The Parent-Child Psychotherapy Program (PPP) is a multifamily group therapy intervention for parents and young children at high risk for intergenerational patterns of neglect, abuse, and disorganized attachment. A "developmental and experiential model" that incorporates principles of attachment theory, the PPP addresses parent and child needs…

This paper traces the analytic work with a severely traumatised two-and-a-half-year-old girl Phoebe, whose early life was marked by chronic abuse and a violent murder she witnessed a few months prior to the beginning of treatment. Bringing the trauma in the room in a dissociative form, in line with post-traumatic stress disorder presentation, was…

This paper is an account of, and reflection on, the author's six-month ethnographic study of a residential care home for severely traumatised and abused children in Australia. During the stay she designed and offered a short six-day course for the care staff and foster carers in the use of play for emotional and therapeutic support. Prior to this,…

The Research on Women and Education SIG of the American Educational Research Association presents the third book in its series, Gender and Early Learning Environments. Finding after the publication of Gender and Schooling in the Early Years, the second book in the series, that there was and is a paucity of published literature on early childhood…

The study with 20 children (ages 3 to 8) found that children who had been sexually abused demonstrated significantly more sexual behavior than non-abused children when playing with anatomically correct dolls. (Author/DB)

This study of 136 children (aged 2 to 10 years) found that children referred for medical evaluation of sexual abuse will use sexually explicit behavior to demonstrate what has happened to them with nonanatomical dolls as frequently as when they are interviewed with anatomically detailed ones. (Author/DB)

Young children are being fast tracked at early age because of pressures from parents, schools, society, and media. One result is troubled teenagers who experience stress of these pressures without having adult means to cope with them. Time spent with parents and in play activities are activities that help children to gain security, happiness, and…

This study compared anatomical doll play of 35 young children referred for possible sexual abuse with 35 controls. Six conclusions are drawn, including the following: anatomical dolls did not create undue anxiety; sexual abuse could not be diagnosed solely on the basis of doll play; and practitioners must rely on supporting evidence when…

The second edition of this best-selling textbook provides students and practitioners with a broad introduction to, and critical analysis of, the main theories and issues within the field of early childhood studies. The book adopts a multi-disciplinary approach and pulls together all the key themes involved in the study of young children and…

This study investigated the play of 40 sexually abused, physically abused, physically and sexually abused, and nonabused children, ages 3-10. Results are analyzed in terms of structural differences (representational or fantasy worlds) and thematic differences (such as domestic life, need for protection, need for nurturance, conflict, chaos, and…

This article reviews research on child development relevant to the question of the veracity of mistreatment allegations made by children ages two to five years. The article covers research on thought and language, memory and learning, fears, fantasy, play, and television's effects. It is concluded that preschoolers base their play on the reality…

Eighteen maltreated children were paired with nonmaltreated children (ages 3-7 years) for play sessions involving a single desirable object, resulting in generally successful negotiation and approximately equal sharing, though maltreated children appeared somewhat hesitant to engage their partners and were more responsive to partners' indication…

The conference papers included in this monograph discuss topics related to early childhood education. Two keynote addresses by Brian Sutton-Smith are presented along with five sectional presentations by other speakers. The first keynote address, concerning the nature of children's stories: (1) argues that adults use stories to indoctrinate…

As our knowledge of young children grows, so does our awareness of the importance of the first few years of life. This book is written for students of child care at the college level, for those who work with children in the first three years of their lives, and for anyone who wants to understand more about what researchers and theorists have to…

Based on the assumption that parents are increasingly aware of the high level of knowledge and skills needed to rear well-adjusted children, this parenting curriculum uses a developmental approach to help parents understand and relate appropriately to child behavior at different ages and at each stage. Part 1, "Before You Start," and the "Leader's…