Truants living in a depressed urban area were compared with other absentees from school living in the same area. Results, discussed in reference to research differentiating truants and school refusers, showed few differences in the social and financial circumstances of the two groups, but reflected considerable differences in the children's…

Explores the relationship between visuo-spatial skills and the ability to attend to perceptual detail in 20 autistic, 20 normal, and 20 mildly retarded children of comparable mental age. Test material from the Children's Embedded Figures Test was used. Autistic children, using qualitatively different strategies, were significantly more competent…

Critically reviews the concept of "bonding," exploring its empirical basis and the implications that follow from its application in practice. Among the conclusions reached are that there is a tendency to oversimplify attachment phenomena and that the notion of a sensitive period for attachment has no direct empirical support. (RH)

Examines reinforcing characteristics of attachment agents such as mothers and blankets among 100 preschool-age children. The first study assesses preferences for these agents in two-choice situations, the second study examines the effectiveness of the agents as visual reinforcers, and the third study focuses on the reinforcing capacity of the…

Ratings were made of childrens' verbal-social behavior by nursery nurses and teachers in day nurseries, nursery schools, and combined nursery centers. These ratings were analyzed for group differences, and validity was assessed by comparing ratings with observations of the children's behavior and scores on two language tests. (RH)

Investigates differences in attitudes toward children and parents among nursery nurses and teachers in three combined nursery centers, three nursery schools, and six day nurseries. Differences between the professional groups were found. (RH)

The neuropsychological status and neuromotor performance of adolescent boys from lower-middle-class social environments who were detained as juvenile delinquents were compared to those of nondelinquent lower- and upper-middle-class controls. Principal aims were to investigate relationships between delinquency and learning disabilities,…

Investigates the syntactical level of spontaneous and echolalic utterances of 26 autistic boys at different stages of phrase speech development. Speech samples were collected over a 90-minute period in unstructured settings in participants' homes. Imitations were not deliberately elicited, and only unprompted, noncommunicative echoes were…

Classroom conversations between 16 teachers and their pre-lingually deaf students were videotaped and analyzed to examine styles used by teachers in controlling conversation and functions pursued in dialogue. Further analyses were made to examine relationships between hearing loss, non-verbal intelligence, teaching styles and the child's…

Established and newly arrived children in three nursery schools and two day nurseries differing in building design were observed in an effort to assess effects of architectural space on children's behavior. (RH)

Nine infants with Down's syndrome, seven nonhandicapped infants, and one severely handicapped infant were given the choice of listening to familiar nursery rhymes or to the same rhymes with each word reversed so that the rhythms, intonation and stress patterns were kept intact but the words became nonsense. (RH)

Describes a newly developed method of rating the home environment of primary school children. The method was used in a study to assess the cognitive abilities and school progress of 20 children. Results indicate environmental factors significantly correlate with children's cognitive abilities and demonstrate that not all such factors are related…