This paper describes the behavioral treatment of acute onset school refusal in a 5-year old girl with Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD). A functional classification was used to select a treatment approach that involved the parent and teacher using shaping, positive reinforcement and extinction. Results showed that by the end of the fifth week of…

Attachment and separation are the stuff of which life is made. The bonds between family and child promote resilience, self-regulation, and a positive sense of self. In this article, the author focuses her discussion on the importance of attachment to children's development. She has cited some theories that can help her explain further. For…

Defines the concept of "play" and its particular value in hospitals. Discusses the need for training hospital play specialists. Describes the aims, content, and organization of such a training course. (AS)

Examines the effect of an unfamiliar peer in a situation requiring a subject's separation from mother in order to play with attractive toys. Observation of 20 children 18 months old and 20 children 30 months old revealed that peer presence facilitated initial separation for both ages, but that age differences in subsequent behaviors existed. (CB)

A strong majority of clinically distressed individuals are insecure with respect to attachment, and special vulnerabilities are appearing in disorganized-disoriented children. Relations to behavior genetics, family interaction patterns, psychophysiology, and treatment outcome studies are emerging or are anticipated. Discusses these and other…

Discusses some of the problems that infants and toddlers experience in infant and toddler day care programs, and suggests four program features that are vital in aiding infants and toddlers in the early years of care. (BB)

Notes that fear has the potential to interfere with the young child's quality of life, and offers some understanding of the nature and normal developmental course of early childhood fears. Discusses reasons for fearful behavior and different temperament types. Offers suggestions on how adults can help children cope with fear and how teachers can…

Interviews Virginia Varga, Montessori teacher trainer and initiator of the first Montessori toddler program in the country. Discusses her childhood, how she became involved in Montessori, the benefits of the toddler program in terms of the child developing a sense of independence, and what Ms. Varga thinks the future holds for Montessori…

This article discusses how to transition young children from home to school. The author states that while it's not easy for working parents to place their infant or toddler in childcare, it is a healthy experience for children and their parents. Hopefully, as a parent brings the baby for a little longer stay each day, feelings of mutual trust and…

The present study examined child and maternal predictors of children's social competence in preschool. One hundred ten mothers and their preschool-aged children participated. Mothers completed parent reports of child temperament and self-regulation, and self-reports of maternal separation anxiety. Mothers' interactional style was coded from…

School refusal behavior is defined as any child-motivated refusal to attend classes and/or difficulty remaining in classes for an entire day. Although many researchers have focused on older children and adolescents in their samples, few have specifically focused on young children aged 5-9 years (i.e., kindergarten to third grade). In this article,…

The purpose of this thesis [Swedish language with English abstract and summary] was to study the reactions of infants when they started attending day care centers and to elucidate the process of adjustment. The theoretical perspective employed is the J. Bowlby/M. Ainsworth attachment theory. U. Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory of human…

Reviewed are studies of attachment, separation anxiety, and caregiver intervention techniques and strategies. Discussion of attachment centers on patterns of attachment and children's behavior in the "strange situation." Discussion of separation anxiety indicates that the phenomenon occurs in many different cultures. Topics covered include: (1)…

Compares a group of well-educated mothers who preferred to be home caring for their infants with a group who preferred to be employed to determine how employment preference affects the development of maternal separation anxiety. (HOD)

Compares the separation distress of 26 19-month-old Downs Syndrome infants in the Strange Situation with that of 43 normal infants who were observed at 12 1/2 and 19 1/2 months to assess whether Downs Syndrome infants responded more similarly to cognitively comparable normals than to age-comparable normals. (HOD)