This study investigated the following questions: (1) Are newborn individual differences relevant for infant developmental outcomes?; (2) Can any continuity be found between neonatal and infant behavioral characteristics?; (3) Are maternal behavioral styles influenced by the newborn's individual characteristics?; and (4) Do initial maternal…

This study tested specific hypotheses about factors that influence the development of maternal self-efficacy, and the influence of maternal self-efficacy and infant temperament on maternal behavior. Ninety-two primiparous mothers and their 6-month-olds participated in the study. Mothers completed questionnaires about developmental history and…

This issue of Children in the Tropics analyzes key issues relating to protecting the health of newborn infants. Many of the suggestions offered concern rudimentary health care situations in developing countries. Key issues are addressed in four sections. The first section discusses the early care and first medical examination of infants born in…

Collected in this document are reports of the National Institutes of Health's 1989 accomplishments in research on the problem of infant mortality. Reports are provided by the: (1) National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; (2) National Cancer Institute; (3) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; (4) National Institute of…

Word and nonword vocalizations produced by two groups of children aged 8-28 months were studied. The first group included six children whose speech was recorded monthly for 12 months. The second group contained 21 children. In both, only spontaneous vocalizations were recorded. Each sample was examined for frequency of word and nonword forms. A…

This report describes the results of three studies of Canadian mothers with preterm infants that support three conclusions about mothers' experiences of preterm birth. The first conclusion is that preterm birth is a very stressful experience, even for mothers with relatively healthy infants. Mothers' major concerns focused on their infants'…

A series of experiments investigated 5- to 17-month-olds' comprehension of adults' direction of gaze and manual pointing behaviors. Findings indicated that a change in the adult's direction of gaze and orientation of head does not seem sufficient to enable the infant to reliably localize a referent when the infant must choose between pairs of…

The document summarizes proceedings of an August 1980 conference on early intervention programs for developmentally disabled children attended by representatives of public instruction, federal and state model programs, early childhood staff from university affiliated facilities, instructors from colleges and universities and graduate students.…

Five papers on curricula for high risk and handicapped infants are presented, along with information on 63 curricula, 17 publications, and organizational resources. The first chapter, "Theoretical Bases and Pragmatic Considerations" (C. Dunst) examines major philosophical and theoretical perspectives and problems in infant intervention…

Research on the relationship between fathers and their children was provided to the Select Committee on Children, Youth and Families. Six areas were highlighted in terms of what has been learned about the father/child relationship, what information is still needed, and policy implications. Principal assertions included the following points: (1)…

Reported are results of three studies: (1) Hand Preference Consistency during Infancy and Preschool Years (K. Bathurst and A. W. Gottfried), (2) Asymmetry of Verbal Processing: Influence of Family Handedness (K. Bathurst and D. W. Kee), (3) Consistency of Hand Preference and Cognitive Development in Young Children (K. Bathurst and A. W.…

Intended for parents, this booklet presents learning activities for very young children with special needs. Activities were developed as part of project DEBT (Developmental Education Birth through Two). Activities are grouped according to the following developmental levels: newborn, 1-3 months, 4-5 months, 6-8 months, 9-11 months, 12-14 months,…

Memory demands made by mothers of very young children are discussed in two studies of joint picture-book reading and one study of mother/infant pairs who looked at family photograph albums. While memory demands made by mothers differed as a function of child's age and linguistic development, at about 15 months of age children were expected to take…

Recently, reports have indicated that, after years of steady decline, infant mortality has begun to increase in a number of communities throughout the United States. Many of these reports come from areas experiencing high levels of unemployment. While the dimensions and causes of this problem are not entirely understood, strong indications exist…

Discussed are clinical manifestations, potential fetal damage, and prevention of congenital rubella. (CL)