Studied the changes in the social exchanges of 30 young children with disabilities with their mothers and a familiar playmate at 4 data points over a 16-month period. Found that the children engaged in more and increasingly social exchanges over time, showed more vocal behavior, and completed more object-related acts. (AC)

Two cohorts of children from inner-city elementary schools were provided a paraprofessional tutoring intervention to ease their transition to new schools. Participants had low-income status, lags in achievement tests, and stressful life events. Academic and sociometric follow-up data showed some academic improvements over the next three years but…

Explores the impact of having a hearing-impaired peer on preschool children's understanding of hearing and deafness, comparing children with and without a hearing-impaired peer. All children referred to their own experiences to explain hearing loss. Children with a hearing-impaired classmate understood sign language and the consequences of hearing…

Five three-year-old children with disabilities were taught to identify rebus symbols. Children were given praise and instructive feedback. All children learned to identify all symbols. They acquired second and third sets of stimuli faster than they acquired the first set. (LB)

A study was conducted over a 15-week period during which 6 preschoolers made weekly visits to a day-care center. There was little spontaneous cooperative play between day-care children and children with disabilities. Students with disabilities showed increased social and play skills. (LB)

Examined the incidence of delayed kindergarten entry in a suburban school district over a 12-year period. Results indicated that there had been a significant increase in the number of children who had delayed school entry. Significantly more males than females delayed kindergarten entry, and the majority of children delaying school entry had…

Observed preschool children's social interactions with teachers and peers in the context of moral and prudential events. Four types of moral transgressions were observed--physical harm, psychological harm, property loss, and property damage--with the majority of transgressions pertaining to physical harm and property loss. Found gender differences…

Examined the effectiveness of the showcase portfolio process as an instructional strategy to enhance the quality and quantity of students' writing and to motivate them to participate in the writing process. Findings supported claims that portfolios are not only an authentic evaluative procedure, but an equally powerful motivational approach and an…

Contrasts prevailing attitudes with new research that presents a new portrayal of young children's social disposition: children are social and sensitive to the needs of others and take other viewpoints into consideration, aggression is a rare form of conflict resolution, and children negotiate and compromise with peers in the absence of adults at…

A longitudinal study of conflict management among siblings found that children's use of other-oriented statements emerged between 33 and 47 months of age, and that children used other-oriented arguments with their friends more often than with their mothers or siblings. Further, at 33 months, children used more reasoning during conflicts when not…

A longitudinal study examined responses to physically aggressive conflicts among siblings. Found that parents respond to half of children's aggression (especially if there is crying). Most parent and child responses were simple commands to stop the aggression. Reasoning was used less often, and physical intervention, rarely. Aggression was higher…

Home observations recorded how 33-month-old younger siblings act as third-party interveners in family disputes. Disputes usually involved house rules when mother was absent. Children who supported elder siblings had more harmonious sibling relationships than those who did not support their siblings. Results demonstrate ways in which children are…

Examined how young children participating in early childhood programs perceive the social support they receive. Results indicated that pre- and early elementary school-age children can respond to questions about their social support networks in reasonably reliable and valid ways. Significant correlations with indices of perceived competence and…

Investigated the maintenance and generalization of Individual Education Program (IEP) objectives. Comparison groups and 25 children with mental retardation from early intervention programs completed previously achieved and closely related tasks pertaining to color, shape, number, and size. Found variability in maintenance and generalization for…

Compared parental perceptions of the use of internal information sources--intuitions, religious beliefs, personal childhood experiences--to use of external sources for information about their toddlers' development. Found that parents perceived the internal sources as being used more frequently and as more useful for information on their child's…