A survey of 989 service providers for handicapped children, age 0-6, examined the degree to which early intervention activities focus on the family. The survey assessed perceptions of the value of working with parents, time devoted to family-focused activities, kinds of services offered, achievement of objectives, and factors impeding services.…

This article discusses provisions of Public Law 99-457 and suggests that this law sets the stage for the development of family-centered services for young children with disabilities. The approach presented emphasizes identification of families' strengths and needs as a basis for implementing community-based programs, with professionals serving as…

The paper discusses issues of concern to early childhood special educators serving on hospital ethics committees to assist families with seriously ill and handicapped infants in neonatal intensive care units. Issues include infant euthanasia and the right to life, child abuse legislation, and possible effects on families. (Author/JDD)

Presents findings of a World Rehabilitation Fund Fellowship study on the intersection of child abuse, family support, and disability in England. These findings are then compared to the American picture in this arena. Implications for new directions are delineated. (Author/BB)

At 3 years of age, children who had received food supplementation were an average of 2.6 cm and 642 grams larger than controls. Home visiting and supplementation combined reduced the number of children with severe growth retardation. Participants were 280 infants and their families from poor neighborhoods in Bogota, Colombia. (RH)

After briefly reviewing the child policy decade of the 1890s and how it dominated the national social reform agenda, the article describes the current pressures for a children's agenda in the 1990s, what such an agenda might consist of, and the likelihood of success for a social reform agenda now. (BB)

Describes the Parent and Child Education (PACE) program, a statewide family literacy program in Kentucky that promotes positive attitudes toward schooling and academic achievement. PACE focuses on parents' basic skills, children's learning skills, and parents' child care skills. (FMW)

Reviews the literature on the role of family distress in the treatment of children's behavior disorders. Describes a system for integrating marital- and child-focused treatments and makes suggestions for improving the design of studies assessing the impact of contextual factors on parent-child interaction. (FMW)

Describes the plight of homeless families in the United States, examining the special role that Head Start programs can play in homeless families' lives. Suggests that Head Start programs need to address staff training, family recruitment, health services, transportation, flexible scheduling, home-based options, attendance, parent education,…

This article identifies elements of effective collaborative programs and describes existing programs that are designed to enhance collaboration between schools and families of children with disabilities: Transparent School Model (in multiple states), Parent/Mentor Resource Project (Indiana), Parent Mentor Program (Ohio), Mentor Parent Program…

Relationships between schools and families of children with learning and behavior problems are discussed in terms of the benefits of parent involvement, barriers to effective home-school partnerships, ways that schools and families can collaborate, and skills that support parent-teacher collaboration. (DB)

Examines how officials in Arvin, a small rural California community, developed a family housing project to reduce the housing shortage among agricultural workers. Suggested guidelines for similar programs include assessing area needs; matching housing types to needs; maintaining affordability; supervising construction; consulting with local…

Examines the way that feeding and nutrition concerns of children with disabilities are addressed under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; includes two case studies of families who received nutritional services for their young children (ages one and two) with disabilities. The role of the nutritionist is considered. (Author/SW)

Establishes a base for research on parent centers and their effects through a survey of 28 elementary and secondary schools nationwide that are running parent centers. Parent-family centers are emerging as a vehicle for enhancing parental involvement in schools in a number of ways. (SLD)

Emphasizes the critical role of parental input into design and implementation of family involvement programs. Discusses what parents consider meaningful family involvement, which can constitute the foundation for program development. Suggests ways to maintain a parent focus in program decisions. (BAC)