Through contributions from top leaders in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), "Children and Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder" examines the ASD research literature, discusses procedural implications, and makes recommendations for future practice and inquiry. It combines the most recent developments in established practices with newer and…

Intended primarily for professionals teaching early childhood and infant intervention courses, this handbook presents an overview of child care as both a support to families and an economic necessity, meeting changing and dynamic needs. Child care settings and types of care are discussed, along with quality indicators, licensing, and provider…

Noting that observation forms the basis of all developmentally appropriate programming, this videotape helps new and experienced early childhood educators learn about children so they can individualize their program; evaluate programs so adjustments can be made to the environment, the curriculum, or both; and measure children's progress and their…

Behavior of direct care staff serving clients with mental retardation in 13 units of a large state-operated residential facility was observed. Results indicated that the activities of direct-care staff were influenced by the client's functioning level, the presence of professional staff, the location of the observation, and the resident- staff…

This self-assessment instrument for family day care providers is designed to help caregivers provide safe food to children. The eight sections of the instrument, presented in checklist format, concern: (1) personal hygiene; (2) purchasing and inspecting of food; (3) food storage; (4) kitchen equipment; (5) food preparation; (6) infant food…

This self-assessment instrument for day care center staff is designed to help caregivers provide safe food to children. The nine sections of the instrument, presented in checklist format, concern: (1) personal hygiene; (2) purchasing, receiving, and inspecting of food; (3) food storage; (4) food service equipment; (5) food preparation; (6) infant…

This pamphlet from the Colorado State Board of Education lists activities that parents and caregivers should see in schools that are providing high-quality care and education for young children. The quality indicators are listed by age group (infant/toddler, 3- to 5-year-olds, 6- to 8-year-olds) and are presented as responses to the question,…

It is important to understand the ways in which zoos can serve as a resource in the development of classroom teachers, parents, and community organization staff members as environmental educators. This project consists of three distinct, but related investigations of zoo use by different groups of educators. The project methodology included…

The director of the child care and services program of a New England hospital designed and implemented this practicum for the purpose of expanding child care services for children of hospital employees and residents of communities around the hospital. The primary goal was to increase the number of quality child care slots in the area. A second aim…

This article offers guidelines for designing inservice education for personnel working with young children with disabilities and their families. Discussion covers definitions, assumptions, support and start up, initial planning, program design, evaluation, implementation, and follow-up. It identifies special considerations and circumstances…

Two studies replicated and refined a program for evaluating and improving residential treatment services during group leisure periods in living units for persons with severe developmental disabilities. Results indicated that provision of leisure materials and interaction with clients decreased maladaptive client behavior. The monitoring system…

Intended as a practical resource for early childhood center directors engaged in improving the overall quality of their programs, this guide details a comprehensive method for analyzing the different components of a program to increase the program's effectiveness, assists in diagnosing common organizational problems, and aids in selecting…

The report presents evaluation data on the Cross-Program Training Project to train foster parents, teachers, and social workers who are jointly responsible for the care of special needs children, especially preschoolers. The project featured five major components: (1) site development, (2) training needs assessment on which to develop programing,…

Highlights selected issues on early childhood education which have been discussed in CHILD CARE INFORMATION EXCHANGE articles over the past ten years. Provides an alphabetized, index of these articles, topically arranged, which indicates month and year of publication. (RWB)

This publication aims to help infant/toddler caregivers and directors of infant/toddler programs by outlining the goals and skills needed to work with children during their first three years. The work is divided into two complementary sections, one for directors and one for caregivers. Section I defines the roles of directors of infant and toddler…