This supplementary insert discusses the differences between exceptionally gifted children and their more moderately gifted peers. Case studies are provided to illustrate the characteristics of exceptionally gifted children, including their tendencies toward fantasy and their ability to develop alternate realities. (CR)

Generating ideas for play and following instructions were studied with 15 children (ages 6 to 15) with autism, 15 children with learning difficulties, and 15 younger normal children. Children with autism were as able as controls in following instructions; they were impaired at generating original actions with a car but were not impaired with a…

The ability of 24 children with autism (ages 3-12) to comprehend pretend acts, consisting of an experimenter pouring a pretend substance from a container onto a target figure, was explored. There was no significant difference between subjects and controls in ability to identify the pretend substance, predict the actions' pretend outcome, or…

This documents describes a perspective on Vygotsky's theory of play and imagination that differs significantly from previous interpretations. Vygotsky proposed a developmental theory of creativity in which creative imagination develops from children's play activities into a higher mental function that can be consciously regulated through inner…

This study tests the hypothesis that components of play such as immagination contribute to cognitive development. Twenty-four middle-class children attending a university-affiliated preschool were observed for 20 one-minute play observations during the Spring Semesters of 1978 and 1979. Play was coded using categories for both social (solitary,…

Two experiments tested children's ability to imagine a pretend action and select a representation of its outcome. Found that children two years and older could select the correct representation, whether represented by a picture or toy; younger children could not select representations of actual or pretend transformations. Results had implications…

Three experiments examined 24- though 39-month-olds' understanding of pretend episodes, such as a puppet pouring pretend milk into a container and then tipping it over a toy animal. The children understood the linkage between the two actions and realized that the toy animal would become "wet." (MDM)

Analysis (using semantic scoring criteria) indicated that: (1) self-action yielded higher scores on recall; and (2) girls scored significantly higher than boys. When absolute and syntactic criteria were used, self-action, puppet-action, and color, paste, and cut actions were equally facilitative. (Author)

Two experiments assessed preschoolers' ability to understand pretend transformations. Subjects were two-, three-, and four-year-olds who viewed episodes in which either one or two similar props were altered in a pretend fashion. In both the single and double transformation, children demonstrated that they could keep track of the pretend…

Researchers observed activities of preschool children engaged in various forms of play, and focused particularly on symbolic play. (Author/DB)

Studied children's grasp of make-believe transformations they had seen enacted. Children indicated the pretend outcome by choosing a picture depicting no change or a picture depicting the pretend change. Older children chose correctly, even with the addition of a picture of an irrelevant transformation, but younger children did not. Autistic…

Examines the differences between imagination, creativity, and fantasy, and presents the relationship of imagination to creativity. Suggests that the basic distinction between imagination and fantasy is that while imagination is related to reality, fantasy is related to unreality. The link between imagination and creativity lies in the opportunity…

Compared teacher attitudes about pretend play in Old Order Mennonite, New Order Mennonite, and non-Mennonite Christian schools. These subcultures differ in modernity, media exposure, and encouragement of pretend play. Non-Mennonite teachers were most positive about pretend play. Proportion of children's pretend play at recess did not differ, but…

A study examined whether it was possible to teach five children (ages 5-6) with autism to use symbolic pretend play. The intervention used structure, affect, and repetition and progressively faded out the structuring over three phases. All of the children were able to use some symbolic acts within play. (Contains references.) (CR)

This article provides a comparative analysis of studies in which symbolic play in children ages 1 through 3 was the major focus of a formal research strategy. The review provides readers with (1) information allowing more effective evaluation of research involving symbolic play and (2) background for designing or adopting play measurement…