Communication is commonly viewed as connecting people through conscious symbolic processes. Infants have an immature communication toolbox, raising the question of how they form a sense of connectedness. In this article, we propose a framework for infants' communication, emphasizing the subtle unconscious behaviors and autonomic contingent signals…

According to coercion theory (Patterson, 1982, 2016), children's aggression is developed and maintained through transactional processes between parents and their children that unfold over time. The theory provides a model of the behavioral contingencies that explain how parents and children mutually "train" each other to behave in ways…

Parents serve in many roles, one of which is a mentor. At an early age, I accompanied my father to school and helped sort paperwork, observed choir rehearsals, attended concerts, and watched him mentor undergraduate and graduate students. Unbeknownst to me, I entered into an apprenticeship in the music education community. The present text…

Current understandings of disability experience are centered around individuals who hold the disability identity and membership in the marginalized group. This perspective does not include the experiences of disability allies, such as parents, who act alongside their children to support their access and engagement in the education setting. This…

This article interlaces the story 'Comfort' by Alice Munro with Hannah Arendt's understanding of education as intergenerational passing on. Its principal aim is not to criticise Arendt or the fictional character of Lewis but to work with them towards a richer and more complex understanding of what can go wrong in education in general and teaching…

Studies exploring homeschooling typically focus on comparing homeschoolers to conventionally schooled peers on a range of academic outcomes. Largely absent from the literature are within-group studies designed to identify experiences that facilitate (or hinder) homeschoolers' academic outcomes. The aim of this paper is to describe a heuristic…

This descriptive exploratory qualitative study reflected on family and social relationships during outdoor adventure activities. The general context was Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Six preselected children, aged 5-12, who regularly participate in outdoor adventure activities, as well as one parent who supports their activities was…

Reading is arguably the most important skill that children learn in school--and yet many children struggle to become strong readers. This is especially true of African American children. Children growing up in low-income, under-resourced neighborhoods often struggle with reading. But even among Black children in wealthier neighborhoods, learning…

Though child abuse and neglect are an epidemic in the United States, experts estimate that they are grossly underreported, leaving hundreds of thousands of vulnerable children and adolescents at risk for short- and long-term physical and mental health sequelae. Abuse victims may be able to find eventual relief in college, but costs can be…

The importance of parent-child relationships for child developmental outcomes suggests a need to incorporate a relationship focus into early intervention programs for children with developmental delays. Nevertheless, confusion exists about the definition and application of relationship-focussed interventions, and occupational therapists remain…

Developmental processes are embedded in social contexts, such as with family members. Adolescent development involves significant reorganization of the parent-adolescent relationship, which is fundamental to the continued psychosocial development of both the adolescent and the parent. In this article, we introduce the model of parent-adolescent…

Parent self-regulation (PSR) is multifaceted, involving emotional, cognitive, and biological processes that support or constrain parenting behavior. It is highly relevant to disciplinary contexts in which parents' regulatory difficulties can contribute to harsh discipline, which is linked to children's maladjustment. In this article, we address…

Teachable moments--opportunities to help children learn foundational reading skills--happen every day within homes and communities. These moments can be used to complement the systematic instruction children should be receiving at school (preschool and early elementary school). This article discusses ways to take advantage of teachable moments.

Honesty is an important value that children acquire through socialization. To date, the socialization process by which children learn to behave honestly remains relatively unexamined. Researchers may have left this area of research relatively unexamined because there is no framework to understand how parents socialize honesty and lie-telling in…

The purpose of this article is to discuss family literacy practices that can support a collaboration between families and children as well as families and schools in ways that can strengthen this relationship and motivate early childhood learners to engage in literacy. First, family literacy programs, initiatives, and practices are discussed,…