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The communication process between care providers and children can, at times, be complex. Young children typically lack the verbal language necessary for complex emotional expression. In this article, the authors contend that using some basic "child centered play therapy" (CCPT) techniques would be beneficial in enhancing communicative patterns in a childcare setting. The use of CCPT responses by caregivers can be effective in encouraging emotional and social development in children. Because child care providers spend a great deal of time with children, this approach may lead to a more nurturing and stable relationship than parents are able to provide.

This quantitative study sought to examine parental perceptions of the transition to adulthood for their children with disabilities. Seventy-seven parents completed an anonymous online survey through PsychData regarding aspects of their perceptions of this transitory time. Questions were adapted from the "Autism Parenting Stress Index" (Silva & Schalock, 2012) and the Center for Disease Control's (2007) "Survey of Adult Transition and Health." The researchers sought to examine if associations existed among the child's age, the amount of services the child received, and/or the level of help the parent perceived the child to need with everyday tasks and parental stress, coping, and concern about this transition. Results revealed significant associations between the dependent variables and the age of the child; the amount of services the child received; and how much help the parent perceived the child would need with routine tasks, personal needs, and participation in activities.

This study examined the peer nominations of 213 children in Kindergarten (90), 3rd grade (58), and 5th grade (65) to examine their perceptions of peers who received pull-out services for unique needs. Using Coie, Dodge, and Coppotelli's [1982. "Dimensions and Types of Social Status: A Cross-age Perspective." "Developmental Psychology" 18 (4): 557-570] protocol for assessing sociometric status in children, the results revealed that peer perceptions of "most liked" (ML) and "least liked" (LL) in the classroom were associated with pull-out status, with those students who did not receive pull-out services receiving more nominations as ML than their peers who did leave the classroom for pull-out services. Social impact scores for children who received pull-out services were not significantly different from those of children who did not receive pull-out services, but significant differences were revealed for social preference scores. Implications and avenues for future research are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to survey parental media attitudes and perceptions of their children's knowledge and engagement with various media technologies, as well as to explore the children's actual knowledge and experience with these tools. A total of 101 US parents of young children (ages 2-7 years) and 39 children (ages 3-6 years) participated. Results revealed heavy media consumption both among parents and children, and a large number of children, including the youngest, had private access. Less than half of the parents could accurately identify their children's technological proficiency, and despite heavy usage, many children misidentified various media tools. Overall, parents showed positive attitudes toward media, to the extent that they believed media exposure to be vital to children's development, and many disagreed with recommendations from expert sources regarding age-appropriate screen time. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Background: This study investigated parental decision making about non-parental child care programs based on the technological and quality components of the program, both child-focused and parent-focused. Child-focused variables related to children's access to technology such as computers, educational television programming, and the internet. Parent-focused variables related to parental access to observe the program via the internet, and methods of communication by teachers, as well as traditional indicators of quality such as experience and education of the caregivers and type of curriculum offered. Objective: The study investigated which of these variables were most influential to parents' decision-making processes when choosing programs based on hypothetical scenarios. The study sought to examine which variables emerged as most important to parents, and whether these technological variables were more important than traditional indicators of quality, such as staff education level. Methods: A sample of 82 parents of children between the ages of 1 and 6 years (M = 3.6) completed a questionnaire gathering demographic information, as well as information about their perceptions of their children's media usage. The questionnaire also included hypothetical scenarios created using the SPSS ORTHOPLAN procedure to examine technology related variables (both child-focused and parent-focused) and traditional quality indicators that emerged as most influential to the decision-making process when choosing a child care program. Results: Using conjoint analysis, the results revealed that the child-focused technology variables that emerged as most influential to parents' decision making were educational software usage, television usage, and internet availability. In regard to parent-focused variables, conjoint analyses revealed that experience of the caregivers, type of curriculum offered, and education level of the caregivers were more influential to the decision making process than the ability to observe the program via the internet or method of communication used by the provider. Conclusions: The results provide additional support for the importance of well-trained and experienced staff in child care programs, as well as for a developmentally appropriate curriculum. These findings suggest that administrators interested in marketing early child care programs should continue to focus on these traditional indicators of quality, rather than on improving parental access to the program via technology.

Understanding the developmental stages of children is crucial for coaches. Equally important is the way adults communicate with children. In his seminal work describing the influence of society and social interactions on the psychosocial development of children, Erikson (1950, 1963) described the developmental crises faced by children at each major stage of their development from birth to death. According to Erikson, the developmental tasks of infancy and toddlerhood relate to the formation of trusting relationships and the establishment of a sense of autonomy. As children progress into their preschool years, the developmental crisis relates to the formation of a sense of initiative as opposed to a sense of guilt. During these early years, parents may have the most influence over the developmental outcomes of children. Later, as children progress into the elementary years, a time when many experience coaching in its formal sense for the first time, the role of other adults (e.g., teachers, coaches) increases. One of the key components to working with children is communication. Historically, negative behavioral-based interactions have been used in the classroom and playing fields (e.g., yelling or punishing). In this article, the authors argue that by using techniques relevant to child-centered play therapy, a relationship can be created between coach and athlete that is respectful and also addresses the child's need for validation.

Novel word learning in the context of shared storybook reading has been primarily investigated with monolingual children, while experiments with Hispanic dual language learners (DLLs) are less prevalent. This exploratory study investigated the extratextual stylistic behaviors of storybook reading that promote novel word learning in DLL preschoolers enrolled in Head Start. Using monolingual studies for methodological support, we examined vocabulary noneliciting questions and noneliciting labels as well as the impact of English and Spanish conditions. Results from our home language survey showed that Spanish was the only adult language spoken in most children's homes. The present study's findings revealed that Spanish vocabulary noneliciting questions promoted expressive novel word learning. Implications for adults working with Hispanic DLL children in Head Start and future avenues for research are discussed.

Early childhood educators are always looking for accessible, easy-to-use strategies to enhance communication with families. Technology innovations have the potential to enhance and create more meaningful school and home communication that involves families and encourages them to support their children's learning at home. Effective technological tools for family involvement that help support children's learning at home include: (1) the telephone; (2) email and Web sites; (3) school video; and (4) technological classroom newsletters. The idea of DVD newsletters combines the traditional newsletter concept for family involvement with the modern concept of digital versatile disc (DVD) technology. This article describes the basic steps in creating DVD newsletters. (Contains 3 tables.)

In an effort to address how to best assess the importance of various characteristics of child care to parents, 355 employed mothers of children under 6 years of age completed a questionnaire exploring the importance of child care characteristics to their choice of arrangement, through ratings, rankings, and conjoint analysis. Results indicate that when rated, warmth of caregivers, educational level of caregivers, and utilization of a play-based curriculum emerge as the most important factors for mothers in this sample. When rank ordered, warmth, a play-based curriculum, and the educational level of caregivers emerge as the first-, second-, and third-most important factors. When examined using conjoint analysis of child care scenarios, warmth, flexibility of hours of operation, and education level of caregivers emerge as the most influential variables in the child care decision. Demographic differences in parental child care preferences and potential future uses for conjoint analysis are identified. (Contains 5 tables.)

A variety of adult questioning styles may accompany shared storybook reading to help preschoolers' word learning. This experiment utilized a blocked randomized design to investigate the impact of two adult [...]