Social perceptions and communicative interactions of handicapped and normal children in a preschool classroom

Ethological observational techniques and a sociometric test were used to investigate the social and communication interactions of five handicapped and four normal children in an open-informal preschool classroom. The observations revealed normal children primarily verbally interacted with normal children and the teacher. In contrast, the handicapped children interacted most frequently with teachers and less frequently with normal of handicapped children. Handicapped children were rarely verbal actors but rather receivers, with most of their communications coming from teachers rather than peers. Most of the positive play with and talk to sociometric choices obtained from both types of children indicated normal children were most frequently chosen while handicapped children were rejected or neutral. In addition, the less severe the communication handicap, the more apt the child was to be socially accepted. Spacing patterns of the children indicated that the normal children may serve as models who are not interacted with but who are observed by handicapped children.     

Social interaction of intellectually handicapped children in integrated and segregated preschools

The social participation during free play activities of intellectually handicapped children in regular preschools was compared with that of their non‐handicapped age‐mates in the same preschools, and with that of intellectually handicapped children in a special preschool. While both groups of intellectually handicapped children showed, significantly lower levels of social participation than the non‐handicapped children, the intellectually handicapped children attending the special preschool were significantly lower in terms of social participation than those attending the regular preschools. The results were discussed in terms of the probable advantages of regular preschools as social learning environments for intellectually handicapped children.     

Effects of a preschool intervention on cognitive development among East-African preschool children: A flexibly time-coded growth model

The aim of the study is to investigate the effects of the Madrasa Resource Center (MRC), a child-centered intervention program, on East-African (Kenya, Zanzibar, and Uganda) preschool children's cognitive development. Altogether 321 children (153 non-intervention and 168 intervention) participated in a cross-sequential study over three time-points during preschool (mean ages 4.3, 6.0, and 7.1 years). A multilevel model (MLM; time-points nested within children nested within schools), in which time was coded flexibly (i.e., child's age operationalized as months from start of the intervention), showed a beneficial curvilinear effect of the intervention program on children's cognitive gains. A moderation analysis suggested that the effect of observed preschool quality (ECERS) was stronger in the intervention program. The findings are discussed within the context of East-African preschool policy.     

Modeling and mental imagery use by multiply handicapped and learning disabled preschool children

Multiply handicapped mentally retarded and learning disabled preschool children participated in a series of learning tasks designed to clarify task-related effects of modeling-based mental imagery training experiences. A modified single-subject multiple-baseline design was employed with alternating baseline and treatment sessions occurring for tasks involving uncategorized recall, categorized recall, and paired associates learning. Facilitative effects of modeling were found to occur for all learning tasks. Facilitation of learning was most apparent for associative learning and with learning disabled subjects. The findings are discussed in terms of the viability of instructional modeling and mental imagery processes as factors in the education of children with problems in learning, language, and cognition.     

双性化教育模式对儿童成长的探析

性别角色是被社会认可的男性和士性在社会上的一种地位，也是社会对男性和士性在行为方式和态度上期望的总称。单性化教育已经不能满足现代社会对人才素质的要求，双性化教育模式认为男性和女性不是相对的两极，而是可以分割的相对的两个维度；在教育孩子上，过于严格、绝对的性别定型，只会限制孩子智力、个性的全面、健康的发展。双性化教育模式的开展途径：一、改变家庭教育观念和教育方法，二、改变学校教育观念和教育方法，三、社会大环境的有力支持。     

Prevention: Federal impact on preschool handicapped programs

Children with special needs should be identified before they fail. This preventive approach includes identifying children with potential problems, assessing their specific strengths and weaknesses, and developing appropriate interventions where needed. Until recently, preventive actions were started primarily at the elementary level, especially for reading disabilities. Since 1960 there has been an increasing emphasis on preschool preventive programs. The purpose of this paper is to delineate key elements of a preschool program that could lead to the prevention of academic failure. Since judicial and legislative decisions have influenced the shape of preschool programs, this paper first presents an overview of the legal history, and then describes the program elements of an effective preschool program for handicapped children. Presented at the 33rd Annual Conference of The Orton Dyslexia Society, San Diego, California, November 1983.     

Phonological abilities and writing among portuguese preschool children

The objective of this study was to identify causal relationships between the development of phonological abilities and progress in writing in preschool children. The participants were 44 children, with an average age of 5 years and 6 months, and whose writing was syllabic with phonetization. The children were divided into three groups. They were subjected to a pre-test and a post-test that were intended to evaluate both their writing and their phonological skills. In between the two tests experimental group 1 underwent a writing training program designed to lead them to produce syllabic-alphabetic/alphabetic writing, while experimental group 2 was subjected to a phonological training program designed to work on phonetic units. The third group served as a control group. The number of letters known and the level of intelligence were controlled. The children in the two experimental groups achieved results that revealed a similar degree of progress (greater than the control group) in both their writing and their phonological abilities.