The purpose of this study was to measure fathers' and mothers' linguistic involvements with the development of communication between young siblings. A total of 39 2-parent families with 2 children were videotaped in semi-structured activities in a laboratory setting. The older sibling was from 18- to 26-months-old and the younger was from 4- to…

Mississippi continues to lead the nation in excessive infant deaths, as shown by the 1984 infant mortality rate of 14.4 deaths per 1,000 live births. This report offers recommendations for actions that should be taken by various entities to rectify the problem. Recommendations are made in the areas of (1) public awareness of teen pregnancy…

The present study attempts to move beyond the social address research design to investigate the process by which socioeconomic status (SES) exerts its influence on parenting practices. Of particular interest were maternal practices related to cognitive outcomes in children. The conceptual model of the study was based on the reliable finding that…

In response to a research review indicating that few programs address the father's role in early intervention and preschool programs for the young exceptional child, a three-month practicum was designed which included fathers in physical therapy sessions and in daily home exercise programming for their developmentally disabled children. Practicum…

Compiled are three related sets of materials: (1) a discussion of the foundations of a developmental early childhood program for children between 2 1/2 and 6 years of age; (2) guidelines for planning activity areas and providing equipment for children in the early childhood program; and (3) an inventory with approximate prices of equipment and…

A longitudinal study was made of women and their first-born children who have different employment and day care experiences during the child's first three years of life. Specific aims of the study were (1) to gain full account of the history and experience of women who return to full-time employment while their first child is still young and of…

A study was carried out to test the hypothesis that mothers' speech to eight-month-olds differs as a function of maternal age. The subjects were 10 adolescent (mean age 16.5) and 10 older (mean age 24.5 years) mothers, all lower to middle class, first-time mothers, and Caucasian. Each mother and child pair was videotaped in a laboratory…

The acquisition of negative forms by a Jordanian Arabic speaker as evidenced in utterances from 19 months of age is examined. The language corpus consisted of selective samples of spontaneous daily speech and biweekly recorded speech sessions. Results suggest that although the subject's negation system is incomplete, it will be acquired by age 5.…

Changes in mothers' strategies for eliciting verbal responses (EVR's) as a function of child age were investigated in this study. Seven mother-child dyads were observed in their homes when the children were 16, 21, 24, 30, and 34 months of age. Mother EVR's were coded according to syntactic form, type of cue for child response, and complexity of…

This guide was prepared to facilitate the practitioner's selection of formal tests for evaluating communicative behavior in clinical infant populations during the first year of life. Clinical instruments with particular emphasis on communication and emerging language and speech abilities were identified in terms of publishers' recommended…

Offering a discussion for administrators and practitioners serving disabled and at-risk infants, toddlers, and their families, these three addresses explore issues, strategies, and models of program evaluation. "Major Issues in Program Evaluation," by Kathryn Barnard, discusses the purpose of, process of, and ways of doing program…

Age-appropriate activities for children and curriculum guidelines for mothers operating family day care homes for infants and toddlers were developed with the goal of improving the quality of day care programming. Curriculum goals were to (1) facilitate children's achievement of self-identity and self-esteem; (2) provide an outlet for creative…

The report analyzes roles of mental health professionals in implementing Public Law 99-457, the Education of the Handicapped Amendments of 1986, which established the Child and Adolescent Service System Program (CASSP). A December, 1987, conference of administrators, clinicians, policymakers, and parent representatives from federal, state, and…

A work group convened by the Director of the U.S. Office of Maternal and Child Health examined the need and opportunity for a continuum of care to serve vulnerable populations of pregnant women and infants, and made recommendations for improving linkages among the various services needed by these mothers and their infants. Barriers to linkage…

This bibliography of current writings on the topic of nutrition for the pregnant adolescent presents information in the areas of: (1) the importance of nutrition for the pregnant adolescent; (2) the what, when, and where of teaching nutrition; (3) techniques of teaching nutrition education; (4) special programs with nutrition education for the…