This article presents an intersubjective developmental theory that focuses primarily on the development of the interworld between caregiver and infant and uses it to integrate and interpret the seemingly incoherent and contradictory research findings on the interactions between mothers and their infants with visual impairments. Implications for…

A sociologist discusses the need for schools to create "social capital," the values and standards once transmitted by the traditional family that equip a child with a sense of self. Argues that schools located in the workplace can re-create and strengthen the ties between parent and child and among parents with children. (FMW)

Discusses how children construct their experiences of justice and injustice and how abuse relates exclusively to the meaning assigned to these constructs. Notes that children's psychological adaptation is shaped by the legal system's response to the child's plight and how the traumatic event is interpreted according to the ethical standards that…

Explains the need for family literacy programs in Illinois and describes efforts to improve adult and child literacy. Topics discussed include poverty; reading, writing, and computing instruction; interaction between parents and children; families and books; partnerships between state agencies, private organizations, and public libraries; and…

Examines middle-class child-rearing philosophies and practices and their effect on children's academic success. Suggests that middle-class parenting practices reflect a coherent set of cultural beliefs about the relation of the individual to the group and about the parents' role in bringing children into the group. Suggests that these beliefs…

Discusses efforts to criminalize fetal abuse, harm caused from a pregnant woman's use of illegal drugs. Such efforts have typically failed to withstand judicial scrutiny. Suggests that criminal prosecution for fetal abuse relies on questionable procedures, is unevenly applied, and may keep women from seeking drug treatment or prenatal care. (LKS)

Child labor in Latin America is discussed in terms of its history and social and economic conditions. Relationships between children and adults and new social policies that effect child labor in Latin America are considered. (BC)

This paper asserts that the educational philosophy of early childhood education (ECE) emphasizes child-directed instruction based on children's interests, whereas early childhood special education emphasizes teacher-directed activities that promote the acquisition of specific developmental skills. Research on parent-child interaction that points…

Takes the position, contrary to that of Sandra Scarr, that the details of socialization patterns are crucial to an understanding of normal and deviant development. Research is cited to support the argument that better than adequate parenting optimizes the development of both normal and vulnerable children and that parents' belief in their own…

Discusses three different approaches to child rearing: autocratic, anarchic, and democratic. Maintains that the use of each approach results in the development of a particular kind of character and behavior in the child. Also discusses John Dewey's efforts to define democratic character and his experiments with teacher attempts to develop this…

Describes the origins of parenting stress, namely, tensions in the parent-child relationship and changes that occur in five family domains as men and women make the transition from life as a couple to family life. Implications for public policy are discussed. (Author/BB)

Attributes comparative policy inattention to linguistically and culturally diverse preschoolers to several causes including widely held personal beliefs, political ideologies, misperceptions about demographics, and academic disciplinary fragmentation. Explores the current state of today's practice and suggests four fundamental issues that must be…

A father shares his experience raising a daughter born with severe brain damage. The article explores the parents' emotions in learning the scope of their daughter's condition, coping with support machinery, getting to know parents of other children with disabilities, dealing with health professionals, and securing financial support. (PB)

Explores the fathering attitudes and behaviors of African American males within four themes: (1) paternal beliefs and modes of functioning; (2) strength and resiliency; (3) racial socialization of children; and (4) fathers as teachers in the home. Self-descriptions from eight male interviewees provide evidence that urban African American fathers…

This article analyses how and why cultural diversity is relevant to children with speech and language difficulties and the professionals who work with them. The relevance of various aspects of culture including the development of communication skills, language socialization, adult-child interaction, and epidemiology of speech and language…