Study 1 identified proximal processes in home environments of 78 children aged 6-9: maturity facilitation, use of stimulating materials, and parent-child relationship. Study 2 tested the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment instrument for consistency and construct and criterion-related validity with samples of 307, 171, and 73,…

Discusses the use of quick-image activities in which the teacher flashes one particular image consisting of dots on the overhead projector screen for three seconds, hides it from view, then asks students to tell how many dots were shown and to describe what they saw. (ASK)

Proposes a composite feature measure which combines the shape and color features of an image based on a clustering technique. A similarity measure computes the degree of match between a given pair of images; this technique can be used for content-based image retrieval of images using shape and/or color. Tests the technique on two image databases;…

A study investigated the efficacy of texture fading in the treatment of food selectivity displayed by four children (ages 2-5). Successful treatment involved the gradual addition of higher textures based on results of periodic probes. Food acceptance and swallowing were reinforced, while food refusal and expulsion were placed on extinction.…

A study involving three adolescents with mental retardation investigated the efficacy of videotaped instruction for acquisition and generalization of functional sight words used in a community grocery store. Results indicate the intervention was effective in fostering acquisition of functional words in the classroom, as well as generalization to…

This study investigated whether cognateness affected verbal-confrontation naming performance in balanced French/English bilingual (N-15 aphasic and 15 nonaphasic) subjects. Results of a picture-naming test showed that cognate pictures were more often correctly named in both languages than were noncognates. Some error types and self-correction…

The use of a self-operated auditory prompting system by a 12-year-old student with autism and moderate mental retardation to decrease inappropriate and off-task behavior was examined. Results indicated a significant decrease in the number of teacher-delivered prompts required by the student to engage in appropriate behaviors and remain on task.…

Compared the mismatch-negativity (MMN) component of auditory event-related brain potentials to explore the relationship between phonological short-term memory and auditory-sensory processing in 7- to 9-year olds scoring the highest and lowest on a pseudoword repetition test. Found that high and low repeaters differed in MMN amplitude to speech…

Two studies examined the effectiveness of external-speaker announcements in identifying incoming buses to 21 adults with visual impairments, including the placement of external speakers, the ability to understand simultaneous bus announcements, and the speech enhancement of announcements. Announcements could be heard above ambient traffic sounds…

Explores the potential of a neural network in language assessment. Nonnative speakers of French were asked to produce a short text in response to a picture stimulus. A neural network was trained to grade the text on the basis of codings. Results suggest that it may be possible to teach a neural network to mimic the judgments made by human markers.…

Examined exogenous orienting among infants between 7 and 21 weeks of age in 2 experiments using display with multiple potential attention targets. Found that as early as 7 weeks of age, sensitivity for a small moving stimulus can be significantly influenced by the simultaneous presence of competing attention targets. Found large increases in…

Three experiments investigated use of visual input and body movement input arising from movement through the world on spatial orientation. Experiments involved infants searching for a toy hidden in one of two containers. Findings indicated that search was best after infant movement in a lit environment prior to searching; all other conditions led…

A pilot study tested an intervention to provide basic skills of touch therapy to parents of 13 children with disabilities. Post-intervention interviews indicated that both parents and children found touch therapy enjoyable. Parents felt more confident in their own abilities and felt closer to their child. Children had improved sleep patterns, more…

A study investigated the efficacy of using the Buddy Road Kit, an interactive, wooden model, to teach environmental concepts to 4 children with visual impairments ages 7 to 11 years old. Results indicate the model was effective in teaching environmental concepts and traffic safety to the children involved. (Contains references.) (CR)

Two experiments examined 6-month olds' ability to categorize natural infant-directed utterances. Infants heard seven different tokens from one class of utterance (comforting, approving). Findings indicated that infants who later heard a test stimulus from the unfamiliar class showed response recovery, whereas those who heard a novel stimulus from…