Despite numerous studies of the development of theory of mind, how children express their understanding of mind in less structured, play settings has gone largely unstudied. Many developmental accounts, regardless of disagreement on other theoretical issues, agree that the child’s engagement within social contexts is crucial to the development of understanding of mind. Our goals were to collect a detailed account of how children use their understanding of mind and how mothers align their support to the child’s capabilities within social interactions. In this longitudinal study, typically developing preschoolers (N = 52) engaged in a hiding game with their mothers in a semi-structured play setting when the children were 42-, 54-, and 66-months old. Aspects of children’s understanding of mind were rated including understanding of knowledge access, deception, false belief, and emotional response to false belief, as well as, affective charge and engagement with the task. Mothers’ utterances were coded for various characteristics, particularly role and content. Children’s understanding of mind increased across visits and positively correlated with false belief task performance at the 42- and 54-month visits, rs = .35 and .39, p < .05, but not the 66-month visit, rs = –.25, p = .10. Children’s enthusiasm was positively related to their understanding of mind at the first and second visits, but not the last. Mothers tailored the content of their utterances to the child’s growing expertise, but whether mothers adjusted the role of their utterances to children’s understanding of mind remains unclear. Observing children’s playful use of their emerging understanding of mind in social interactions allowed for the capture of subtle variations in how children express and caregivers support their understanding.

A growing body of work suggests that narrative comprehension involves the simulation of the events and actions described in a narrative (e.g., Barsalou, 2008; Matlock, 2004). Preliterate children’s ability to simulate a narrative character’s movements is explored here in three studies. Children’s simulations of a character’s movements were found to be constrained by their expectation of the duration of the described activities (i.e., walking vs. driving) and by their expectations about the motivating influence of certain psychological factors (i.e., character being eager or not eager to get to a location). Using a novel methodology these findings reveal an ability among preliterate children to create impressively rich and dynamic mental representations of narrative events and address. The implications of the present investigation speak to the larger issue of how human minds comprehend narratives and represent narrative events.

In recent years, autism diagnoses have steadily increased, putting a substantial emphasis on early identification as a crucial component for intervention. Autism diagnoses, however, often require a thorough and comprehensive assessment from a highly trained practitioner. Although ideal, such assessments are often time consuming and expensive, creating a need for a quicker, more simplistic method of screening for autism. Clinicians customarily used behavior rating scales to identify a number of various problem behaviors and/or disorders. The purpose of the present study is to examine the utility of two common behavior rating scales in accurately discriminating between a group of preschoolers with autism and a group of referred preschoolers with autism. Parents/guardians of 74 preschoolers with and without autism, who had been referred to a child development clinic due to behavioral or developmental concerns, completed both behavior rating scales as part of a comprehensive assessment. Although analyses revealed significant differences between the two groups of participants on two of the scales from one of the instruments, these findings demonstrate little clinical value for screening purposes.

