This book reports on research into the role of in-home and out-of-home early childhood education and the effects of both on later academic achievement; also addressed is the question of appropriate age of entry into school. Chapters include: Dilemmas in Early Childhood Policies and Practice; The Role of Parents in Early Learning; The Child's…

The conference proceedings of scientists specializing in language processes and neurophysiological mechanisms are reported to stimulate a cross-over of interest and research in the central brain phenomena (reception, understanding, retention, integration, formulation, and expression) as they relate to speech and language. Eighteen research reports…

Sex differences in cerebral organization and functioning, and the apparent superiority of males in spatial ability are examined in this paper. Attention is given to several kinds of cognitive and perceptual tasks in which sex differences in spatial ability have been shown to exist; among these are tasks involving: (1) recall and detection of…

Contemporary theories of perceptual-motor development and dysfunction are analyzed in detail in this review of the literature. Studies focused on observation of delays, deviations, cause, theories of development, and programs of remediation. It is suggested that it may be presumptuous for theorists to delineate three, four, or ten characteristics…

"The Brain: Our Sense of Self" has several objectives. One is to introduce students to the key concept that the sense of self, our sense of identity, is contained within the brain. Through inquiry-based activities, students investigate brain function and the various roles of the brain within the nervous system. A second objective is to allow…

This report offers a broad overview of the three major categories of explanations of gender patterns in cognitive functioning. Two of the major categories are biological and psychosocial. The third category, explanations that have been attributed to differences in the educational experiences of men and women, is treated separately because while…

The difficulty with which native English-speaking adults learning French control the distinction between verb aspects has prompted study of the neurological processes that may affect this learning process. It is concluded that it may not be possible to change these basic perception patterns of adult learners. (MSE)

As medical knowledge and treatments improve, pediatricians' role in promoting children's health continues to change. Genetics and early experiences may have long-term effects on health and development. Theoretical models that influence providers' decisions about the use of health-care resources are: the disease model, the neuromaturational model,…

A basic principle of second language learning is the need to negotiate meaning in any language-learning situation. Once meaning is established, comprehension follows. Clusters of meaning result in schemata, which serve as the basis for sustained communication and ultimately, permanence of language learning. The comprehension approach to second…

This booklet presents educational programs and activities focusing on motor skills for 5- to 9-year-old children and older children with learning problems. The premise of the activities is that the acquisition of motor skills is essential to basic learning. The role of language as a mediator and controller of motor development is emphasized. The…

Experiences in prenatal life and early childhood that may cause personality disorders or criminal behavior in later life are examined in these proceedings of the Subcommittee on Childhood Experiences as Causes of Criminal Behavior, of the Standing Committee on Health, Welfare and Science, Senate of Canada. This issue, the seventh in a series of 19…

Simple and complex learning and problem solving situations were employed with mentally retarded children and adults. In the Rotation-Discrimination Complex and the Size-Discrimination Simple experiments, upper and lower test achievement subgroups were subjected to two basic types of visual discrimination at different levels of task complexity.…

For the past 100 years we have been acting as if education in school was of words, by words, and for words, but in fact verbal literacy was preceded by visual literacy when humans communicated with body language before they had speech. American educators have been concentrating efforts on the left hemisphere of the brain in which the verbal…

Focusing on the education of the autistic child as an awakening process, the book discusses the role of meaningful human communication and reports a research program which applied a therapeutic educational technique. The development of language in children, the diagnosis of an autistic child, autistic behavior and sensory and emotional…

Parallels between sign stimuli and speech cues suggest some interesting speculations about the origins of language. Speech cues may belong to the class of human sign stimuli which, as in animal behavior, may be the product of an innate releasing mechanism. Prelinguistic speech for man may have functioned as a social-releaser system. Human language…