A study compared the progress of 12 Greek children (ages 8 months to 5 years) with disabilities who received a weekly educational visit from early interventionists for 2 years with that of 12 controls. Results showed significant gains for treated children in overall functioning level and in different domains of development. (Contains references.)…

Observes that the major challenge teachers confront is resisting the urge to be a "know-it-all," to dispense facile answers, to stop the inquiry. Concludes that only after surmounting the fear of being without an answer and after a conscious decision is made to listen thoughtfully can real learning begin. (SD)

Notes that the Internet can offer young children developmentally appropriate learning opportunities. Details four categories of opportunities: (1) information gathering, research and virtual field trips; (2) global communication; (3) publishing; and (4) interactive sites. Provides guidelines for site selection, notes concerns regarding children's…

The Child Development Centre in Whitehorse, Yukon, delivers comprehensive early intervention services to young children who experience a developmental delay or are considered at risk. Center services include community-based early intervention, a reverse-integrated preschool program, outreach services for rural and First Nations families, and a…

Describes the First Steps program for bilingual learners in elementary school. After discussing learning as developmental, examines factors in effective learning (problem solving, embeddedness, working memory, interaction, and time); explains the developmental curriculum of First Steps; discusses First Steps as a resource for teaching; and looks…

This paper chronicles the development of two children with severe disabilities who were fully included in a community child care center that implemented a developmentally appropriate play-based curriculum. Data indicate that the children made progress in all areas of development over the nine-month school year. (Author/DB)

Identifies five key findings of brain research: complex inter-play between genes and environment; early experiences contribute to brain structure and capacities; early interactions affect wiring; brain development is non-linear; and a child's brain is more active than adults'. Discusses implications for early childhood environments, curriculum,…

This article describes a developmental systems approach to applied developmental science (ADS), which provides a framework to design and evaluate technology-rich programs that promote positive development by emphasizing the strengths and assets of young people instead of focusing on diminishing or preventing risk-taking behaviors. Until now, most…

Patterns of development in language and play for full term and preterm children from 6 to 54 months and the effects of maternal parenting strategies (i.e., maintaining attentional focus, use of directiveness) were examined. Significant risk differences in the growth of both language and play were found. The high risk children were more likely to…

When children are assessed as being developmentally ready for competitive game play, large group games and traditional low organizational games need to be replaced by an approach that uses small-sided games, modified equipment and playing areas, and emphasizes game tactics. Manipulating factors that affect the structure and understanding of games…

Research suggests that the development of emotional regulation in early childhood is interrelated with emotional understanding and language skills. Heuristic models are proposed on how these factors influence children's emerging academic motivation and skills. (Contains 2 figures.)

There is much evidence that parents' perceptions of children's competence affect the development of children's academic functioning. In the current research, the possibility that this is moderated by parents' theories about the stability of competence was examined. In a 2-wave, 1-year study of 126 children (9 to 12 years old) and their mothers,…

An instrument to measure teachers' instructional practices, the Instructional Practice Questionnaire, was developed and validated in three phases. The questionnaires focused on three domains of instructional practices: cognitive, interpersonal, and interpersonal. First, an initial questionnaire was developed for a pilot study, and data were…

Early interventionists are accountable for the progress of children receiving their services. Technically adequate measures of the progress of individual children are needed. While the Early Communication Indicator (ECI) for infants and toddlers is one such measure, data to support its use are limited to a single research report. In this…

Over the course of development, the ability to switch between different tasks on the basis of feedback cues increases profoundly, but the role of performance monitoring remains unclear. Heart rate indexes can provide critical information about how individuals monitor feedback cues indicating that performance should be adjusted. In this study,…