The stresses experienced by most families include limitations on time, conditions of employment, financial burdens and sibling rivalry. For the families of a child with a chronic illness, these stresses are often compounded, making family functioning problematic. Chronic illness is marked by permanency and the need for ongoing vigilance with…

This study explored the development of children's early understanding of visual and orthographic aspects of print and how this is related to early reading acquisition. A total of 474 children, ages 48 to 83 months, completed standardized measures of phonological awareness and early reading skills. They also completed experimental tasks that tapped…

The birth of a child with Down syndrome has the "potential" to have many effects upon the family. Conversely, the way in which individual family members and the family as a whole respond to this situation has the capacity to have a profound impact on the child's development. This "bidirectional" process, in which the child's behavior affects the…

The authors discuss traumatic familial and communal risk factors faced by the average Palestinian child during times of war. Unlike most research, which limits Palestinian children's experience to military-related traumatic events, this article attempts to illustrate their communal and familial contexts empirically. Sources studies were published…

Summer reading loss is a documented reality for many students. It is often of greatest concern for those who are already at risk, who typically have limited access to reading materials at home and whose parents or caregivers may be reluctant or unsure of how to help. By raising parents' awareness of the importance of supporting their children's…

This paper describes the use of a simple survey followed by discussion in an online sociology course to create a setting in which undergraduate students may learn about inequality from the study of everyday life. The method described in this paper relies on the common experience of a gendered household division of labor and on the use of…

Mark Twain once famously quipped, "I never let schooling get in the way of my education." Paul Simon, the American folk singer, begins one of his songs "When I think back on all the crap I learned at high school, it's a wonder I can hardly think at all." These men could just have easily been discussing schooling in Ireland, for…

To increase the reading level of students who come from homes where reading is not valued or modeled, a social context was created where inexperienced readers could interact with adults and books. Three students from homes where reading was not valued were read to by adults two to three times each day for six weeks. Discussion of the book was…

This study examined the effects of mothers' and fathers' occupational conditions on children's home environments, and of change in occupational and family conditions on change in home environments. The study used the 1986 and 1988 supplements to the National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth. Subjects were 781 married mothers with children aged 3…

This overview of the home market for microcomputers and computer software presents a brief history of the development of the microcomputer and its use in the home. Factors which shape the home market are discussed, e.g., desire for improvement of educational skills, presence of children, previous experience with a computer, and decreasing prices.…

This paper focuses on two dimensions of interventions for disturbed and disturbing youth, i.e., treatment intensity and restrictiveness. Treatment intensity is presented as a dimension of intervention that includes the factors of: (1) the individualization of the assessment and the treatment plan; (2) the amount of time spent engaging in the…

A collection of 14 brief articles considers the effects of family environment and lifestyle on children and provides suggestions for healthier family relations. The articles cover such topics as: family stress; preschool academic programs; stepfamilies; corporate child care; fathers; divorce; only children; single and working parents; and death.…

Recommends the use of adventure activities, put in a systematic sequence for success, in counseling groups. Structured exercises can be useful in confronting many interpersonal issues. Two case examples are used to describe the adaptation of adventure activities to group counseling with couples and single-parent-adolescent families. (Author/KS)

The Erica Method, a form of play-diagnosis and play-therapy used widely in Sweden, utilizes a standardized material that consists of sandboxes and miniature toys. The method is a very useful tool for better understanding of both developmental, neurological and psychopathological problems of childhood. (Author)

Reports on a study of reading and writing practices within a community environment. Concludes that literacy has different meanings for members of different groups, with a variety of modes, functions, and uses. Points out that these differences have yet to be taken into account by policymakers. (JMF)