Discusses harmful myths or stereotypes that adults have about adolescents and proposes a realistic appraisal of adolescents' needs based on their developmental tasks. (SS)

Developmental tasks common to the formation of a reconstituted family are described, particularly the continued mourning of the old family; the formation of a solid marital relationship despite the difficulties presented by past failures and the presence of children; and the formation of sibling alliances across family lines. (Author)

Discusses ways to assist the development of individual, interpersonal, and social adequacy in adolescents who are chronically ill. (SS)

Explains how children's democratic reasoning develops at each of Piaget's stages of children's thought: preoperational, concrete, and formal. (SK)

Notes that the Piagetian perspective admits the existence of interindividual differences but interprets them as noise masking the universal logical succession of structures, whereas the differential perspective views development as consisting of "vicarious processes." Asserts that the main aim of the "procedural studies"…

A cognitive-developmental approach to reading instruction for preschool children is presented in this document. Common misunderstandings about reading instruction are discussed, and examples of young children's reading readiness are used to illustrate how developmental readiness, self-motivation, and the influence of an appropriate learning…

Argues that the social pressures for children to mature rapidly should not prevent adults from addressing the needs of children nor from helping them achieve their normal course of development. (DB)

Implications for social work with families are presented after a consideration of the developmental tasks of the family and its members. Developmental areas emphasized are adult development, transitional points between developmental tasks, family life cycle tasks, and the influence of successful crisis resolution upon later development. (Author/DB)

The paper discusses problems with traditional definitions of dyslexia and reviews research that suggests a more comprehensive definition, viewing dyslexia as a developmental language disorder that involves a deficit in phonological processing. The disorder is seen as manifesting itself in various phonological difficulties as well as in a specific…

This "classic" article (1972) in the field of deaf studies includes some interpretive notes for current readers. The article examines the effect of deafness on basic developmental tasks at each of the eight developmental stages of Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development and explains the more successful passage through these…

Presents a historical and cultural perspective of adolescence. Discusses the developmental tasks at this period and the negative behaviors that can result from tackling those tasks. Suggests that young adolescents' positive experiences with developmental tasks and interactions with adults may lessen the tendency to engage in at-risk behaviors. (SR)

Discusses the use of a dynamic approach to explain how young children master motor skills and perform an array of cognitive feats including word learning. Introduces a perspective that is a departure from established scientific theories of the mind. Argues that a child's physical, mental, and social lives arise out of a shifting interplay between…

Psychosocial theory, based on the ideas of Erik Erikson and Robert Havighurst, is proposed as a useful framework for conceptualizing the potential for growth within the family. Erikson's (1950) eight stage theory of psychosocial development and Havighurst's (1959) concept of developmental tasks are used to take account of the stages of development…

Argues that Susan Sugarman's article in this issue contains some valid criticism of assumptions in developmental psychology, but that some of her conclusions regarding other assumptions need to be questioned. Suggests that many problems raised by Sugarman would disappear if developmental psychologists concentrated on children's early achievements…

Research results reported in this special issue show that egocentricity and staging, both central ideas in the Piaget-Kohlberg account of human development, are myths. The appearance of egocentricity and staging can be accounted for by a subtle combination of ethnocentricity and the effects of inappropriate methodologies. (RM)