The purpose of this article is to analyze parental use of an online support group about their children with disabilities. A content analysis was conducted of 1718 emails from a listserv support group for parents of children who have been diagnosed as eligible for special education services. Key topics included the following: How to deal with…

Children begin school with some very basic ideas about written language and reading. The first is that of sign and message. That a graphic representation, a "sign," conveys meaning is an early and easy concept for children that stems from their visually attending to print in their environment. The realization that spoken language can be…

Effective communication with children is a human process that can help or hinder development. The term "communication" encompasses both the content perspective (what is communicated) and the transportation perspective (the manner in which meaning is communicated). The most important communication factor, human perspective, has two implications for…