Play Therapy for Preschool Children is a comprehensive sourcebook of play interventions for preventing and resolving the most common disorders of children aged 3-5 years old.
The provision of early childhood educational and psychological services has been an area of considerable growth over the past 25 years. As a result of far-reaching trends in both public policy and clinical practices, there is a growing need for professionals appropriately trained to address the assessment and intervention issues involved in early childhood programming. To take advantage of current opportunities for extending their role and to meet the challenge of early childhood service delivery, school psychologists must expand their professional skills and broaden their knowledge base. With the publication of this volume, the Advances in School Psychology Series changes to adopt a specific thematic focus and include reviews directly related to a common theme. This volume studies the subject of early childhood education and treatment directions. The chapters address a range of specific topics and research representing advances in the field of early childhood services for school psychology -- allowing school psychologists to examine and integrate current information from multiple perspectives -- educational and sociological as well as psychological. Topics that collectively represent important developments for school psychology include current early childhood education program models, preschool handicapped children, parental involvement, peers and socialization, stress and coping, and computers and young children. To date, more efforts have been directed toward devising and validating instruments that predict failure or success among preschoolers than on designing and evaluating approaches for treating them. Although assessment is critical for meeting individual needs, the primary emphasis of this volume is on fostering cognitive, academic, social, and emotional growth of young children.
Comprehensively exploring the development of psychiatric disorders in 2- to 6-year-olds, this authoritative handbook has been thoroughly revised to incorporate important scientific and clinical advances. Leading researchers examine how behavioral and emotional problems emerge and can be treated effectively during this period of rapid developmental and brain changes. Current knowledge is presented on conduct disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, autism spectrum disorder, attachment disorders, and sleep disorders in very young children. The volume reviews a range of interventions for preschoolers and their caregivers--including clear descriptions of clinical techniques--and discusses the strengths and limitations of the empirical evidence base. New to This Edition *Many new authors; extensively revised with the latest research and empirically supported treatments. *Heightened focus on brain development and the neural correlates of disorders. *Section on risk and resilience, including chapters on sensitive periods of development and the early environment. *Chapters on parent-child interaction therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapies, attachment-based therapies, and translational approaches to early intervention.
Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.
Currently in the United States, 20% of children ages 6 years or younger live in poverty. Poor children have fewer opportunities than their peers to resources that are important for child development. At the same time, the prevalence of developmental disabilities has increased to 1 in every 6 children. Early identification of developmental delays is critical, and more than half of all American parents do not know the warning signs. Occupational therapy professionals in early intervention and preschool practice can provide the necessary services to support children's health in early childhood. This Practice Guideline explains the occupational therapy process for young children--and their families, caregivers, and teachers--which includes evaluation, intervention, and outcomes planning to enhance a child's occupational performance, adaptation, health and wellness, community participation, role competence, and self-advocacy. Topics include social-emotional development; feeding, eating, and swallowing; cognitive and motor development; service delivery; autism; obesity, cerebral palsy; and parent training. This work can help occupational therapy practitioners, as well as those who manage, reimburse, or set policy regarding occupational therapy services, understand the contribution of occupational therapy in evaluating and serving young children. This guideline can also serve as a resource for parents, school administrators, educators, and other early childhood staff.
Reflective Network Therapy describes a remarkably effective school-based treatment method that harnesses small social networks for the good of seriously emotionally disturbed preschoolers or those with autism spectrum disorders. The book provides an in-depth explanation of the method — including the work of parents, peers, teachers, and mental health therapists. The RNT method has a substantial evidence base, with about the same number of treated children and a larger number of comparison and control cases as the published IQ results of the most widely used school based method. It has been used in many real life environments and is well-tested for feasibility, replicability, IQ effects, and children's global mental health results. The RNT method does not separate the child from peers by pairing him with an aide but is peer, teacher and parent inclusive. The cost-benefits and human benefits are extraordinary.
Play Therapy for Very Young Children presents the major models of play interventions with very young children, primarily ages zero to three, and their families. The editors have compiled essays by child development experts to create a comprehensive guide of the most beneficial...
This Encyclopedia is a reference work about young children in the USA, designed for use by policy makers, community planners, parents of young children, teacher and early childhood educators, programme and school administrators, among others. The field of early childhood education has been affected by changes taking place in the nation’s economy, demographics, schools, communities and families that influence political and professional decisions. These diverse historical, political economic, socio-cultural, intellectual and educational influences on early childhood education have hindered the development of a clear definition of the field. The Encyclopedia provides an opportunity to define the field against the background of these influences and relates the field of early childhood education to its diverse contexts and to the cultural and technological resources currently affecting it.
This Encyclopedia is a reference work about young children in the USA, designed for use by policy makers, community planners, parents of young children, teacher and early childhood educators, programme and school administrators, among others. The field of early childhood education has been affected by changes taking place in the nation's economy, demographics, schools, communities and families that influence political and professional decisions. The Encyclopedia provides an opportunity to define the field against the background of these influences and relates the field of early childhood education to its diverse contexts and to the cultural and technological resources currently affecting it.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most frequently diagnosed psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents. This book focuses on preschool-age children and provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date information regarding assessment including diagnostic interview, neuropsychological testing, comorbidity and differential diagnosis, sleep problems, and treatment interventions including psychosocial, pharmacological and complementary and alternative treatments.