A study undertaken in 1983-85 examined the effects of job loss and financial stress on the cognitive stimulation provided for children in the home and parents' confidence regarding their children's future. Effects of parents' educational level were also considered. It was hypothesized that when parents were unemployed, or had a grim view of the…

An exploratory study examined the premise that pets provide developmental benefits for young children. Four hypotheses were derived from prior research: (1) children who have a bond with a dog or cat show more maturity in their cognitive, moral, and emotional development than children who do not have such pets; (2) children who have a more…

Investigated were: (1) sex differences in the ability of 20 boys and 20 girls between 8 and 9 years of age to draw a plan of their house; and (2) variables related to such differences. Subjects were tested on four Piagetian tasks (verticality, horizontality, and two Euclidean space tasks), plan drawing, and vocabulary. After children completed the…

This document provides information to those interested in submitting proposals to conduct day-care research or demonstration projects for the Office of Child Development (DHEW). In the first section of the document, the status of research findings in day care is summarized. These findings concern: Auspices, Staff, Physical Facilities, Issues…

The author records her experiment with her daughter from birth to the age of four and a half to determine whether a child in a monolingual environment could grow up speaking two languages. The record traces the child's development in both English and French. (MF)

Reports findings from a longitudinal study of 200 children who are growing up in a variety of family styles. This interim report views the study project in its first and middle phases, covering the birth, infancy and entry into the preschool period of the study children. (BR)

First, what parents do with their young children does influence child intellectual performance; second, we cannot categorize any group of parents; third, many parents are now doing the right thing"; fourth, parent education is a reasonable effort. (Author)

Thirty-four pairs of same-sex siblings were observed for two one-hour periods in their homes. The younger siblings averaged 20 months of age and the age interval between siblings was either large (2.5-4 years) or small (1-2 years). (JMB)

Gives practical recommendations for dealing with children's disclosure about substance abuse issues at home. Describes common characteristics of families living with drug abuse. Discusses child development as affected by such circumstances and methods for helping children to take care of themselves and stay away from drug abuse. (MOK)

Longitudinal data on the unstructured interactions at home of nine children (ages 11-60 months) with Down syndrome were used to compare individual differences in initial expressive vocabulary growth to data on 42 children without disabilities. Findings indicate that the overall pattern of vocabulary growth was similar in all the children.…

This study examined the mathematical development of 2 children from 18 to 48 months as part of a larger longitudinal study of the impact of home environment on later learning attitudes. It was concluded that early pedagogical strategies may vary in the manner in which they not only pave the way for later development, but also foster expectations…

The article presents suggestions for home safety checks, recommending that parents look for harmful agents and safety hazards, and suggesting that they teach their children safety awareness. Safety tips are also offered for visits outside the home. (SM)

Explored patterns of consistency and change in maternal reminiscing style across conversations with different young children in the same family. Found that mothers evidenced striking stylistic consistency. Mothers' use of a stylistic dimension with one child predicted her use of the same dimension with the other child, above the variance accounted…

A study involving 58 children (17 to 36 months) with developmental disabilities in the prelinguistic period of development and their mothers found that the relationship between intentional communication and later language was, in part, due to covarying relationships with maternal responsivity. (Author/CR)

Assessments of a 6-year-old Spanish monolingual and 5-year-old bilingual children included a home-language survey, parents' and teachers' ratings, cartoon conservation scales, and standardized tests. Nonverbal cognitive development was shown to influence language acquisition. Cultural and linguistic factors affected children differently. (SK)