The relative reinforcing value of toys was assessed in the absence of, and immediately following, participant observation of a peer manipulating one of the materials toys. Preference assessments were used to identify preference hierarchies. Reinforcer assessments were conducted with the most high-preferred preference item, a low-preference the least preferred item, and a control. Each participant allocated responding toward the high-preference item during baseline. When reinforcer assessment...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Toys, Reinforcement, Participant Observation, Play, Peer Influence, Preschool...
Preschool teachers rely on several strategies for motivating children to participate in learning activities. In the current study, we evaluated the effectiveness of and preference for three teaching contexts in which embedded, sequential, or no programmed reinforcement was arranged. The embedded context included highly preferred teaching materials, the sequential context included highly preferred edible items for correct responding, and a control context included neither. In addition, an...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Teaching Methods, Preschool Teachers, Preschool Children, Context Effect, Motivation...
Emergent literacy in young children with visual impairments is examined using a conceptual framework proposed by Senechal, LeFevre, Smith-Chant, and Colton (2001). The utility of this framework for young children with visual impairments is illustrated using data from a field study of preschool classes for children with visual impairments. (Contains 1 figure.)
Topics: ERIC Archive, Young Children, Emergent Literacy, Visual Impairments, Preschool Children,...
Four preschool children (with and without disabilities), who often responded inappropriately to questions, participated in the current study. Pretest results were used to create sets of questions that the children either did or did not answer correctly (i.e., known and unknown questions). We then sequentially taught two different responses to a subset of unknown questions: (a) "I don't know" (IDK), and (b) "I don't know, please tell me" (IDKPTM). Results showed that...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Disabilities, Preschool Children, Questioning Techniques, Responses, Teaching...
In this article, we report a study in which we asked 137 parents and caregivers to evaluate a year-long family literacy program in which they participated. Parents valued the insights they gained about children's learning in general and literacy development in particular. They reported that they learned from each other as well as from the program facilitators; valued especially the structure of the program wherein they spent time working with children in classrooms; felt more included in the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Foreign Countries, Caregivers, Family Literacy, Program Evaluation, Cultural...
This study sought to determine the accuracy of an assessment format in which selection outcomes were delayed and probabilistic; these are unavoidable features of an assessment designed to determine preferences of multiple children simultaneously. During the single arrangement, preference hierarchies were established by having a child repeatedly select from among several foods and by sequentially restricting preferred items from the array. After being taught the associations between colored...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Student Evaluation, Preschool Children, Probability, Paired Associate Learning,...
The effects of vocal intraverbal training and listener training on the emergence of untrained categorization skills were evaluated. Five typically developing preschool children initially learned to name a number of previously unfamiliar visual stimuli. Each child then received one of two types of training. Intraverbal training involved reinforcing vocally emitted category names by the child in the presence of a spoken exemplar name. Listener training involved reinforcing the selection of visual...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Visual Stimuli, Preschool Children, Classification, Preschool Education, Pretests...
The primary purpose of this study was to demonstrate the efficacy of the blending portion of the Promoting Awareness of Sounds in Speech (PASS) program, a comprehensive and explicit phonological awareness intervention curriculum designed for preschool children with speech and language impairments. A secondary purpose was to examine the effects of stimulus characteristics on responsiveness to the phonological awareness intervention via post-hoc analysis. A single-subject design was used to...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Intervention, Language Impairments, Phonological Awareness, Preschool Children,...
Over the last decade, the field of early intervention/early childhood special education (EI/ECSE) has emerged as a primary service for infants and preschool children with disabilities and their families. Systems for providing early intervention for infants and toddlers exist in every state, and all state Departments of Education are responsible for special education for preschool children. In EI/ECSE, a unified theory of practice has emerged and draws from a range of psychological and...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Early Intervention, Educational Theories, Caregivers, Disabilities, Preschool...
To investigate issues in transition to kindergarten for children with special needs, we explored several sources of information (peer-reviewed literature, government websites, parent surveys, and interviews with professionals). We found that administrative issues like lack of integration and the evaluation of services available to children and families, and parent support issues like promoting advocacy were recurring themes in all sources. Although some barriers are very clear, more systematic...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Disabilities, Kindergarten, Special Needs Students, Student Adjustment, School...
