A best-evidence synthesis and meta-analysis were conducted to evaluate interventions designed to decrease noncompliance in early childhood settings. Studies were examined for quality, intervention components, and outcomes for young children (ages 2-8 years) across settings. Results indicated most designs were high-quality and produced desired…

The social validity of intervention research has been emphasized in special education and related fields for decades. There is relatively little focus on social validity that considers culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Eleven articles met the inclusionary criteria for this systematic review and were evaluated to describe social…

The social and ecological validity of a body of research may impact the degree to which interventions will be used outside of research contexts. The purpose of this review was to determine the extent to which social and ecological validity were demonstrated for interventions designed to increase social skills for young children with autism…

Reviewers analyzed studies published from 1990 to 2012 to determine early childhood practitioner involvement in functional behavioral assessment (FBA) and function-based behavioral intervention plans (BIP) for children with challenging behavior, age 6 and younger. Coding of 30 studies included practitioner involvement in FBA and BIP processes,…

Social competence intervention studies published from 1970 to 2008 for preschoolers were reviewed for reports of social validity assessment. Analysis of 90 studies indicated that nearly 27% (n = 24) of studies reported at least one measure of social validity assessment for the goals (n = 7), procedures (n = 8), or effects (n = 19). The methods…

The research synthesis presented here reviewed the currently available evidence on the effectiveness of sibling-implemented interventions for their siblings with disabilities. The search for appropriate research literature spanned from 1975 to 2008 and resulted in a total of eight studies that met the inclusion criteria. All eight studies in this…

The article examines issues related to establishing a rationale for the use of early childhood rating scales and to selecting a rating scale using such criteria as user needs, user friendliness, scale format, score interpretation, reliability, and validity. Methods of establishing the validity of a rating scale are suggested. (Author/DB)

Qualities of strong families of children with disabilities are described, and assessment tools for measuring these strengths are reviewed. Empirical evidence for the reliability and validity of the Family Functioning Style Scale (FFSS) is presented, along with discussion of psychometric aspects of the test. Guidelines for FFSS use in interventions…

Epidemiological techniques were used to reanalyze studies that had longitudinally tracked preschool or kindergarten children, to determine results of screens for the identification of educationally at-risk children. A paradigm shift is recommended, away from longitudinal studies for predictive validity and toward risk analysis and interpretation.…

Examines the assumption that the same characteristics of interactions between infants and caregivers are meaningful and important across cultures, using literature from very different cultures to illustrate relationships among cultural values, views of good parenting, and parents' interactions with their infants. Findings have implications for the…