Förståelighet innebär hur väl lyssnaren förstår vad talaren menar (Hartelius &amp; Lohmander, 2008). Barn med språkstörning har ofta en nedsatt förståelighet (Nettelbladt, 2007). Föreliggande studie syftar till att undersöka huruvida det föreligger någon skillnad mellan jämnåriga barns och vuxnas förståelse av ett svårförståeligt barn med språkstörning. Icke-familjära lyssnare genomförde lyssnarbedömningar i form av ordidentifiering. Lyssnarna bestod av tio vuxna (22-67 år) samt elva förskolebarn (4;1-5;6 år). Materialet de bedömde utgjordes av 23 ord, yttrade av en pojke (4;9 år) med diagnosen generell språkförsening (F80.2B). Materialet härrörde från spontantal och benämning av bilder från testet ”OrdRacet” (Eklund, 1996). De vuxna bedöarna fick äenskatta, på en skala från ett till fem, hur säkra de var i sin bedömning. Barnen uppfattade i genomsnitt 2,0±0,9 (8,7 %) ord korrekt och de vuxna 3,7±1,2 (16 %) ord korrekt. Denna skillnad var signifikant, p=.004. Skattning av säkerhet i bedömning för vuxna lyssnare gav ett genomsnittligt värde på 2,5±0,9. Studiens resultat visade att barn med språkstörning kan ha stora svårigheter att göra sig förstådda, särskilt bland jämnåriga barn. Därför är det av yttersta vikt att logopedisk intervention har målsättningen att förbättra barnens förståelighet. / The definition of intelligibility is how well listeners understand what speakers intend to say (Hartelius &amp; Lohmander, 2008). Children with language impairment often have a reduced intelligibility (Nettelbladt, 2007). The aim of the present study was to investigate whether there is any difference between peers and adults in the understanding of an unintelligible child. 21 non-familiar listeners, ten adults (22-67 years) and eleven preschool children (4;1-5;6 years), carried out intelligibility assessments in terms of word recognition. The material consisted of 23 words uttered by a boy (4;9 years) diagnosed with language impairment, with both expressive and receptive difficulties. The material was derived from spontaneous speech and picture naming from the test "OrdRacet" (Eklund, 1996). The adult listeners were asked to rate their degree of confidence in judgement, on a five point scale. The children recognized at average 2.0±0.9 (8.7%) words correct and the adults 3.7±1.2 (16 %) words correct. This difference was statistically significant, p=.004. The adults’ listenerassessment of how sure they were in their word recognition gave a mean value of 2.5±0.9. The results indicated that children with language impairment may have great difficulties making themselves understood especially among peers. It is therefore important that intervention targets the intelligibility of their speech.

Abstract This paper is based on the study of a special education teacher who tutoring a particular child in a kindergarten, evaluating the effects of the case of its social abilities and cognitive abilities learning after a tutoring service. The study object is a heavy degree of retarded child with the age of five years and five months old. This paper is to apply the method of quality case study, starting from the evaluation of the basic ability of the case to involve in a four times of social abilities learning program and tutoring, for one year of period. It is to make an essential record in detail of the social abilities in the process of the cognitive abilities learning and performance, and to re-evaluate the result and its effects of the case situation after the itinerant teaching service. This study found : (A) A good improvement in the social abilities of the case, by means of the tutoring and a four-times social teaching program, especially of the interaction with its peer group , and also with a good progress in the adaptability to the environment, but not showing the eminent result in the interaction with adults. (B) A good improvement in the cognitive abilities learning, with the increasing of the time length in the concentration about the aspects of seeing, listening, and playing, a good progress in the cognition of self-conception, and basic skills of learning in writing, reading. The case has gradually developed a reading habit. As to the numeric conception and memory shows little progress, but not found in the improvement of the logic thinking.

Pre-kindergarten students often arrive the first day of school carrying a backpack filled with supplies which they are eager to use. Inside these backpacks are scissors, glue, and crayons. This study proposes that the pre-kindergartners are also carrying another backpack, their literacy backpack holding all of their literacy skills and practices that they use every day at home. This qualitative case study examined these literacies brought from home in the students’ figurative literacy backpacks. The study also focused on their teachers’ literacy views and practices. The study was conducted in three parts. First, through field observations and interviews with parents, the literacy practices occurring at home were identified and examined. Unique “literacy stories” were crafted from the data for each of the pre-kindergartners and shared with their parents. Part two of the study examined the two pre-kindergarten teachers’ literacy practices through semi-structured interviews. The impact of external forces (e.g. state and federal mandates, school curriculum, grant requirements, and trainings) on the views and practices of the pre-kindergarten teachers was discussed. These external forces stress the development of formal literacies, thus modeling a narrow definition of literacy. Part three of the study focused on sharing the students’ “literacy stories” with their teachers and examining the teachers’ reactions to the stories. Data from the interviews following reading the stories pointed to the teachers’ acknowledging the multiple literacies found in the homes of their students and a desire to learn more about their families’ literacy practices in order to utilize them in the classroom. The students’ “literacy stories” proved to be a valuable tool in expanding the teachers’ definition of literacy. The stories helped the teachers broaden their views of literacy to include literacy practices that occur in many different cultural and social contexts; adopting a definition more in line with the socio-cultural development of literacy and the NLS concepts (Street, 2003). Using this definition, multiple literacies will be made visible in the classrooms and connections from home to school can be made allowing students to strengthen their existing literacies and expand them to incorporate other literacies. / text

