This review was completed as part of the American Occupational
Therapy Association (AOTA) Evidence-Based
Practice project. The articles included in this review were
the result of database searches on articles published from
1990 through April 2010. In addition, we reviewed bibliographies
of selected articles for potentially relevant articles.
As noted in Arbesman, Lieberman, and Berlanstein
(2013), selected articles were recommended by experts in
the field and included in the review. Search terms for the
review included childhood play behavior, cognitive process,
early childhood intervention, early literacy, imitative behavior,
imitation skills, joint attention, play, and skill
learning. Articles selected for review included studies in
which the focus was on infants and young children from
birth to age 5 yr. In addition, the interventions studied
were within the scope of practice of occupational therapy.
Detailed information about the methodology and a complete
list of search terms for the entire project dedicated
to early intervention and early childhood services can be
found in the article “Method for the Systematic Reviews
on Occupational Therapy and Early Intervention and
Early Childhood Services” in this issue (