Primarily a select bibliography on early childhood education-- biological, psychological and social aspects; general educational aspects; methodology; exceptional children; parents and teachers--including an article on the World Organization for Early Childhood Education, description of a pilot project creating a microfiche bank for teachers of…

This document provides brief descriptions of the major projects supported in 1989 by the Bernard van Leer Foundation. A total of 94 projects are covered. Each is described in terms of: (1) the sponsoring institution; (2) the title of the project; (3) the duration of project activities supported by the foundation; and (4) a description of the…

Aspects of the social environment that contribute to the development of a child's self-esteem are the topic of this literature review. Three issues are addressed. Taken up first are the often conflicting theories concerning how self-esteem is developed and maintained. Second is the issue of the influence on self-esteem of significant others. Third…

This document provides an annotated bibliography of 24 empirical studies of child abuse and a summary of the findings. Annotations are organized in three sections covering effects of child abuse on children's cognitive, emotional, and social development. A 5-page summary of research findings generally indicated that abused children possessed…

Updating a 1977 review, this review of the research concerning parents' effects on their children's development asks what progress has been made in understanding such effects during the last decade. After presenting findings of the earlier review, discussion focuses on five areas of research: temperament, attachment, cognitive development,…

This brief booklet, which discusses characteristics and problems of learning disabled children, describes the typical learning-disabled child as one who frequently fails at school, appears disoriented, and has reading and language difficulties. The learning-disabled child is immature rather than abnormal, often functioning at a social and…

The teacher's guide and parent booklet on play are both intended to provide encouragement and ideas for parents of young handicapped children. The teacher's guide stresses the importance of positive parent-child interactions, addresses specific problems of some children (such as lack of mobility or perseveration) during play, and offers…

The interplay between an infant's development and its family context during the early years has been studied in a longitudinal investigation. A total of 16 normal families having 1 child between 1 and 3 years of age and a newborn child were observed monthly in unstructured situations in their homes over a period of 2 years. When the youngest child…

Pre- and post-natal medical, financial, demographic, and maternal social support data were collected from 220 lower socioeconomic status (SES), "high risk" mothers and their newborn infants. Additional data were obtained later from a subsample of 19 boys and 19 girls between 18 and 24 months of age and their mothers. Mothers ranged in age from 15…

Two studies are presented which investigate the influence of various toy structures on the frequency of individual fantasy play forms in 3- to 6-year-old children. In the first study, the effects of high-realistic/high-complexity and low-realistic/low-complexity toy structures were compared. There were significant main effects for the factor toy…

While construction of early childhood education curricula requires the use of educational and developmental theories, significant differences between the two domains exist. Whereas educational theories are particularistic and maximalist, developmental theories are universalist and minimalist. Developmental theory views change in individuals as…

A case is presented for a major overhaul in the language arts curriculum, based on the idea that traditional teaching methods, especially in reading and writing, that do not take into account children's natural tendency to make sense of their world and to base new learning on what they already know, are ineffective or even inhibitive of literacy…

In order to satisfy the need for low-cost child care services for the growing number of student-parents and to provide a more structured practical experience for students in its child care curriculum, Schoolcraft College created the Child Care Center as a campus laboratory in 1981. The child care curriculum, which emphasizes optimal development of…

Children experience stress just as adults do. Various responses to stress can damage the body's health in at least two different ways. First, they may do direct damage to the tissues--especially those of the circulatory system. Second, and more often important to the health of children, they may suppress the body's natural defenses against…

Delayed language development is compared to normal development along six basic parameters, and the problem of language delay among handicapped children is addressed. Interaction characteristics that occur at an early stage between the mother and handicapped child are also reviewed, along with the way parents tend to compensate for their child's…