Social competence is essential to the mental and physical well-being of all humans, no matter their age. Yet as many as one in ten children has trouble keeping friends or even making friends. In Social Competence in Children, readers will discover a developmental view of social functioning in children at different stages, with an emphasis on clinical conditions that may confound this development.

At the outset, the author provides detailed information on theories of social competence and the contexts in which core skills (e.g., appropriate comments, reading verbal cues) are learned. Later chapters address specific challenges to competence and feature case examples illustrating typical patterns of deficits and presenting the latest data on the topic, including: assessment practices; parenting and family issues; social competence problems specific to children and adolescents in this population; effective and promising interventions; treatment guidelines; and areas deserving future study.

Gifted Young Childrenis a practical guide to identifying and supporting young children who may be gifted or talented. Louise Porter outlines how to identify and provide educationally for children aged up to 8 years with advanced development. She explains how teachers and parents can promote children's emotional and social adjustment, including ways to enhance self-esteem, encourage friendships and support their autonomy.

 

The current study aimed to develop a model of reading comprehension for children in middle primary school.  As part of this overall aim there was a particular focus on the contribution of different types of memory to reading comprehension.  The variables selected for consideration were identified from the child and adult literature and were of three types:  word reading, language, and memory.  The sample comprised 180 primary school children in grades 3-5 recruited from two primary schools.  Their ages ranged from 8 years 7 months to 11 years 11 months.  

The reading comprehension measure was in a multiple-choice format with the text available when answering the questions.  The five word reading measures were phonological recoding, orthographic processing, text reading accuracy,  text reading speed, and a measure of exposure to print and reading experience.

Bilingualism in the Primary School gives primary teachers a window on the experience of the bilingual children in their care. It helps them to make the most of what the children and their parents have to offer, giving those children a good start in the National Curriculum.
The book covers three main areas: first, the ways in which bilingual children in school can learn English and at the same time have their first languages incorporated naturally into the curriculum; second, various approaches to the assessment of oral language (including children’s mother tongue); and, finally, the bilingual experience of children, teachers and parents within the wider community.

Fred Sedgwick argues that through poetry, children can learn about the whole curriculum, including history and science. The book discusses poetry in terms of children's learning and the imagination. Case studies are used to show how children learn about themselves - first, their bodies, and second, their thoughts and emotions - through the writing of poetry. It then considers how children learn about their environment and the relationship between themselves and their environment. Finally, he discusses his techniques for getting children to write and provides recommendations for further reading.