The effects of reinforcement pairing and fading on preschoolers' snack selections were evaluated in a multiple baseline design. Baseline preferences for snack options were assessed via repeated paired-item preference assessments. Edible, social, and activity-based reinforcers were then exclusively paired with a less preferred snack option. Once the snack paired with reinforcement was selected most frequently, the three types of reinforcement were systematically faded. Frequent selections of the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Reinforcement, Decision Making, Attitude Change, Preschool Children, Food, Social...
We designed a series of analyses to develop a measurement system capable of simultaneously recording the free-play patterns of 20 children in a preschool classroom. Study 1 determined the intermittency with which the location and engagement of each child could be momentarily observed before the accuracy of the measurement was compromised. Results showed that intervals up to 120 s introduced less than 10% measurement error. Study 2 determined the extent of agreement between two observers who...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Intervals, Measurement, Error of Measurement, Play, Preschool Children, Class...
One of the missions of education is to prepare children for complex tasks that occur in their cultural environment. By means of abstracting, the effects of this complexity can be reduced. Recent research and theoretical development show us that young children already seem to be able to think abstractly. The acknowledgement of this potential in young children may provide a vehicle for the promotion of more mathematical thinking. In this article, we describe an approach to abstraction that...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Foreign Countries, Sociocultural Patterns, Cultural Context, Abstract Reasoning,...
The purpose of this article is to present various techniques that will engage young children, ages 3-8, in learning science and mathematics. Children actively engage in acquiring basic science and mathematics concepts as they explore their environment. The methods presented are intended to meet the developmental levels of young learners as they make connections with science and mathematics. Also included is a review of science and mathematics content and process skills appropriate for early...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Young Children, Science Instruction, Mathematics Instruction, Mathematical Concepts,...
A functional analysis showed that noncompliance occurred most often for 2 preschoolers when it resulted in termination of a preferred activity, suggesting that noncompliance was maintained by positive reinforcement. A differential reinforcement procedure, which involved contingent access to coupons that could be exchanged for uninterrupted access to the activity maintaining noncompliance, was successful in increasing compliance for both children. (Contains 1 figure.)
Topics: ERIC Archive, Behavior Modification, Preschool Children, Positive Reinforcement, Compliance...
We evaluated the effectiveness of group safety training and in situ feedback and response interruption to teach preschool children to avoid consuming potentially hazardous substances. Three children ingested ambiguous substances during a baited baseline assessment condition and continued to ingest these substances following group safety training. In situ feedback and response interruption resulted in a decrease in opening ambiguous containers; this decrease was maintained when ambiguous novel...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Feedback (Response), Child Safety, Behavior Modification, Preschool Children,...
We assessed the use of a joint activity schedule to increase peer engagement for preschoolers with autism. We taught 3 dyads of preschoolers with autism to follow joint activity schedules that cued both members of the pair to play a sequence of interactive games together. Results indicated that joint activity schedules increased peer engagement and the number of games completed for all dyads. Schedule following was maintained without additional prompting when activities were resequenced and...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Autism, Preschool Children, Time on Task, Games, Interpersonal Relationship,...
Although rates of childhood obesity among the general population are alarmingly high, they are higher still in ethnic minority and low-income communities. The disparities pose a major challenge for policymakers and practitioners planning strategies for obesity prevention. In this article Shiriki Kumanyika and Sonya Grier summarize differences in childhood obesity prevalence by race and ethnicity and by socioeconomic status. They show how various environmental factors can have larger effects on...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Neighborhoods, Television Viewing, Obesity, Physical Activities, Income, Prevention,...
Greg Duncan, Jens Ludwig, and Katherine Magnuson explain how providing high-quality care to disadvantaged preschool children can help reduce poverty. In early childhood, they note, children's cognitive and socioemotional skills develop rapidly and are sensitive to "inputs" from parents, home learning environments, child care settings, and the health care system. The authors propose an intensive two-year, education-focused intervention for economically disadvantaged three- and...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Human Capital, Public Policy, Early Childhood Education, Preschool Children,...
Electronic media, particularly television, have long been criticized for their potential impact on children. One area for concern is how early media exposure influences cognitive development and academic achievement. Heather Kirkorian, Ellen Wartella, and Daniel Anderson summarize the relevant research and provide suggestions for maximizing the positive effects of media and minimizing the negative effects. One focus of the authors is the seemingly unique effect of television on children under...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Television Viewing, Academic Achievement, Preschool Children, Program Effectiveness,...