Nowadays children’s intellectual education is in a rush, and education of feelings, culture, and willpower are forgotten. Parents and teachers hope, that child will go to school with elements of reading, writing and calculation. That held up research’s problem - “preparation” for school, the most parents and teachers understand it like possession of specific skills: reading, writing and calculation. Children’s individual exigency are depreciated, all are oriented to result, but not to process. If we can accept, that childhood’s artistic self-expression, drawing – that’s natural ways to recognize the world, children’s creation reflects various aspects of ripeness, the game, art develops self-image, drawing is one of the earlier communication’s forms, we can affirm, that children’s art can be analyzing as way of cognition, the spread of communicational and social skills, that is like education of essential competences. Object of research – education of preschoolers’ essential competences. Hypothesis of research – if we think, that education with art includes new forms of child’s activities, brings up new purposes, requirements, gives for child proper means to achieve these purposes, it is impossible, that in this way will be educated child’s essential competences. Purpose of research – to uncover possibilities of art activity in order to refine preschoolers’ essential competences (social, keeping health, communication, cognition, artistic). Problems of research: with help of... [to full text]

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Syftet med denna undersökning är att ta reda på om pedagogerna använder sig av skogen de har i sin närhet och hur de utnyttjar den. Syftet är även att ta reda på hur viktig pedagogerna anser att skogen är, vilka möjligheter som finns i skogen och på vilket sätt samt hur pedagogerna upplever att skogsutflykterna bemöts av barnen. Metoden är strukturerad intervju med sju pedagoger på två olika förskolor samt två observationer på en av förskolorna. Båda förskolorna har nära till skog men utomhusgården skiljer sig nämnvärt. Slutsatsen visar att samtliga pedagoger föredrar utomhuspedagogik. De anser även att man lika gärna kan gå till skogen oplanerat som planerat och att skogen har mycket att erbjuda samt bemöts positivt bland barnen. Slutsatsen visar också att pedagogerna inte använder skogen så mycket som jag trodde trots att den ligger precis bredvid förskolorna. Av de två förskolorna som jag undersökt visar resultaten att en av dem har inplanerade skogsdagar en dag i veckan. / The purpose of this study is to find out if the teachers use the forest they have in their neighborhood and how they use it. It also aims to find out how important the teachers believe that the forest is, what opportunities exist in the forest and how the teachers feel that forest excursions are treated by the children. The method is structured interviews with seven teachers at two different preschools and two observations on one of the preschools. Both preschools are close to the forest but the outdoor courtyard differs significantly. The conclusion is that all educators prefer outdoor education. They also believe that they can visit the forest both unplanned and planned. The forest has a lot to offer and are viewed favorably among kids. However, the teachers do not use the forest as much as I thought, even though it is right next to preschools. Of the two preschools that I have examined, the results show that one of them has planned forest day one day a week.

The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the availability of construction materials affect children's constructions and play. Observations were made when the children were allowed to play and build with very little and much of the material play-doh dough in preschool. The study is aimed at children aged 3 – 5 years. Interviews were also conducted with educators in departments where the children spent time to give support to this study. The result shows that the children create as many designs of any material amount. At smaller amount of the same material of construction results show that children vary more among different games. / Syftet med det här examensarbetet var att undersöka och jämföra hur tillgången till konstruktionsmaterial påverkar barns konstruktioner och lek i förskolan. Undersökningen riktar sig mot barn i åldrarna 3 – 5 år. Observationer gjordes när barnen fick leka och konstruera med tillgång till mycket och lite av materialet play- doh deg. Även intervjuer gjordes med pedagoger på avdelningarna där barnen vistades för att ge stöd i arbetet. Resultatet visar att barnen skapar lika många konstruktioner oavsett materialmängd. Vid mindre mängd av samma konstruktionsmaterial visar resultatet att barnen skiftar mer mellan olika lekar.