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Investigation of the communicative functions of pitch direction and range in one-year-olds (N=2) indicated that use of pitch among infants may be related to a period where communicative intentions are clearly defined, but language is not yet available. A higher pitch was observed among infants who made repeated requests for objects as opposed to…

A programed instructional manual and modeling were used to train three first-time and three expectant fathers in a set of infant-care skills. The training package produced criterion performance by both sets of fathers, and effects transferred from hospital to home setting for expectant fathers. (Author/JW)

Three frequently used procedures for analyzing developmental outcomes (developmental age, developmental quotient, and prediction indices) were compared using data from an early intervention program for 29 handicapped children (birth to age three). The procedures led to different conclusions regarding program effectiveness. Alternative measures of…

Examines the extent to which an infant's social initiative resists or is modified by three variations in the behavior of adult responsiveness: repeated responses, varied responses, and eye aversion. (HOD)

The article differentiates parental stress experienced after the birth of a high-risk premature infant from the normal stress of transition to parenthood. A review of the literature delineates a conceptual framework for relating preterm at-risk birth to specific parental stress reactions, and proposes strategies for alleviating these…

One-year-olds (N=11) showed no differences in comprehension of words containing consonants that they had never successfully produced (attempted), words with consonants easily produced (in), and words with consonants never before produced or attempted (out). Attempted and out words were less likely to be acquired in production than in words.…

The paper describes the "Early Social Communication Scales" designed to assess social and communication skills typically acquired in the first 30 months of life. Stressed is the role of the tester as an interactive partner for the infant. Reliability data suggesting reliability over time with the same partner are presented. (Author/DB)

This article outlines a strategy for studying early social relationships in relatively simple animal model systems. It describes some of the differences in approach between neuroscientists and human developmentalists in dealing with the same research problems. (BN)

Reviewed is research that describes how forms and features of child care systems can influence the development of social competency with peers during the infancy to preschool periods. Interactions between child care and familial systems in influencing social competency with peers are also examined.

Black (n=63) and White (n=74) infants, aged 6-13 months, were screened by tympanometry for middle-ear dysfunction. More White infants than Black failed initial screening. Retest of initial failures after a 6-week interval showed an overall reduction in failure rates, but the significant racial effect was still obtained. (Author/JDD)

Data gathered on 1,800 young children indicated that 76 percent of autistic children were identified by parents at 24 months of age, and 94 percent by 36 months. Early onset was most clearly related to severity as measured by intelligence quotient (IQ) and Childhood Autism Rating Scale scores. (Author/JW)

Compared head circumference and interaural distance in infants between birth and 22 weeks of age and in a small sample of preschool children and adults. Calculated changes in interaural time differences according to age. Found a large shift in distance. (SKC)

Relationships between syntactic and semantic aspects of mothers' speech and infants' word acquisition was examined in 27 mother-infant dyads. Results indicated that the more the mother differentiated the complexity of her speech to child and adult, the earlier the child attained 20 words. The more the mother used adult-basic labels in her speech,…

Many states are developing regulations for serving handicapped infants based on P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, which was written to cover ages 3-21. As a result, confusing and discrepant practices are occurring that do not necessarily address the unique nature and needs of infants. (Author/VW)