This article uses a case study of a deaf-blind infant to examine issues in the early cognitive development of such infants. The study used an ecological approach involving naturalistic observation, videotaping, anecdotal accounts, and the use of four global developmental scales. (DB)

Seven infants and toddlers with severe/profound and multiple learning difficulties were presented with a contingency situation which they could control. Increased responses and positive emotional effects, which were reversed when their control was eliminated, suggested that infants with mental ages as young as two months can detect cause and…

Described in the context of current requirements for personnel to provide early intervention services under Public Law 99-457 is a 6-week preservice interdisciplinary graduate training program for infant specialists at the University of Connecticut involving both coursework and a 60-hour practicum. (DB)

Tested infants at five and seven months of age for visual novelty preference. Tested the same infants at 12, 24, and 36 months by means of a battery of cognitive and language tests that compare novelty preference to general and specific cognitive abilities. Results support recent findings that infant novelty preference is predictive of later IQ.…

Studied the effects of experimentally manipulated maternal social support on the development of infant attachment in low SES mothers. Examined the possibility that the influence of maternal support varies depending on infant irritability and maternal ego level. Findings provide experimental evidence regarding the importance of social support on…

Examined Bowlby's proposition that early experiences and the adaptations to which they give rise influence later development, even beyond the influence of current circumstances or very recent adaptation. Groups whose adaptation were similar during preschool years but consistently different earlier were defined and compared. Results supported…

Examined characteristics of fathers, infants, and marital relationships as antecedents of secure and insecure infant-father attachments in dual- and single-earner families. Change in perceived infant temperament, fathers' recollections of child rearing, and the division of labor distinguished families with secure or insecure infant-father…

On 2 consecutive days, a total of 96 children were observed in groups of 3, once with scarce and once with ample toy resources. Sharing was affected by the number of toys and availability of duplicate toys. When pressured by peers, one year olds shared more often than did two year olds. (BC)

Investigated short-term effects of teaching parenting skills to adolescent mothers (n=11) participating in specialized school curriculum. Compared to controls (n=10), mothers in specialized curriculum interacted more effectively during time spent teaching their infant. Parenting curriculum also influenced mothers to talk with their child,…

Provides a strong rationale for elementary school counselor involvement in public school prekindergarten education programs. Describes benefits of prekindergarten education, reviews two major position papers on the topic, and presents implications for elementary school counselor practice. Concludes that prekindergarten children and their families…

Contends that educational historians have overlooked the significance of urban "infant schools" in the early 1800s as precursors of kindergartens in the United States. Argues that the failure of these schools to succeed does not obscure their importance as preparation for the kindergarten movement that followed. Discusses origins and…

Discusses problems with the 1991 Standard Assessment Tasks (SATs) in reading (given to six and seven year olds in England) and problems in the ways in which the results were interpreted. Suggests that SATs, designed to assess children's reading, may actually have obstructed teachers in their assessment of children. (RS)

This article describes a visual assessment procedure (VAP) which evaluates capacity, attention, and processing (CAP) of infants and preschool children with visual impairments. The two-level battery considers, first, visual capacity and basic visual attention and, second, visual perceptual and cognitive abilities. A theoretical analysis of the…

Examined the mediating role of the home environment on the relationship between IQs of mothers and their low birthweight children. Results indicated that the IQ of children at three years was related to maternal IQ and measures of home environment when children were one and three years of age. (BB)

Infants were tested for recognition and discrimination of expressions. Ten-month olds familiar with a mix of happy and surprised expressions demonstrated generalized discrimination of positive affect. Only after seven months does dependence on the presence of expression-specific features for affect recognition and discrimination diminish. (BC)