The DEC Recommended Practices provide guidance to families and professionals about the most effective ways to improve learning outcomes and promote development of young children, birth through age 5, who have, or are at-risk for, developmental delays or disabilities. "Family: Knowing Families, Tailoring Practices, Building Capacity" is…

Parents of 36 autistic children were assessed on child functioning and family stress variables in relation to use of respite care services. Results suggest that parents with more difficult children need and use respite care more than others. Nonusers of respite care reported a higher perception of social support than users. (JDD)

Suggests eight questions that can serve as a framework for determining the extent to which early intervention has accomplished the goals inherent in a family-centered approach. Conceptual issues and methodological considerations associated with documenting these outcomes are presented and recommendations regarding implementation and future…

Intended for child welfare caseworkers and others working with children and families in crisis, this guide presents principles and techniques of crisis intervention with child abuse or neglect cases. After an overview of the manual, the first section considers a definition of crisis, the elements and phases of crises, and the psychological effects…

Libraries are faced with changing demographics, emerging technologies, and economic shifts. Families once attended library programs as a unit, children began kindergarten at age five, and libraries offered few programs for children under four. Intact and extended families are a thing of the past. Many children today are raised in single parent…

Developed to provide assistance in the building of an effective home-based program for Head Start children and their families, this handbook may serve as a blueprint for parent-focused home visits that assist the child and family to meet their special needs. Chapter one focuses on the home visitation model for providing services to families and…

Intended for professionals working with people with mental retardation and their families, this manual begins with a summary of the principles and philosophy concerning family participation and agency responsibilities of the South Carolina Department of Mental Retardation (DMR). The importance of family involvement in determining the least…

This curriculum is designed for parents and adolescents participating together in a program for parents who wish to be the primary sexuality educators of their children. The curriculum consists of units on: (1) exploring and understanding one's own sexuality; (2) adolescent sexuality; (3) sexuality in the home; (4) values; and (5) communication…

Fifty strategies developed and used over the past 20 years in school districts throughout New York and California for meeting the needs of single parent families are identified in this brief listing. A single descriptive line is devoted to each of the strategies, which are grouped into seven categories: curriculum/instruction, general, parent…

This guide is one part of a set of materials designed to support an ecological intervention system for families and their special needs children between birth and three. The system is constructed on four premises: (1) intervention is guided by the family; (2) parent-child interactions are the heart of early intervention; (3) family rituals, daily…

This article discusses a family-centered approach to assistive technology assessment for young children with mental retardation or developmental disabilities and their families. After a literature review, legal definitions of assistive technology are examined, and a model is presented for supporting and involving families in technology assessment…

This document provides an overview of a family literacy demonstration project conducted to offer family literacy classes in three public schools in Philadelphia. The project was designed to help adults meet their own needs and to enable them to support their children's learning. The whole-language, learner-centered approach was used. Background…

Evaluates the Family Program, a family-centered program in northern Virginia which provides intensive in-home support and treatment to families with children in the custody of county child welfare departments. The sample comprises 42 closed cases. Results show that families that are at risk benefit significantly from extensive support systems.…

This monograph offers middle grades educators recommendations for increasing the involvement of family members in school-related programs and activities. Introductory material describes the earlier work of the National Middle School Association in fostering parent involvement. Next, the monograph describes reasons for encouraging such involvement,…

A survey of 989 service providers for handicapped children, age 0-6, examined the degree to which early intervention activities focus on the family. The survey assessed perceptions of the value of working with parents, time devoted to family-focused activities, kinds of services offered, achievement of objectives, and factors impeding services.…