Theory of Mind (ToM) is a foundational skill related to understanding the thoughts, beliefs, and desires of oneself and others. There are child factors that play an important role in the development of ToM (e.g., language and vocabulary) as well as environmental factors (e.g., conversations among family members and socioeconomic status). In this…

Purpose: We explored the prevalence of a positive family history of speech and language impairment in African American children as a function of their socioeconomic status (SES), receipt of speech-language services, and diagnosis of specific language impairment (SLI). Method: Data were collected in 2 phases. Phase 1 included family questionnaires…

This article discusses the importance of three contextual variables in ensuring Hispanic individuals' success in learning English: (1) consideration of the impact of majority social context and attitude toward immigrants; (2) the views of the individual's family on the importance of acquiring English; and (3) classroom instructional strategies.…

The article examines variations in communication of cultural-linguistic minority children at home and in school and describes a communicative match/mismatch model. Implications of educational policy and program development are noted. (CL)

The family is the handicapped infant or toddler's ecological system, is critical to the child's optimal development, and must be incorporated into early intervention programs. Characteristics of the ecosystem of the family of a handicapped child are discussed, followed by characteristics of ecologically attuned early intervention teams. (JDD)