"How does a child come to be able to relate his own experience to the formal means of communicating about that experience in the language to which he is exposed?" The author maintains that the innate predispositions that underlie the development of the cognitive ability to organize and structure experience also underlie the acquisition of the…

Insight can be gained into the role of specified cultural variables in human development if care is taken in a study to include subcultural variations which can be matched cross-bulturally, to employ well-trained native examiners who have been calibrated cross-culturally, to use techniques which can be defended, and to involve the close and…

Most of the articles in this book were selected because they offer something of immediate practical value to those engaged in work with young children. Written by teachers who describe their own experiences with children and parents, the articles originally appeared in the periodical "Young Children." The present volume is divided into the…

The objectives and major questions to be addressed during this project are as follows: (1) To identify those characteristics of preschool children which relate to later performance in primary school; (2) To review existing standardized and non-standardized tests and other appraisal instruments, which may measure changes occurring in preschool…

Kindergarten age children were screened at pre-registration through extensive diagnostic procedures for placement in a class designed for normal children with developmental delays staffed by a Special Education teacher and language therapist. Instruction was prescriptive and individualized. Of the twelve children who were high risk failures at the…

Progress of the children involved in a Canadian day care project is reported, focusing on the day-to-day interaction of the children and any changes in their overt behavior patterns. Particular emphasis is on the adjustment of the inner-city youth to the problems produced by the cultural and economic deprivation of their environment. A brief…

Twenty handicapped, preschool children were administered Goal Attainment Follow-ups. This technique for recording and scaling observation data was developed and documented by the Program Evaluation Research Center in Minneapolis. Appropriate scale headings and outcome levels were defined for each child, based on specific problem areas documented…

Prepared for presentation to a "Consultation on the Cultural Dimensions of Learning and Development in the Young Child," this paper offers a series of policy recommendations as a guide to implementation of child service programs that are sensitive to cultural and group identity influences. The terms "ethnicity,""identity" and "culture" are…

The question of what children need for optimal development is discussed. The "principle of optimum effects" is seen as fundamental: good for children is only good for them in the "right" of optimum proportions. Seven propositions about the needs of children are advanced: (1) The young child has to have a deep sense of safety;…

This paper reviews two theoretical approaches (cognitive-developmental and functional-interactive) to the study of the writing of bilingual exceptional children and discusses their implications for effective writing instruction. Also described are two illustrative research projects, one employing the dialogue-journal technique on a microcomputer…

Reexamines the relationship between early education and the community in light of recent research on young children learning at home. Argues that children grow up and receive their early learning in a rich, family-based community and that learning required at school makes few connections with this early community-based learning. (LFL)

Describes the Hartford (Connecticut) Teenage Parents Program, an alternative school for pregnant girls. The program offers parenting courses and infant day care for students and teaches communication techniques, decision-making skills, child development, child health, nutrition, and concepts of discipline. Staff qualifications are also discussed.…

To provide undergraduate and graduate psychology students with exposure to a wide range of parenting perspectives, eight videocassette programs were produced focusing on the child rearing strategies of parents. Described are project background, rationale, activities, materials development, and program implementation and evaluation. (RM)

Maternal and child health practitioners often approach systemic change in a very practical manner: fostering a collaborative vision, engaging critical stakeholders, working with policymakers on reform, and bringing the data and experience to inform the process. Systems are often maintained at a status quo due to deep, ingrained structures,…

The unique focus of infant mental health interventions is most often the caregiver-infant relationship, rather than the traditional approach of focusing specifically on the child or caregiver. Because a relationship approach to assessment and treatment is new, the development of evidence-based approaches is still in its own infancy. Furthermore,…