It is widely believed that television viewing has a negative impact on school achievement. This belief is supported by negative statistical associations sometimes found between school achievement and amount of television viewing; that is, heavy TV viewers tend to show poorer achievement than light viewers. One possible explanation of this…

The involvement of parents, even those from low income settings and with minimal schooling, is a key factor in a child's academic achievement. A teacher's decision to classify a student perceived to have classroom difficulties as "at-risk" initiates a formal process of referral, testing, labeling, and placement resulting in different educational…

This symposium considered major issues in the delivery of physical therapy services to children and their families. The 26 invited participants used a series of formal presentations and small and large group sessions to identify issues, set priorities for action, and develop preliminary recommendations. Formal presentations include: "Issues…

The purposes of this conference were: (1) to present research representing a variety of topics and study designs; (2) to disseminate findings of nursing research; and (3) to stimulate the use of research and theory as a basis for clinical, educational, and administrative practice. The keynote address and two invited presentations are presented in…

This report includes the background papers developed for an invitational workshop on mental health program development for minority youth and their families, and a summary of the recommendations made and actions to be taken. Section I presents an overall framework and an overview of the issues that were explored in greater depth at the workshop.…

The guide offers information to family day care providers who desire to expand their knowledge of early childhood development in order to work with infants and young children with special needs in their day care settings. The first of four chapters answers common questions and concerns of day care providers, describes children with special needs…

The Spanish translation of this guide offers information to Spanish-speaking family day care providers who desire to expand their knowledge of early childhood development in order to work with infants and young children with special needs in their day care settings. The first of four chapters answers common questions and concerns of day care…

This practicum provides school psychologists (SPs) with information on child development as a means of heightening the SP's awareness of the importance of using alternative assessment strategies with young children. The second aim was to introduce the concept of an ecological assessment by increasing the use of classroom observation,…

This monograph documents the magnitude and likely prognosis of demographic changes in the 1970's and suggests the impact of these trends on the problems of early childhood education. The implications of this changing environment for designing a new Follow Through program are also examined. With respect to the changing demographic environment,…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 31 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) the reader pragmatics of fiction; (2) readers' choices versus critics' choices in children's literature; (3) nonverbal communication in selected works of…

Because many children in Bermuda receive substitute care while their mothers work, several comparative studies were made of effects of maternal and nonmaternal care on children's development. Findings of an initial investigation indicated that 2-year-old children who had been in group-center care differed unfavorably from children in other forms…

This four-part book is a compendium of current dietary information and is designed primarily as a reference tool for anyone interested in the field of nutrition. The book's first three parts each contain papers generated from nutrition-related research. Part 1, "Dietary Directions in the 1980s," begins by discussing efforts of major governmental…

Designed to explore the effectiveness of predictors of academic readiness among low SES ethnically diverse children, this study tested low income 4- and 5-year-old Anglo-American, Mexican, and Vietnamese children eligible for kindergarten in the school year 1982-83. The recently arrived Mexican and Vietnamese children did not speak English. Sixty…

This guide delineates steps for state involvement in early childhood and family education and related services, and synthesizes many state and federal activities that support at-risk children from birth through five years and their families. The guide is designed to help states expand early childhood and family education policies and programs by…

This report evaluates student placement practices and quality of instruction in the first grade reading program of the San Diego (California) City Schools. A previous study indicated that a disproportionately high percentage of Black and Hispanic students did not complete the grade-level textbook by the end of the first grade. Data were drawn from…