The author was pondering the parent perspective of acceleration, and she realized that people are always hearing "ifs" and "buts" when discussing this topic. There are many "if" and "but" questions. In this article, the author focuses on the following four: (1) "If" my child is complaining of being bored in class, does that mean he or she needs to…

Television has a pervasive presence in our lives and connects us to a larger world. Children spend more time watching television than any other activity (except sleeping). According to Bernard Percy, television can have a positive effect on children: it can build vocabulary, stimulate interests and motivate actions. Parents should consider doing…

As behavioral approaches for the treatment of clinically significant fears became more accepted, the same techniques began to be applied to normal youngsters' reactions to highly stressful situations in an attempt to prevent the development of excessive fears in children. Although there is widespread acceptance of preventative approaches to help…

Describes the development of a cooperative relationship between natural and boarding home parents of handicapped children. (RN)

A British 12-year-old boy died while imitating the heroic leaps of the cartoon character Batman. Tragic incidents stemming from cartoon imitation such as this one occur with alarming frequency. Still, many people choose to ignore violence in children's cartoons. Even some experts don't recognize that cartoons may be harmful. Researcher Wilbur…

The mother of an extremely gifted boy relates her emotional response upon learning of his giftedness, especially her excitement at his potential and her fear that his uniqueness harbors hidden pitfalls. (JDD)

This essay reviews research on mother-infant roles during early interactions and how these serve to foster the development of infant emotion regulation. It provides illustrations of the ways in which physical unavailability (resulting from hospitalization or other separation) and emotional unavailability (resulting from mental illnesses such as…

Dr. Deanna Pledge is a licensed psychologist and professional counselor. She has worked in public and private settings for over a decade. She has been working with teens, children, and adults around abuse issues for the past ten years, and has written "When Something Feels Wrong: A Survival Guide About Abuse." In this interview she answers a…

When parents decide to separate, a young child is often affected most by a change in their regular routine, which young children often find comfort in. When changes take place at home, it makes changes at school more difficult for young children to deal with because the schedules that they traditionally find comfort in are being altered. Dr.…

In this article, the author discusses how to help Kyle, a 5-year-old child who is struggling with his parent's new marriage. Kyle's teacher's story describing Kyle's behavior in the classroom as well as the parent's story based on Kyle's home life are presented. Among other things, the author provides an assessment of the situation and offers…

This commentary addresses implications of mothers' delayed posttraumatic stress disorder following the disclosure of sexual abuse of their children. These mothers, who themselves were sexually abused as children, may have significant psychopathology that may complicate their response to their children's psychological needs. (SW)

Presents four articles addressing various aspects of violence in the context of children's everyday life: video game violence, gun play, violent children's television programming, and war play. Proposes possible developmentally appropriate solutions. Urges teachers, parents, and the community in general to actively work to provide a safer, saner…

Written by professional psychologists, the 10 articles collected in this bulletin focus on stressful experiences that, when inappropriately responded to, can result in developmental problems for children. Stress factors are conceptualized as being either direct or indirect, or internal or external. Articles are organized in terms of these four…

Discusses emotional responses and adjustment problems of preschool children when relocating. Particularly addresses young child's perspective on moving, typical reactions to relocating, and parent and teacher strategies to ease transition to new environment. Such strategies include (1) maintaining empathy, (2) being flexible, (3) being observant…

Discusses two problems related to young children's arrival to and departure from child care centers: parents who have a hard time separating from their children in the morning; and children who cry and do not want to go home at the end of the school day. (AA)