Possible sources of stress for parents of preterm high-risk infants are reviewed from a research perspective. Stages of parental attachment to their premature baby are spelled out. Strategies for special education teachers to use in alleviating parental stress are described. (JDD)

Studies seven experiences of 69 infants of 12 1/2 and 17 1/2 months in dyadic play with mothers, fathers, and first-borns. Mothers and fathers were more alike than different in the amounts of play experiences they created, and infants experienced a more enriched environment with parents than with first-borns. (RJC)

Reflecting on obsessional play objects of infants, Hodgkin suggests that a proper understanding of these "transitional" or "cognitive" objects could lead to an educational model of a "learner" involving a number of human competencies, all developing synergistically. Contends that such a model may be truer to life than…

Reviews studies of adult and child response to male and female infants based on preconceived sex stereotypes. Evaluates overall conclusions from studies. Indicates that knowledge of infant's gender is not a consistent determinant of adults' reactions but more strongly influences children's reactions. Considers implications for sex role…

The article examines effects of implementation of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1986, Part H, Handicapped Infants and Toddlers, including goals and expectations for family support, a comprehensive family support program, and assessment and service options. (DB)

Argues that evolution of the phonological systems of natural languages and the typology of distinctive features is based on perceptual discontinuities of the auditory system. It is suggested that neonates rely on these innate sensitivities for acquisition of sound systems and that some phonological variation in early child phonology results from…

Studied how early treatment affected the development of a sample of 30 Down syndrome babies incorporated into the study at different ages. Found that development quotients descended significantly at 18 months of age as the period in treatment shortened. (AJH)

Results of a longitudinal study of seven children under age two suggest that variation in children's early word combinations can be explained in terms of different routes to multiword speech; and a strategy involving the breaking down of originally unanalyzed phrases may be used by all children in varying degrees. (Contains 22 references.)…

This study compared mothers' (n=32) and fathers' (n=25) perceptions of stress during their preterm infant's hospitalization in a neonatal intensive care unit. Although there were differences between mothers and fathers in number and types of stressors identified, most mothers and fathers chose stressors related to the infant's health and…

Presents Attachment Q-Set (AQS), consisting of 90 individual statements descriptive of the behavior of infants and young children observed during periods of interaction with primary caregivers. Items selected are intended to provide a comprehensive characterization of the secure-base behavior of the child as observed over a period of two to six…

This study evaluated the Bielefeld Developmental Test for Blind Infants and Preschoolers by comparing cognitive performance of blind and sighted children (ages three and four). Results indicated that even this test (with "blind-neutral" items) did not permit a fair comparative assessment, though it did prove suitable for within-group…

Observed parents' coparenting of 15-month-old sons to test 2 hypotheses: (1) greater differences in parents' demographic factors, personality, styles of relatedness, and child-rearing attitudes would forecast more unsupportive coparenting; and (2) the adverse effects of spousal differences would be amplified by family stress. Results supported…

Hearing parents of 20 deaf or hard-of-hearing and 20 hearing 9-month-old infants completed the Parenting Stress Inventory (PSI) and a questionnaire tapping the stress of life events. Although overall scores on the PSI were quite similar, subscale differences were found in the areas of stress, spousal relationships, and perceptions of the infant.…

The MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories (CDIs) represent a breakthrough in measuring early language production. Nevertheless, the CDIs' word comprehension component may not be a valid measure, because parents report too high a word comprehension ability for their children. Suggests that administering the CDIs to parents in an interview…

A group of 16 infants (ages 6 to 24 months) with Down's Syndrome (DS) were exposed to two operant learning tasks varying in control of reinforcement. Comparison with chronological and developmental age matched controls found DS subjects characterized by increasing adoption of counterproductive learning behaviors with increasing age. (Author/DB)