It is argued that health-oriented home visiting programs during pregnancy and the postpartum period can be an important element in a comprehensive maternal and child health package. This discussion, which draws on the experience of a group of demonstration home visiting programs sponsored by the Ford Foundation's Child Survival/Fair Start…

This monograph consists of five parts: (1) introductory material including a conference overview; (2) papers presented at an international symposium on the topic of ethical issues in disability and rehabilitation as a section of the Annual Conference of the Society for Disability Studies; (3) responses to the symposium, prepared by four of the…

Results of a series of studies suggested that excessive early vocal stimulation may be detrimental to infants' cognitive processing, and that optimal development may be associated with a moderate amount of early stimulation. Study 1 involved 59 3-month-old infants and their mothers. Study 2 observed 23 mothers and infants seen 3 months after the…

To investigate how values influence parenting beliefs and practices, a test was made of Kohn's hypothesis that parents valuing self-direction emphasize the supportive function of parenting, while parents valuing conformity emphasize control of unsanctioned behaviors. Participating in the study were 65 mother-infant dyads. Infants ranged in age…

The study investigated variation in infant behaviors and maternal responses among dyads with 18 handicapped and 18 normal infants. Mother-infant interaction sessions were videotaped and motor evaluations conducted. Data collected included behavioral ratings of infant affect and of infant looking patterns, ratings of maternal behavior in play with…

Parent ability to diagnose the cause of non-contingent crying in an infant was investigated through use of a new methodological instrument. Problems programmed on a microcomputer presented 25 information units leading to only one correct causal hypothesis about infant crying and 25 information units similarly structured about an adult woman's…

A socioeconomic status (SES) and social support questionnaire was administered to the families of 559 singleton infants in a National Institute of Health collaborative study conducted at five university medical centers. A subset of six items measuring both SES and social support (which accounted for 87 percent of the common variance) was developed…

A parent-support group (Family Center at Nova University, Florida) for parents of handicapped infants and toddlers allowed parents to share their feelings and concerns. Parents were interviewed regarding three aspects: how they felt upon initial diagnosis, sources of support, and types of experiences that have promoted and inhibited coping. Parent…

Two studies investigated the effectiveness of a parent-implemented intervention to teach nine Down Syndrome infants social-communicative behaviors. The intervention took place in the infants' homes and consisted of teaching parents: (1) to recognize social-communicative behaviors; (2) to use specified turn-taking strategies in games and routines;…

This study investigated: (1) effects of teaching mothers the unique behavioral cues of their adopted infants and (2) potential differences between the mothering practices of adoptive and birth mothers. A pretest, posttest experimental prospective design was used with random assignment of mother-infant dyads. Mother-adopted infant dyads were…

Four years after a study of paternal involvement among intact, middle-class families with an infant, a follow-up was conducted of 26 of the still intact families to determine the stability of paternal involvement and the psychological predictors of fathers' behavior at the time. Paternal involvement was assessed at both times in terms of care,…

This annotated bibliography on nutrition and adolescent pregnancy is intended to be a source of technical assistance for nurses, nutritionists, physicians, educators, social workers, and other personnel concerned with improving the health of teenage mothers and their babies. It is divided into two major sections. The first section lists selected…

A study was conducted at the Lady Gowrie Child Centre in Adelaide, Australia, to examine the role and function of parent assistants and to investigate the effects of the 1979 parent/teacher cooperative for children under 3 years of age on the parents, the teacher, and the children. Preliminary data were gathered by questionnaires sent to parents…

A longitudinal study was made of a prevention-oriented early intervention program intended to help parents who had insufficient and inappropriate childrearing abilities. The program was designed for young parents with fewer than 5 years of childrearing experience; participants were referred from a child protection agency following investigation of…

Social participation behavior of 33 2- and 3-year-old children was observed during free-play in order to identify differences between age groups as well as differences between contemporary outcomes and Parten's 1932 findings. Trained observers recorded the frequencies of play behaviors, utilizing a time sampling procedure and Parten's categories…