This article considers whether the disparate socioeconomic circumstances of families in which white, black, and Hispanic children grow up account for the racial and ethnic gaps in school readiness among American preschoolers. It first reviews why family socioeconomic resources might matter for children's school readiness. The authors concentrate on four key components of parent socioeconomic status that are particularly relevant for children's well-being--income, education, family structure,...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Neighborhoods, School Readiness, Socioeconomic Status, Family Income, Family...
This article presents several activities and teaching ideas shared by teachers. One teacher shared how an Egyptian mummy-making activity can be a great hands-on learning through time. Another teacher shared how a bowl filled with popcorn kernels has made it easy for her to get the attention of her students.
Topics: ERIC Archive, Science Activities, Teaching Methods, Learning Activities, Class Activities, Creative...
We evaluated the effects of 2 types of training on the emergence of bidirectional intraverbal relations with 4 typically developing children. Tact training involved reinforcing foreign-language vocalizations in the presence of visual stimuli, and listener training involved reinforcing selections of visual stimuli following vocal presentations of foreign-language words. Intraverbal relations were tested by instructing participants to vocalize native-language equivalents of foreign-language words...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Visual Stimuli, Foreign Countries, Preschool Children, Verbal Stimuli, Listening,...
This study explores pre-primary children's responses to contemporary art exhibits in a museum setting, the role of previous artistic experiences, and the impact of the art museum visit on children's responses to artworks and making art during classroom practice. The sample included 32 children (16 boys and 16 girls) randomly selected from two classrooms in two nursery public schools in Nicosia, Cyprus. In addition to open-ended interviews, classroom observation notes, and videotape analysis...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Observation, Art Education, Museums, Exhibits, Art Products, Young Children, Foreign...
This qualitative study examined young children's music preferences through group conversations with children, interviews with parents, and non-participant observation of classroom settings in daycare and elementary classrooms. Data were analyzed inductively to generate themes, and revealed that (1) children expressed distinct preferences for an eclectic range of music from very early ages; (2) rock and popular music were frequently mentioned as preferred styles by parents and children, with...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Music, Childhood Interests, Rock Music, Listening, Case Studies, Parents, Music...
The purpose of this study was to test the effects of playful physical contact as an establishing operation (EO) on correct academic responses for four-year-old preschool students with developmental disabilities who functioned at the pre-speaker and pre-listener levels of verbal behavior. Two males and one female served as participants who attended a publicly funded, private preschool outside a large metropolitan area. A multi-element design (alternating treatments design followed by an AB...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Sensory Experience, Stimuli, Play, Developmental Disabilities, Preschool Children,...
The study investigated the role of social reinforcement, when teaching two preschoolers with no functional vocal verbal behavior first instances of echoic responses, using rapid motor imitation responding. The dependent variables for the experiment were: (1) echoic tacts (echoics presented under the controlling variables of tacts) and (2) generalized motor imitation responses to the rapid motor imitation antecedent procedure (Ross & Greer, 2003; Tsiouri & Greer, 2003). Three single case...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Verbal Stimuli, Delayed Speech, Imitation, Interpersonal Relationship, Interaction,...
Emotion recognition is a basic skill that is thought to facilitate development of social and emotional competence. There is little research available examining whether therapeutic or instructional interventions can improve the emotion recognition skill of young children with various developmental disabilities. Sixteen preschool children with developmental delays were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received instruction in emotion recognition...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Experimental Groups, Control Groups, Emotional Intelligence, Nonverbal Communication,...
This study sought to further investigate the effects of an observational intervention for two participants on the reinforcing property of pieces of string. Pre-observational intervention data showed that the neutral stimuli (strings) did not function to reinforce two participants' responding to a performance task or learning three new skills that were not previously in their repertoires. The observational intervention involved the participants observing a peer confederate receive strings...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Stimuli, Intervention, Observational Learning, Reinforcement, Learning Processes,...
Externalizing behaviors are a common component of the clinical presentation of Autism Spectrum Disorders and are typically the initial focus of treatment for children within this population. This article examines the appropriateness of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) as a first-line, gateway treatment for preschoolers with High Functioning Autism who demonstrate co-occurring difficulties with aggressive and noncompliant behavior. Although PCIT has shown initial success in treating...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Autism, Interaction, Therapy, Outcomes of Treatment, Preschool Children, Aggression,...
