This paper reports on a rare phenomenon in language development--the production of words without consonants, and thus syllables without an onset. Such words, which are referred as Consonant-free words (CFWs), appeared for a short period in the early speech of hearing impaired Hebrew-speaking children, who produced words consisting of one or two…

Guided by theories of cultural participation, the authors examined mother-child, father-child, and triadic interactive behaviors in 141 Israeli and Palestinian couples and their firstborn child at 5 and 33 months as antecedents of children's social competence. Four parent-child measures (parent sensitivity, child social engagement, parental…

Interactive behavior of 90 Israeli toddlers was observed with mothers and caregivers in one-on-one free play interactions. Children were examined with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, and adults completed self-report measures. Observations were coded for both the quality of adult-child interactive behavior and for the quality of adults'…

Examines 2,000 Strange Situation classifications obtained in eight different countries. Differences and similarities between distributions in classifications of samples are investigated using correspondence analysis. Substantial intracultural differences are established; data also suggest a pattern of cross-cultural differences. (Author/RWB)

Two hypotheses related to the emergence of multiword speech were explored: (1) that multiword speech follows developments in children's ability to map communicative intents to single-word expressions; and (2) that the acquisition of these mapping principles paves the way for the emergence of syntax. The developments consist of an increase in the…

Observations were conducted in Israel on 47 toddlers in sponsored family day care, 18 toddlers in community-based center day care, and 20 toddlers in kibbutz children's homes in an effort to identify differences in the three types of care. Particular attention was given to characteristics of users and caregivers, experiences generated by the…

This study examined: (1) the accuracy with which standards of the state-subsidized Israeli family day care (FDC) program were implemented; and (2) the relationships between specific program service characteristics, program quality, and children's daily experiences in care. Israeli family day care standards concern program participants, caregivers…

Assessment of the prelinguistic behaviors of 43 deaf children (ages 8 to 49 months) of hearing parents in Israel found only partial resemblance to the theoretical model of prelinguistic communication in hearing infants. Unique interrelationships among pointing and early noncommunicative behaviors were found with no correlation between use of…

Examined the relationship of caregivers' beliefs and behavior to personal and professional background and work environment. Studied the quality of care in family day care homes in Israel in terms of the caregiver's behavior. With the exception of the attribution of influence, caregivers' beliefs were not related to their background or work…

This study examined the prelinguistic communicative behaviors of 48 young Israeli children with hearing impairments (ages 8 months to 49 months). Most subjects were severely hearing impaired. Ninety percent were born to hearing parents. A parent questionnaire utilizing a direct observation methodology in six situational contexts was selected,…

This is a report on Home Activities for Toddlers and their Families (HATAF), an ongoing Israeli intervention program designed to provide home-based, educationally enriching activities for disadvantaged preschoolers and to enable mothers to participate in enhancing the intellectual development of their children. The report describes two sample…

Discusses construction of the Hebrew Communicative Development Inventory (HCDI), an adaptation of the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory (MCDI). The HCDI was administered to a stratified sample of Israeli mothers of 253 toddlers. Results are presented and compared with scores from the MCDI. Results indicate that conclusions concerning…

This volume looks at three different broad topics that are of continuing interest for early education and care. The first part of the volume furthers the view of children's acquisition of literacy and how that acquisition takes place. The second part addresses preparation of professionals in early childhood education. The third part provides…

This theme issue of the Bernard van Leer Foundation's "Newsletter" is devoted to approaches to working with disadvantaged children up to 3 years of age. An introduction describes the crucial period from before birth to 3 years, noting that although the mother's body provides the an essential part of the environment, other easily…

Compared the relationship of temperament to adjustment in Israeli and American early childhood group care centers. Cross-cultural differences in the ideals held by caregivers and their judgment of actual children were found. The relationship between temperament and adjustment differed between the two groups. Suggested that the "fit"…