It is often a challenge for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as it is for many individuals with disabilities, to participate in activities such as physical education class or community sports with typically developing peers. As such, activities that do not require high skill levels and team environments have been recommended for…

Inspired by local arts community engagement initiatives and community music interventions internationally, Wits University (in Johannesburg, South Africa) developed a model of service learning that links the intentions, methodologies and purposes of these domains to promote student learning and benefit communities. This paper examines the quality…

This is a pilot study of the effectiveness of Project ImPACT, a parent-mediated intervention for ASD delivered in a community program. The primary aim was to compare child and parent outcomes between the intervention group and a community comparison for 30 young children with ASD at baseline and 12 weeks. The secondary aim was to identify parent…

In times of diminishing resources to support community programs, it is critical that Extension make every effort to show impact as collectively as possible for the variety of programs being delivered in individual counties and communities. The pilot study reported here (funded by CYFAR, NIFA, USDA award #2008-41520-04810), focused on outcomes in…

Investments in high-quality early care and education have been shown to reap societal benefits across the lives of the children served. A key intervention point is in the lives of 3- to 5-year olds during the period prior to entering kindergarten. Many jurisdictions have developed broad-based prekindergarten initiatives. This study reports on a…

This study explored whether a hip-hop dance program was associated with improved well-being for adolescents living in a multicultural, socio-economically disadvantaged urban community in Ottawa. Sixty-seven youths between 11 and 16 years of age participated in a 13-week program. A primarily qualitative approach was used to assess perceived impact…

Health screenings conducted during Special Olympics competitions and games have consistently shown that a significant number of athletes with intellectual disabilities (IDs) were overweight or obese, and surveys have indicated that athletes need more fitness training than they receive from their sport practices. In 2002, Special Olympics initiated…

Children of color are overrepresented in child welfare in Iowa at a rate double their percentage of the population. In 2005 the Iowa Department of Human Services implemented two pilot demonstration projects to address overrepresentation of Native American and African American children in the child welfare system. The projects, called the Minority…

Few youth suicide prevention programs are theory based and systematically evaluated. This study evaluated the pilot implementation of a community-based youth suicide prevention project guided by an ecological perspective. One hundred fifty-seven adults representing various constituencies from educators to health care providers and 131 ninth-grade…

The article discusses the findings of a study of a one-year pilot program to determine if the general objectives of community centers could be achieved as effectively and as efficiently in school buildings as in community centers housed in their own buildings. (Author/BP)

This report is an evaluation of the Georgia Prekindergarten Program established during the 1992-93 school year. The program aimed to enhance community services, family well-being, and developmental and educational opportunities for 4-year-olds, targeting children who were eligible for public assistance or referred by a social service agency.…

A set of strategies is presented which can provide local communities and programs with methods of enhancing their parent education activities. Staff members, realizing that effective parent education programs could not be limited solely to short-term activities and/or providing parents with a variety of materials, made attempts to increase parent…

A pilot mass media campaign was conducted in New Haven, Connecticut, to acquaint the public with the concept of career education. For three weeks newspapers, television, and radio devoted time and space to the campaign which focused on one of the following topics each week: the need for planning in career development; career development; career…

This report examines the Way to Grow (WTG) school readiness program, which is designed to promote healthy development and school readiness of Minnesota children from birth through age 6 by coordinating and improving access to community-based health, education, and social services. This pilot program began in fiscal year 1990 and was being…