Research findings make it clear that paying attention to a young child's cues - that is, being aware of and responding appropriately to what a child's behavior means - is one of the most important things a parent or other caregiver can do to benefit their young child's development.

Preschool and child care teachers, early intervention specialists, parent educators, therapists, family support professionals, and other early childhood practitioners have the opportunity to make a big difference for children by showing parents the magic of paying attention and responding to their children's behavior. Research shows that two successful ways to do this involve video tapes. First, research indicates that it is very beneficial for parents to view video tapes of other parents modeling or demonstrating attentive, sensitive behavior. Second, it is also valuable to arrange for parents to see video recordings of themselves as they practice sensitive attentiveness with their own children. More>> [PDF, 311KB]