Perceptions of 89 black and 121 white female college students about the mother of a 1-year-old infant as a function of race and employment role were explored. Whites anticipated more role-related costs for the employed mother, and blacks anticipated more role-related emotional rewards for employed mothers. (SLD)

This follow-up study examined effects (in grades two through five) of a two-year parent-child education program for low-income Mexican-American families of children ages one through three. There were no program effects on school grades, retention, or referrals, but program children achieved significantly higher on tests of reading, language, and…

A review of 36 social interaction measures found that there are no measures available to evaluate infants and preschool children's basic capacity for social interaction. The available measures are described and grouped into parent-child interaction, social skills, social competence, play, adaptive behavior, communication, general development, and…

Describes campus day care and education center provision and its impact on individual families and the community. Details the kind of support campus children's centers can provide student or staff families, and the impact they can have on other centers and schools in the area by serving as model facilities and training sites. (ET)

Discusses how to promote effective working partnerships between providers and parents. Suggests providers and parents should know the benefits to the child of good provider-parent relationships, differentiate between provider and parent roles, acknowledge and understand adult feelings about sharing care, communicate effectively, and know how to…

Describes a statewide project in Connecticut that attempted to meet the training and support needs of childcare providers as they included greater numbers of children with disabilities into their programs. The Training for Inclusion Project emphasized family-centered practices, transdisciplinary team process delivery, and developmentally…

Considers alternative ways of measuring the sensitivity of caregivers. Observed 30 professional caregiver-infant dyads in three different situations. Reports that the results support the view that sensitivity is subject to contextual influences and that researchers need to think carefully about the when and where of sensitivity measures. (DSK)

A study investigated why some of the low-income single caregivers of 104 children (ages 7-40 months) with disabilities were more involved in early intervention services than others. Difficulties in family functioning and lower levels of knowledge about child development were directly related to caregiver involvement. (Contains references.)…

Studied partner and site novelty for mother-infant, stranger-infant, and mother-stranger face-to-face interactions. Found that adult-infant vocal timing measures at age 4 months did predict attachment and cognition at age 12 months. Comparison of mother-infant and stranger-infant interactions suggested the dynamics of infants' early…

Increasing numbers of infants and toddlers who were premature, had low birth weight, or experience chronic medical conditions are referred to early intervention services (Bernstein, Heimler, & Sasidharan, 1998). These young children often endure prolonged hospitalizations and are at risk for developmental disabilities by nature of their illnesses,…

As part of a commitment to eliminate child poverty, the British government has established Sure Start programs across the country. Sure Start programs are very similar to U.S. Early Head Start initiatives; their stated aim is to improve the health and well-being of disadvantaged families and children before and from birth. The article describes…

Background: In a previous study from our lab, adult males with non-syndromic cleft lip and/or palate (NSCLP) were shown to have significantly lower temporal lobe gray matter volume than matched controls. The current study was designed to begin a regional analysis of specific subregions of the temporal lobe. The superior temporal plane (STP) is a…

Background: Several theorists maintain that exact number abilities rely on language-relevant processes whereas approximate number calls on visuo-spatial skills. We chose two genetic disorders, Williams syndrome and Down's syndrome, which differ in their relative abilities in verbal versus spatial skills, to examine this hypothesis. Five…

Background: Relationships between child quality of life (QOL), maternal well-being and parenting were explored in a questionnaire study. Method: Mothers of 126 full-term (FT) and 91 pre-term (PT) infants during the child's second year of life completed measures of their own and the child's quality of life and behavioural difficulties. We developed…

A systematic review was undertaken of scientifically rigorous studies of family-based services in children's health and mental health. From a pool of over 4000 articles since 1980 in health and mental health that examined either specific family-based interventions for families of children or the processes of involvement, 41 studies were identified…