To focus national attention on early childhood issues, the National Governors' Association's Committee on Human Resources and Center for Policy Research and Analysis sponsored a conference, "Focus on the First Sixty Months." Through keynote addresses and panel presentations, information was shared on the needs of young children and state programs…

A 1-year, two-state research program attempted to find effective methods to increase the ability of Spanish speaking parents and siblings to cope with the needs of handicapped children and to determine if problems and strategies would differ in the two settings. One group of 33 families was served in a Texas border area; the other 12 families were…

The intent of this paper is to provide a historical and cultural overview of the Khmer refugee movement and to outline problems the refugees face upon resettlement in New York City. The paper begins by describing the land and people of Cambodia, the social structure of Khmer society, the role of Buddhism in that society, Cambodia's recent history,…

This document reviews the problem of family violence, including child abuse, spouse abuse, and elder abuse. The role of the Justice System is outlined with recommendations for law enforcement, for prosecutors, and for judges. Needs and recommendations for victim assistance are discussed, as are the issues of prevention and awareness, education and…

This issue of "Special Parent/Special Child" describes the role of occupational and physical therapy in maximizing the potential of special needs children. Physical and occupational therapy are defined and the training and functions of therapists in each area are outlined. Also discussed are the goals of therapy programs in developing gross and…

The hypothesis that children are placed at increased risk for adjustment problems when parents divorce and remarry was tested with a sample of 206 boys in the fourth grade. It was also hypothesized that the relation of parenting transitions and boys' adjustment would be mediated by family management practices. Subjects attended schools in…

Until recently, technological advancement was an unquestioned societal goal. Today, however, controversy and public debate are beginning to arise over a wide variety of technologies, their development, and their use. As certain aspects of technology begin to be perceived as a possible threat to our health, privacy, environment, and safety,…

This newsletter focuses on the educational rights of the homeless. It contains the following articles: (1) Homelessness: A Barrier to Education for Thousands of Children; (2) New Federal Act Protects Education Rights of Homeless Children; (3) Suggested Questions Regarding the Education Provisions of the McKinney Homeless Assistance Act; and (4)…

Traditional psychological theories which focus on the pathological tendencies of the individual account for little of the reported widespread spouse abuse. Social exchange and general systems theories focus on problems in the relationship rather than problems in the person. Given that a family perspective may be helpful in long-term treatment of…

Recent developments in family stress and coping research and a review of data and observations of families in a war-induced crisis situation led to an investigation of the relationship between a stressor and family outcomes. The study, based on the Double ABCX Model in which A (the stressor event) interacts with B (the family's crisis-meeting…

The origins and development of the Missoula Council for Child Protection and Family Support are traced during its first 9 months as a community group focusing upon projects and issues to alleviate child abuse and neglect. The approach used is described as a mixture of rural community development and planning. Among projects listed as completed…

The concepts of moral reasoning developed by Lawrence Kohlberg can be applied to the analysis of communication in intimate relationships in an attempt to deal with the high rate of marital dissolution. Kohlberg has identified three levels of moral reasoning: (1) preconventional, in which a person reasons in terms of punishment, reward, or exchange…

This collection of 13 articles reprinted from the journal "Childhood Education" is organized into three sections: (1) Families: Structure, Status, and Stresses; (2) Parenting; and (3) Schools and the Family. The first section consists of six articles dealing with issues surrounding the changing family and early childhood education,…

The thesis underlying this paper is that maltreatment of children is fundamentally a socio-cultural problem, rather than a personal one. The use of an ecological model of human development is advocated to provide insight into the dynamics of child maltreatment, with emphasis on organism-environment interaction, social policy and second-order…

Recent books portraying children who are experiencing family changes due to divorce and adjusting to stepparents have become more plentiful. Reading about how others have handled similar situations can be helpful for your children, giving them perspective, awareness of some of their feelings, fears, or mistaken ideas, and suggesting ways to solve…