The Early Impact (EI) program is an early intervention and prevention program for reducing the incidence of conduct problems in pre-school aged children. The EI intervention framework is ecological in design and includes universal and indicated components. This paper delineates key principles and associated strategies that underpin the EI program. Discussion emphasizes the mutual interplay between the universal and indicated components of the intervention design and risk and protective factors...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Early Intervention, Prevention, Program Effectiveness, High Risk Students, Preschool...
Social skill development is one of the primary areas of intervention for young children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The purpose of this article was to conduct a retrospective review of social skills intervention research for preschool children with ASD. A review of 17 single-subject design studies from twelve journals (1999-2006) was conducted. We assessed information concerning the features of social skills interventions, the elements of single subject designs utilized across...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Intervention, Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Preschool Children, Skill...
We tested the effects of teaching an auditory match to sample repertoire on the emergence of the listener half of the verbal developmental cusp of Naming for 2-preschool students with language-based disabilities. The study was conducted in a special education CABAS[R] preschool. Neither of the students had selection or discrimination responses, the listener component of Naming, following mastery of match to sample programs for two-dimensional visual stimuli while hearing the tact as they...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Visual Stimuli, Dyslexia, Language Impairments, Verbal Development, Preschool...
We tested the effects of an intensive tact instruction procedure on the emission of verbal operants in non-instructional settings by three preschool students with developmental delays. The participants were selected because they emitted low numbers pure verbal operants in non-instructional settings throughout the school day. Specifically, we measured the number of pure mands and tacts emitted during probes in the non-instructional settings. During the intensive tact procedure, the participants...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Preschool Children, Developmental Delays, Verbal Development, Instructional...
Complex trauma is the result of repeated or chronic traumatic experiences in childhood. The traumatic experiences have a pervasive impact on the child's physical, sensory, emotional, cognitive and social growth. This paper discusses how the proposed diagnostic category, Complex Trauma Disorder, identifies clusters of symptoms and behaviors that suggest the need for a multimodal approach to therapy. Application of each treatment modality is described with the emphasis on resolving the symptoms...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Family Problems, Preschool Children, Attachment Behavior, Child Development, Self...
This study investigated the effectiveness of implementing Differential Reinforcement of Other behavior (DRO) at the classwide level to decrease the disruptive behavior of seven typically developing preschool-aged children in a child care setting. After baseline data were collected, a whole interval DRO reinforcement schedule using edible rewards was implemented for four weeks. Disruptive behavior decreased after the intervention was implemented. This report adds to the existing research...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Behavior Modification, Rewards, Child Care, Reinforcement, Behavior Problems,...
The psychometric properties of the Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) (Bricker & Squires, 1999) used in a French-Canadian preschool population were compared with psychometric data derived from U.S. normative studies. The ASQ was translated into French (Bonin, Robaey, Vandaele, Bastin, & Lacroix, 2000) and used in four early childhood day care centers, with children ages 4-60 months. The psychometric properties of the French version are presented at the 42-, 48-, 54-, and 60-month...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Intervals, Cross Cultural Studies, French Canadians, Screening Tests, Psychometrics,...
The aim of this study was to explore the effects of repeat viewing on comprehension of explicitly and implicitly presented information in an animated movie. Seventy-three pre-school children watched an animated film and were tested for comprehension after either their single or fifth viewing. Only children's comprehension of explicitly presented information was facilitated by repeat viewing. However, post hoc analyses revealed that children's explicit and implicit comprehension of a central...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Comprehension, Video Technology, Visual Stimuli, Preschool Children, Films,...
Including children with autism alongside typically developing peers is commonly done in school settings to provide social opportunities and social experiences. However, there is limited research describing the naturally occurring interactions between children with autism and their peers as a result of such placements. We examined the naturally occurring social interactions of 3 students with autism when placed in a playground setting with typically developing peers. Results show that...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Social Behavior, Autism, Preschool Children, Peer Relationship, Playgrounds, Student...
Findings from a study investigating the conditions under which contingency learning games were associated with optimal child and adult concomitant and social--emotional behavior benefits are reported. Participants were 41 preschool children with multiple disabilities and profound developmental delays and their parents or teachers. Results showed that social learning games that resulted in larger percentages of reinforcing consequences were associated with optimal child and adult extended...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Socialization, Multiple Disabilities, Preschool Children, Affective Behavior, Parent...
