Objective: Cannabis is the most commonly consumed illicit drug among pregnant women. Intrauterine exposure to cannabis may result in risks for the developing fetus. The importance of intrauterine growth on subsequent psychological and behavioral child development has been demonstrated. This study examined the relation between maternal cannabis use…

The purpose of this paper is to show how curricular quality is related to the day-to-day activities experienced by children and the pedagogical activities of staff, both coded through systematic target-child observations. Data were drawn from the Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) and the Researching Effective Pedagogy in the Early…

The manual describes procedures involved in administering and scoring a neurodevelopmental examination of children from birth to 2 years of age. The test is designed to be easily incorporated into routine health programs. The instrument is easily learned, quickly administered, objectively based, and capable of producing early evidence of…

This study aimed to determine whether self-assessed puberty is sufficiently reliable and valid to substitute for physician examination when feasibility of physician examination is low (e.g., behavioral research). Adolescents (convenience sample N = 178 endocrinology patients and N = 125 from educational trial; mean age 12.7 and 11.3 years,…

The purpose of this study was to measure the impact of school breakfasts on the nutritive intake, biochemical indices, and physical growth of elementary school children during one academic year. (DM)

Work supported by a grant from the Children's Bureau, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

Rating scales, developed by the Southeastern Day Care Project, for evaluating the progress of children in day care centers and family day care homes are provided, together with interpretations and examples. The forms are for rating infants, two-year-olds, three-year-olds, and four- and five-year-olds. The Infant Rating Form is broken into segments…

A multiple measurement approach with eight measurements was used to answer research questions regarding physical and social effects that occur when educable mentally retarded adolescents were exposed to a 10-week dance program. This approach was found to be useful for identifying multiple effects and generating hypotheses for further study.…

This report describes the comparisons of three groups of 1976-77 kindergarten students in the Seattle, Washington public schools: (1) early entrants who were screened by the Student Services Office; (2) early entrants admitted by school principals; and (3) a random sample of non-early entrants. The groups were compared on the basis of teacher…

Examined are the effects of motor skill development and impairment on the infant's and young child's overall functioning, and suggested are guidelines for assessing motor skills in multiply handicapped children. It is explained that motor delays and deficits limit a child's learning during critical developmental periods. Examples of delayed motor…

Advanced special education students rated 23 of the domains of the Adaptive Behavior Scale (ABS). Results indicated that the most important considerations for determining method of measurement for ABS were: time necessary to obtain behavioral sample and severity of behavior. Suggests the domains of ABS be rearranged and redefined. (RC)

This report describes the Demonstration and Research Center for Early Childhood Education (DARCEE), a center initiated to develop knowledge to improve the educability of young children. The report includes a fold-out diagram of DARCEE intervention programs--completed, current, and planned. Each program is listed with (1) an explanation of the…

The development of an experimental measure for assessing growth in movement in children (ages birth-3) is described. Results from the use of the Movement General Outcome Measurement with 29 infants and toddlers demonstrated the feasibility of the measure. The 6-minute assessment was found reliable in terms of inter-observer agreement. (Contains…

Focusing on the development of systematic observation procedures, this document provides guidance in choosing methods to assess the development of children within an early childhood program. The document discusses how to use observation data to guide decisions about curriculum and teaching, provide feedback on educational and developmental…