During the past 10 years researchers studying children adopted from Romanian orphanages have had the opportunity to revisit developmental questions regarding the impact of early deprivation on child development. In the present paper the effects of deprivation are examined by reviewing both the early and more recent literature on studies of children who spent the first few years of life in institutions. Special attention is given to the Canadian study of Romanian adoptees in which the author has been involved. Findings across time and studies are consistent in showing the negative impact of institutionalization on all aspects of children's development (intellectual, physical, behavioral, and social-emotional). Results of studies show, however, that institutionalization, although a risk factor for less optimal development, does not doom a child to psychopathology. However, the impact of institutionalization is greater when coupled with risk factors in the postinstitutional environment. Methodological and conceptual difficulties in research with institutionalized samples of children are discussed and future directions for research are considered. searchers can also examine the ways in which this manuscript. The author has previously published uninstitutionalized samples are similar to and der the name Kim Chisholm. different from other samples of maltreated Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Kim children. Children from orphanages usually MacLean, Psychology Department, St. Francis Xavier experience maltreatment and neglect on every University,

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Year-old infants' play was scored within and outside joint attention with mother and when alone for four levels of maturity: stereotypical, inappropriate relational, appropriate relational, functional. Maternal sensitivity within joint attention was rated on two measures: following infants' interests and scaffolding infants' activities. Infants' play was more advanced with mother than when alone. With mother, infants had more functional and appropriate relational play within joint attention and more stereotypical play outside joint attention, indicating more advanced play within joint attention and more immature play outside joint attention. Functional play within joint attention, but not outside joint attention, correlated with functional play when alone. Mothers' ability to scaffold infants' activities within joint attention may be particularly facilitative to infants' advanced play.

Mothers' mental state language in conversation with their preschool children, and children's preschool attachment security were examined for their effects on children's mental state language and expressions of emotional understanding in their conversation. Children discussed an emotionally salient event with their mothers and then relayed the event to a stranger. Compared to mothers of insecurely attached children, mothers of securely attached children used more mental state language and had children who used more mental state language with both mother and stranger, and who expressed more emotional understanding in the mother-child conversation. Maternal mental state language and attachment security made shared contributions to children's mental state language with their mothers. Maternal mental state language accounted for the effects of attachment security on children's expressions of emotional understanding in the mother-child conversation. Mothers' mental state language to their children may enhance secure attachment and foster children's understanding of mental states in self and others.

The study investigated the longitudinal relation between mother–infant skin‐to‐skin contact (SSC) and mother–child interactions in middle childhood. Mothers and their 9‐year‐old children (born full term), who participated in a SSC study in the children’s infancy, engaged in conversations about remembered emotional events in the children’s lives that were assessed on the Autobiographical Emotional Events Dialogue. Mothers and children who had been in the SSC group showed more engagement and reciprocity in the dialogues than mothers and children who had been in the control group. Mothers’ sensitive guidance of the dialogues mediated the effect of SSC grouping on the children’s cooperation and involvement in the conversations. A higher proportion of dyads from the SSC group, than the control group, were classified as emotionally matched. Mother–infant SSC set the mother–infant relationship on a positive developmental trajectory that was related to mother–child emotional engagement in middle childhood.