Project ACTT (Activating Children Through Technology) has adapted hardware (switches, battery operated toys, and microcomputers) and developed software for use with handicapped children (birth to 3). Individual child assessment of abilities, switch determination and placement, positioning, environmental design, choice of equipment, parent…

Longitudinal observation of 12 infants, including measures of child behavior and maternal language and child language, revealed that most subjects acquired a balanced distribution of object labels and social-centered words and phrases. (Author/CB)

A variety of battery operated leisure materials were adapted for easier activation by 10 profoundly mentally retarded nonambulatory and nonverbal institutionalized adults. Demonstration and instruction results supported the use of the adapted materials as a cost-effective means of increasing the independent leisure activity engagements of such…

Results suggest that gender schematization exerts an important influence in early sex-role development and illustrate the utility of a gender schematic approach to early sex-typing phenomena. (RH)

This guide to playing with switches for parents and early intervention personnel was developed by the "Let's Play! Project," a 3-year federally supported project that worked to promote play in infants and toddlers with disabilities through the use of assistive technology. Switches are used with electronic toys to help young children…

This collection of journal article reprints was developed by the "Let's Play! Project," a 3-year federally supported project that worked to promote play in infants and toddlers with disabilities through the use of "low-tech" assistive technology. The articles are organized into three groups: (1) play of children with disabilities (seven articles);…

Study investigated the effects of inconsistency of instructions, order of presentation of instructions, and sex of child upon children's behavior in a resistance-to-temptation situation. (Author)

States that teachers should understand how they can legitimately use play to accomplish teaching-learning objectives, suggests a model for formulating a play ethic for teacher training, and presents a play matrix showing the areas of impact in play theory for the teaching-learning process. (MF)

Chemistry sets, often a child's first contact with chemistry, are becoming less attractive to manufacturers as the market for these items decreases. There is a tendency for recently manufactured chemistry sets to be less adequate than those selling in the same price range in past years. Manuals vary in quality among manufacturers. (RE)

Compares the organization of supermarkets to classroom environments. Emphasizes the efficient use of space with the use of containers, keeping materials in place, and grouping objects together. Provides suggestions on the use of color and adding storage space. (MOK)

Observed Anglo- and Korean-American preschoolers during free play and experimental toy play. Found that Korean-Americans' play included everyday activity and family role themes, whereas Anglo-Americans' play enacted danger and fantastic themes. Anglo-Americans described their own actions and used directives, whereas Korean Americans described…

Studied how 29 Canadian junior high school students aged 11 to 14 used technology to design and produce toys. Findings show that the project-based unit allowed students to use technology in meaningful ways, and that computer use allowed some shifts in traditional gender-technology relations. (SLD)

Six activities to help teachers collaborate with local public libraries are suggested. Activities include making regular class visits to the library, arranging bilingual story hours, creating programs for lending toys and games, creating literacy programs for parents and children, providing lists of books on parenting, and reading additional…

Compares and reviews currently available brands of steel construction sets that are useful to physics teachers for building demonstrations, prototypes of mechanisms, robotics, and remote control devices. (ZWH)

Assessed preschoolers' gender-typed toy choices and judgments regarding cross-gender behavior. Children's level of reasoning, but not their gender constancy, was related to gender-typed toy choices. Children who could distinguish between moral and social norms exhibited fewer gender-typed toy choices than did other children. (BC)