This study involved the analysis of the complex interactions that take place between tutors and preschool children using a computer during early literacy tutoring sessions. Eight five-year-old pre- and early-readers attending a childcare centre participated in daily 20-minute tutoring sessions for two weeks. The literacy software (a beta version) was especially designed to guide tutors while working one-on-one with elementary school students falling into the lower 30% of reading achievement...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Grounded Theory, Preschool Children, Computers, Tutors, Emergent Literacy, Tutoring,...
The current media are laden with reports of the many significant problems facing today's youth. In fact, parenting has become a national topic of discussion. Parenting instruction, a responsibility that had previously rested in the home, has become part of educational curricula. Courses in child development are offered for high school students in Pennsylvania as well as in other states. Child development programs consist of educational courses that provide students with the knowledge of the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, High Schools, Child Rearing, Preschool Children, Intellectual Development, Child...
To assess the degree to which a mand repertoire that was taught to children with autism would generalize from adults to peers, three preschool-aged children diagnosed with Autism were first taught to mand with adult instructors, and then were tested for generalization across three subsequent phases that involved parents, siblings, and peers. Limited generalization of the mand occurred in the parent phase of the study; manding transferred from instructors to parents without direct teaching for...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Siblings, Autism, Generalization, Peer Relationship, Adults, Preschool Children,...
The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of parents of pre-K to grade four children who had food allergies. Also examined were the management strategies put in place by the participants to assist the children deal with their unique situations. An in-depth interview was conducted with ten parents whose children had food allergies. Results of the interview indicate that the children's allergies were identified between ages six months and two years. Most of the parents reported...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Allergy, Young Children, Elementary School Students, Preschool Children, Interviews,...
The manner in which teachers mediate children's learning varies across early childhood classrooms. In this study, we used a multi-element design to evaluate the efficacy of three commonly implemented strategies that varied in teacher directedness for teaching color- and object-name relations. Strategy 1 consisted of brief exposure to the target relations followed by an exclusively child-led play period in which correct responses were praised. Strategy 2 was similar except that teachers prompted...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Early Childhood Education, Teaching Methods, Preschool Children, Instructional...
The purpose of the present study was to use video modeling to teach children with autism to engage in reciprocal pretend play with typically developing peers. Scripted play scenarios involving various verbalizations and play actions with adults as models were videotaped. Two children with autism were each paired with a typically developing child, and a multiple-probe design across three play sets was used to evaluate the effects of the video modeling procedure. Results indicated that both...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Preschool Children, Play, Autism, Teaching Methods, Modeling (Psychology), Video...
The present study evaluated the effects of classwide satiation and embedded reinforcement procedures on preschoolers' activity preferences during scheduled free-play periods. The goal of the study was to increase time allocation to originally nonpreferred, but important, activities (instructional zone, library, and science) while continuing to provide access to all free-play activities. The satiation intervention applied to preferred activities resulted in increased time allocation to the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Science Activities, Play, Time Management, Reinforcement, Preschool Children,...
The present study describes the development and pilot testing of the Observation System for Recording Physical Activity in Children-Home version. This system was developed to document physical activity and related physical and social contexts while children are at home. An analysis of interobserver agreement and a description of children's physical activity in various settings are presented. The system, which was shown to be reliable, provides a direct observation tool for researchers who are...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Physical Activities, Observation, Family Environment, Physical Activity Level, Child...
Some features of project work are of value for toddlers, while others are best left until children are older. This article shares the process through which teachers and administrators at a private school in Mexico City gained awareness of the importance of listening, observing, and documenting children's activities to determine how to adapt features of the Project Approach to meet the needs and interests of toddlers. This adaptation of project work, called "project practice", engaged...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Student Projects, Private Schools, Toddlers, Foreign Countries, Teaching Methods,...
This study provides preliminary insight into teachers' perspectives on ways that the Project Approach can help to support instruction of learners with a range of strengths and needs, and learners from a variety of cultural, economic, and linguistic backgrounds. Pre- and post-training interviews were conducted with seven preschool teachers who attended professional development sessions on the Project Approach. Interview questions focused on teachers' perceptions of the impact of implementing the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Student Projects, Preschool Teachers, Professional Development, Teaching Methods,...