into the person they are uniquely destined to become, has shrunk dramatically. Reflects on three models for youth ministry and religious education that can respond to this phenomenon. (MJP)

This study compared a group of nine children (ages 3 to 8) with congenital blindness and an autism-like syndrome with nine sighted children. Children with autism had more severe abnormalities in terms of their relationships with people and emotional expressions, and were more impaired in the area of pretend play. (CR)

Ten children (ages 5 to 16) with autism, 10 with Down syndrome, and 10 controls were tested on a task that required matching faces on the basis of emotion and on a task that required judging pleasantness of a face. Children with autism performed worse on both facial-expression-of-emotion subtasks. (Author/CR)

Describes and provides contact information for different competitions for students with disabilities in the arts, service learning and leadership, and academics. Discusses the benefits of competitions, including enhancement of learning skills, development of social skills, and development of lifelong interests. (CR)

Presents a qualitative analysis of cognitive and emotional functioning in intellectually borderline adolescents and the consequences for personality and social development. Psychopathological risk is analyzed. Describes conceptualizations that intellectually borderline adolescents have of their own mental functioning. Discusses the implication for…

A study analyzed the acquisition of communicative functions and means in 15 children and youth with autism over a one-year period. Participants made advances in skills development in both functions and means. Functions appeared to follow a developmental sequence from behavior regulation to social integration to joint attention. (Author/CR)

Examined differences in reactions to children's aggressive play of mothers with aggressive or nonaggressive preschoolers. Found that mothers of aggressive preschoolers were more likely than other mothers to stop aggressive play, make value judgments, withdraw when aggressive play occurred, and make no effort to join or modulate the play. Findings…

A study compared two approaches for teaching cooperative play to six children (ages 4-12) with autism. In one approach, children observed cooperative play before participating. In the second approach, participants verbally described the modeled play episode before participating. Participants failed to acquire cooperative play until the verbal…

Argues that the individualistic-collectivistic dichotomy results in mislabeling both cultures and individuals. Discusses ways in which individualistic concerns with independence and collectivistic concerns with interdependence coexist in Western and non-Western cultures. Outlines a theoretical framework explaining the coexistence of diverse social…

Observed 18- to 30-month-olds' use of force against peers. Found no sex differences in average aggression levels or in mothers' aggression ratings. Rate of hitting peers and mothers' ratings were stable over 6 months for girls only. Toddlers especially sensitive to peers' possible intentions hit peers more and were more likely than to use force…

Analyzes children's and mothers' accounts of the economic consequences of divorce for children in Botswana. Notes that most mothers and children reported economic hardship following divorce, although a few reported improvement or no change in economic circumstances. Traces the implications for the social and psychological well-being of children.…

Study showed IQ scores of homeless adolescents (N=50) were comparable to population means, and unrelated to the duration of homelessness. Higher scores were significantly correlated with only a minority of the measures of psychosocial functioning, including less self-reported depression, lower reported delinquency, and less self-control in…

To succeed, educational leaders must be able to forge working relationships with many people and be mediators and mentors, negotiators and networkers. Administrators must be self-confident, be able to modulate emotions, be unusually persuasive, cultivate positive relationships, and continually develop their emotional intelligence. The right kind…

From threats of violence to emotional insecurity, many students enter schools burdened by fear. By addressing these concerns directly, clearly communicating expectations, creating engaging, open-ended curricula, and viewing students holistically, teachers can begin to create peaceful classroom communities. Such actions bring hope to students and…

Examines the relationship between forgiveness and psychosocial development using a sample of students (N=113) in their first year of a teacher-education program. Results suggest that psychosocial development provides a potentially useful assessment framework for understanding how a client will understand and implement the forgiveness process.…