In this article, Anne Masters responds to Erik W. Carter's "The Absence of Asterisks: The Inclusive Church and Children with Disabilities." Masters agrees that Carter provides a much needed framework for catechetical programs and parishes. Carter's ten dimensions of belonging remind the reader of the shared human need to belong, which is…

With over 1 in 5 Canadians identifying as an immigrant, Canada has been proud to call itself a nation of immigrants with a commitment to supporting refugees, from accepting thousands of Vietnamese refugees in the 1970s to Syrians fleeing civil war in 2015. In 2017, 44,000 refugees came as government-sponsored or privately sponsored refugees,…

In recent years anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) bullying has been a pervasive discussion in popular and scholarly discourse. While such a discussion has documented the negative impact of bullying on the physical, psychological, social, and emotional lives of young people, it has not had a critical and sustained analysis…

By means of an ethnographic project, Sarah Goode's Understanding and Addressing Adult Sexual Attraction to Children aspires to better understand the self-conception and self-identification of pedophiles, with the ultimate aim of deconstructing the phenomenon by which culture demonizes pedophiles in order to better protect children. However, the…

An authority on the history of American children and families, Steven Mintz is a professor of history at Columbia University, where he also directs the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Teaching Center. Previously, he was a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University and the Moores Professor of…

Honored by the invitation to read and comment on the papers in this special edition, this final contribution is an appreciation of critical studies in education. This "C" word is dangerous in a neo-liberal world, but as the authors show there is much intellectually practical work that researchers and theorizers are doing. I take my…

In the UK, the discourse of innocence currently prevails as a major way of understanding children. This article argues that the strength of this discourse lies in its prevalence, its resistance to challenges and the ways in which it connects ideas of innocence and vulnerability. The moral quality of the discourse of innocence works in conjunction…

Surveys collections of poetry by children, identifying aspects of the poetry that communicate children's social and political awareness of the contemporary world. Numerous sample poems are included. (Author/CM)

Explains how changes in "Pinocchio" manifest changes in the social definition of childhood and how this literary classic, written in terms of one perception, has been rejected and rewritten to conform to another. (AEA)

Argues that childhood is a social artifact rather than a biological category. The idea of childhood is considered a product of the social change introduced initially by printing and then by electronic media. (Author/DB)

Describes the historical development of the conception and social manifestation of modern childhood, beginning in the Renaissance and spurred by the invention of the printing press and the need for literacy. Proposes that social pressures and especially the electronic media are leading to the end of childhood as a social institution. (CB)

Work and play are parts of the same whole and the detachment of the notion of effort from the idea of play has had confusing and dangerous consequences--dangerous, because the opportunities for children to engage in vital, self-selected play have been diminished in our society. This has been done partly through deliberate, conscious choice on the…

There are at least three aspects to the psychological impact of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) on children. First is the psychological response of the child with AIDS; second, the response of the child in a group at high risk for AIDS; and third, the psychological response of children in general to the perceived threat from AIDS.…

Examines the myths about gifted education held by society and educators. In exposing the myths and providing the research-supported realities, the article defends the existence of gifted education. The article also includes suggestions for how to best shape and present gifted education in a way that creates a wider acceptance of its mission. (SM)

Examines the mission of a Massachusetts state program responsible for coordinating the placement of children with AIDS in an adoption or foster child program when appropriate. Investigates issues relative to direct care, day care, school attendance and confidentiality in cases with children of AIDS. (RWB)