4 
Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may not develop symbolic play skills, so such skills need to be taught specifically. We report an experiment regarding a procedure targeting “object-substitution ” symbolic play skills. The “object-substitution ” symbolic play behavior occurred when the child labeled a common object with the name of a substitute and used […]
4 
Purpose of Review: The objectives were to identify specific characteristics and patterns of children’s play following events of political violence or disasters, examine their associations with risk and resilience, and explore their implications for preventive and therapeutic intervention. Recent Findings: Patterns of individual, dyadic, and social play are associated with measures of children’s adaptation following […]
4 
This paper examines important factors in maximizing children’s experiential learning in the context of inquiry-based children’s museums. Learning is understood as situated in physical, social, and interactive context that is best achieved when children have opportunities to engage in play-based inquiry. Recommendations for maximizing children’s learning in museums, supporting children’s interactions with peers and adults, […]
4 
What does it mean to engage in transformational learning with young children? In a time when “technology ” is hallowed as all-important, how do we frame young children as empowered, critical thinkers around technologies, instead of just consumers? This article looks closely at a child-centered, emergent curricular process within an early childhood classroom. Framing the […]
3 
Parents’ perspectives on their children’s outdoor risky play behaviours influence their children’s adoption of safety strategies and their children’s approach to risky and dangerous situations (Brussoni & Olsen, 2011). Over the past decade, researchers have explored many Canadian mothers’ and fathers’ perspectives on this topic; however, to date, there has been a lack of research […]
3 Through a questionnaire and Photo-Projective Methods (PPM), this study investigates how children perceive their neighbourhood environment for walking and outdoor play. It aims to understand what features children prefer when they walk and play in their neighbourhood. A total of 86 survey packages were mailed to households with children between 8 and 12†years old; 42 […]
3 
The present study explores the constructs of Chinese mothers’ and fathers’ engagement in toddlers’ play in the daily context. A sample of 238 parents of toddlers (M = 30.43 months, SD = 3.45) completed a newly-developed instrument, the Chinese Parental Involvement in Toddler Play Activity Questionnaire (CPITPAQ), to report their play engagement. First, factor analyses […]
3 
The voices of both early childhood education teachers and children tend to be weak in the choir of agents that constitute the aims and practices of early childhood education. In this article, a video that a teacher made of four children playing dragons, followed by open-ended interviews exploring why she found this particular activity of […]
3 This study compared sibling interactions between 24-month-old children and their older sibling with ASD (high-risk; n = 24) with 24-month-old children and their typically developing older sibling (low-risk; n = 32). First, high-risk sibling pairs showed lower levels of positive behaviour and younger siblings of children with ASD imitated their older sibling less. Second, in […]
3 
Purpose: Young children have a high risk of concussion or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Children often appear healthy soon after mTBI, but some have pervasive cognitive and/or motor impairments. Understanding underlying mechanisms recruited after concussion may help for return to play protocols and mitigating what might be lifelong impairments. Methods: We investigated molecular and […]
3 
Play is an important part of life, not only during childhood but also into adulthood and later life. While scholars have emphasized the physical, social, psychological, and cognitive benefits of play for children, few researchers have explored the role of play in later life. One context in which aging adults find opportunities to play is […]
3 
Child life specialists work in a variety of healthcare settings and help children and families to cope with stress through play, preparation, and education. The purpose of this study was to examine the current scope of child life practice. Child life specialists (N = 147), recruited through the listserv of the Association of Child Life […]
3 
Background: Video game playing is a favorite leisure activity among children worldwide. Individuals with attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often lack self-control, making them at risk for substance abuse and game addiction. There are conflicting results, however, between studies on the pattern of video gaming and game addiction between those with ADHD and healthy controls. We therefore […]
2 
This article examines the rise in popularity of wearables and their intersection with mobile gaming to identify their potential for composing non-discursive, multimodal texts in writing classrooms. Using play and creative misuse as compositional strategies, I argue that the recent shift away from personal computers as the main way of producing texts offers the potential […]
2 
It has been argued that developing interactive learning environments that involve learners in integrating contextualized literacy experiences leads to more successful concept formation in young children. This study attempts to revisit Vygotsky’s view of the dialectical relations between culture and individual psychological functioning as mutually constitutive. By highlighting a specific literacy event, this qualitative study […]
2 
Anxiety disorder is the most prevalent and frequently diagnosed disorder in youth, and associated with serious negative health outcomes. Our most effective prevention programs, however, have several limitations. These limitations can be addressed using game-based interventions. Results from two randomized controlled trials on the video game MindLight show improvements in anxiety that are maintained up […]
2 
Play-in particular adult-child play – is an important component of child development. This article investigates how to design for adult-child play through Sound Happening, an interactive installation for musical play. We present a preliminary analysis of participant interactions with Sound Happening at The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, where a total of 112 children and 53 […]
2 
Teddy bear therapy (TBT) represents an innovative application of family therapy within the context of child, and specifically play, psychotherapy. Drawing on play and storytelling, it entails the therapist and the (referred) child telling a story about a teddy bear that is facing difficulties similar to the child’s. Together, therapist and child explore how changes […]
2 
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an evidence-based intervention designed for families of 2-to 6-year-old children with disruptive behavior disorders. This article illustrates the application of PCIT in a 10-year-old boy with attention defi cit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defi ant disorder (ODD). Both parents and the patient attended PCIT sessions. The course of therapy included […]
2 
Background: Children with visual impairments (VIs) face challenges in social play activities, which limits their opportunities to practice social skills. Aims: We investigated whether augmented toys were effective to facilitate play in 52 children with VIs who attended special schools for students with visual impairments and blindness. Methods and procedures: 52 children with VIs (mean […]
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