The rapidly moving frontiers of neuroscience, molecular biology, and epigenetics--combined with extensive research in the behavioral and social sciences--are dramatically expanding our understanding of how children develop, how that process can be disrupted, how to get it back on track when it does get derailed, and how to keep it from going off…

This is the executive summary for the report, "From Best Practices to Breakthrough Impacts: A Science-Based Approach to Building a More Promising Future for Young Children and Families." Early childhood is a time of great promise and rapid change, when the architecture of the developing brain is most open to the influence of…

In 2008, the research center "Individual Development and Adaptive Education" was constituted by the Goethe University, the German Institute for International Educational Research, and the Sigmund Freud Institute, all located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany (http://www.idea-frankfurt.eu). The research of the center focuses on the…

For the past decade, a diverse group of distinguished scientists has worked to translate complex research about early brain development into language that is scientifically accurate, highly credible, understandable to nonscientists, and useful to public decision makers. Across the United States and around the world, in both public and private…

These are the key findings from the "From Best Practices to Breakthrough Impacts: A Science-Based Approach to Building a More Promising Future for Young Children and Families". Early childhood is a time of great promise and rapid change, when the architecture of the developing brain is most open to the influences of relationships and…

Researchers and practitioners both have important roles to play in the study and understanding of early childhood development. However, the cultures of the different professional fields can lead to a gap in what we know and what we do to promote healthy child development. The evidence-based practice movement in the early childhood field provides…

This article highlights the Child Study and Development Center (CSDC), which serves as a child development laboratory for the University of New Hampshire: a place to educate students, support research, and serve the university and local communities. The center has seven classrooms with observation booths, 122 children aged 6 weeks to 6 years in…

The National Institute on Early Childhood Development and Education (ECI) was established by the U.S. Department of Education to carry out a comprehensive program of research, development, and dissemination to improve young children's learning and development. This directory contains information on the programs and projects funded by ECI in fiscal…

The National Institute on Early Childhood Development and Education (ECI) was established to carry out a comprehensive program of research, development, and dissemination to improve young children's learning and development. This directory contains information on the programs and projects funded by ECI in fiscal year 1998. The directory's 10…

Offers a rationale for and overview of contextual factors that influence the play and developmental outcomes of preschool children with disabilities. Research on play is discussed relative to child, program, family, and measurement characteristics that can influence play/developmental outcomes. (DB)

President Kennedy helped fulfill his vision of research on and attention to mental retardation by creating the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the President's Panel on Mental Retardation. The President's Panel helped create Mental Retardation Research Centers (MRRCs). Peabody College of Vanderbilt University's Kennedy…

Susan Gray and Nicholas Hobbs were influential in the development of the Kennedy Center at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, which was designed to include an emphasis on research and training in education and human development. This paper describes Gray's and Hobbs' work and explains how their vision extended to the creation of the Kennedy…

Discusses the evolution of research on mental retardation, which was enhanced by support from the Kennedy family, President Kennedy's determination to place a high priority on the issue, development of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and creation of 12 national Mental Retardation Research Centers, including the unique…

Describes the development of the Kennedy Center for Research and Human Development at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, which is renowned for outstanding training of researchers and for its work in the field of mental retardation. Discusses Kennedy Center researchers, the Center's philosophy, the Center's research, and the Center's role in…

The Kennedy Center at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University is one of 12 Mental Retardation Research Centers (MRRCs) constructed by the federal government. Several major discoveries in mental retardation have come from MRCCs. The Kennedy Center is unique in its focus on education integrated with a university and medical school environment,…