Argues that the world view of contemporary behavior analysis, especially behavior analysis of child development, is contextualistic, not mechanistic. The history of behavior analysis is presented in a revised account that focuses on philosophic movements. Contextualism of behavior analysis is contrasted with mechanism with respect to five core…

Examines the relationship between development of story schema skills and strategies children adopt for attending to and remembering television narratives. Finds advanced story schema skills were related to reduced processing effort, increased memory of central story content, greater flexibility of allocation strategies, and better coordination…

Reviewed are the causes of oxygenation deprivation during the birth process, effects on the brain, clinical manifestations, developmental consequences in terms of cognitive and motor deficits, and implications for educators. (JDD)

Conducted research, based on Erikson's theory of identity development, to examine anorexic's progression through early stages of development. Results support the view that the negative aspects of development are clearly present in the anorexic. Findings have implications for school counselors. Introductory questionnaire on anorexia is appended.…

Makes a case for a sequential approach to teaching foreign languages middle schools and suggests that in the middle school must encompass both the goals of proficiency and exploration; the integrated exploratory model is more compatible with child development; exploratory can be a launching pad into sequential courses; after an exploratory…

Further examines the reliability of the Developing Understanding of Self and Others Affectivity Assessment Device by increasing the sample size from previous studies, and by including samples for the second, third, and fourth grade. All correlations were in the range of the two previous studies. (JPS)

This literature review examined the congruence between parental estimates and professionals' assessments of the abilities of children with disabilities. Results suggest that there are strong, positive correlations between parental and professional judgments, and that methodology relates to the degree of congruence between parental and professional…

This study of 102 individuals with autism found that the brainstem and cerebellum increased in size with age but were significantly smaller in autistic patients than in controls. Analysis of the speed of development suggests that brainstem and vermian abnormalities in autism were due to an early insult and hypoplasia rather than to progressive…

This study of the relationship between mother-child interactions and children's development for 18 children (ages 20-36 months) with severe visual impairments found that mother-responsive behaviors were positively related to child development, whereas mother-initiated behaviors were either negatively related or not related. (Author/JDD)

Eighty normally hearing children (ages 4 to 8) judged the clarity of sentences that were systematically bandpass-filtered to increase intelligibility. Study of 10 subjects at each age found that children 5 years or older were able to make reliable clarity judgements using paired comparisons or category rating; however, the method of paired…

Presents findings concerning the role of symbolic play. Assumes that symbolic play has seven functions in the child's development: cognitive, creative, ordering, stimulative, social, expressive, and substitutive. Considers play as a phenomenon that prepares children's abilities through symbolic play. (BAC)

Discusses the problems arising from discriminating between childcare and early education. Suggests that children in every setting learn something that has implications for future learning. Funding and support for early education, intervention, or enrichment should build on the existing network of programs of all kinds, with the goal of helping…

Examined developmental effects of bibliotherapy-based classroom guidance curriculum. Students (n=22) in experimental group participated in 12 bibliotherapy-based lessons using titles selected for literary merit; control students (n=20) participated in 12 guidance lessons. Results suggest that use of stories to help students solve problems or…

A clinical psychologist recounts her childhood efforts to develop creatively despite the discouragements of many of the adults in her world. (DB)

The article distinguishes between gifted, creative, and talented and describes child development as involving five "roots," consisting of genetics, bodily nourishment, self-concept, environment, and acculturation. (DB)