Reviews several issues pertaining to the relationship between child development and social or public policy, including educational policy and practice, the growth of professional associations, federal interventions, applied research needs, and professional training. Introduces the articles in the journal issue. (AYC)

This DVD (duration: 1 hour 53 seconds) features 30 video vignettes that show parents and children--aged birth to 3 years--interacting during everyday play and routines. These vignettes, some in English and some in Spanish, are designed to be tools for professionals to use both in direct work with families and for training other early child…

This article uses the case study of 3-year-old Anna and her parents to illustrate how a child development specialist can be integrated into a private pediatric practice. First, pediatrician Hamburger describes how she and other members of her practice integrated a child development specialist into their pediatric practice. Second, Anna's parents…

This bibliography provides a listing of 111 English-language books, articles, and audiovisual resources on the subject of relations between professionals and the parents of infants and toddlers with disabilities. Specific topics covered include, among others: parent attitudes, goal-setting, family assessment, stress, support groups, parent…

James H. Straughan lists five steps for modifying target behavior and four steps for working with teachers using behavior modification. Grant Martin and Harold Kunzelmann then outline an instructional program for pinpointing and recording classroom behaviors. (JD)

Data were based on questionnaire on how decisions were reached when child study teams were required to classify a child and there were conflicting opinions between professional groups. While majority vote and resolution by the psychologist accounted for the methods most often used in actual resolutions, there were great disagreements between…

Child development and family researchers generally reside in different departments and rarely belong to each other's professional organizations or publish in their organizations' journals. Further, even when studying the same topic, parent-child relations, researchers use different methods and subjects. These differences appear to be increasing…

Social learning theory is evaluated from a historical perspective that goes up to the present. Sears and others melded psychoanalytic and stimulus-response learning theory into a comprehensive explanation of human behavior. Bandura emphasized cognitive and information-processing capacities that mediate social behavior. (LB)

The key to improving the early education of all young children, including those with special needs, is the effective preparation and development of the professionals who work with them. "Practical Approaches to Early Childhood Professional Development" is a comprehensive planning resource for college faculty and consultants engaged in preservice …

Skills needed by the elementary school pupil personnel worker may be divided into the following areas: (1) counseling, (2) consultation, and (3) coordination. The counseling role can be of value not only to children, but also parents and teachers. Consultation is the process used to help teachers and administrators become better diagnosticians of…

This training guide presents information about the Child Development Associate (CDA) program, which is a nationwide experimental program that embodies a new concept for career preparation and credentials of child care staff. The information in this guide concerns the CDA concept, competencies, pilot training projects, and the CDA Consortium. The…

This conference report includes the texts of speeches on the general subject of preparing the elementary specialist. Five purposes of the conference are designated: a) to review beliefs about children and their needs for movement, aesthetics, and rhythmical experiences; b) to develop insights concerning the significance and uniqueness of…

Describes need for eclectic approach to counseling rather than adherence to circumscribed traditional role. (CJ)

Presents an interactive model of child development associate (CDA) training. The article discusses a self-evaluation interview, training modules, field advisor meetings, discussion groups, and observation and feedback groups. CDA competencies and related functional areas are presented. (Author/DB)