This document provides guidelines for clinicians working with gifted, suicidal adolescents. It addresses: (1) the need to set limits in the early sessions of psychotherapy; (2) the necessity of maintaining a presence by making personal sacrifices through being accessible, talking on the phone, scheduling extra sessions and, in extreme cases,…

Even Start programs integrate early childhood education, adult literacy or basic education, parenting education and support, and parent and child time together to help break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy. This report describes the Even Start program in Colorado, including evaluation questions and methods. The report also presents evaluation…

This addendum to the Reading/Writing Immersion Literacy Development Project presents the results of the fourth teacher survey (which had not been administered at the time of the publication of the project's final report for year 1). The fourth survey dealt with report writing. The 2-year literacy development project was designed to assist grade 1…

Information is presented for caregivers of Swedish children with osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bones) and their families. Approximately five children with brittle bones are born in Sweden annually. Two main types of brittle bone disease have been identified: congenita and tarda. Typical symptoms include numerous and unexpected fractures, bluish…

This feature issue of IMPACT focuses on the empowerment of families with a member who has a developmental disability. It presents strategies and models for a collaborative, respectful approach to service provision, and presents the experiences of families in seeking support and assistance. Feature articles include "Two Generations of…

A project designed to improve the behaviors of high school students with chronic disciplinary problems is described in this practicum report. The target group consisted of 10 students in grades 10 through 12 (7 boys, 3 girls; 3 whites, 7 blacks) with high truancy and inschool suspension rates, low self-esteem, failing grades, and negative…

The reforms currently proposed by educators and policymakers are based on two categories of assumptions: (1) changes in school organization will increase effective use of scarce resources; and (2) choices made by parents and children will effectively "match" students to appropriate learning environments. This paper presents a dynamic model of…

This study examined the effect of prekindergarten attendance on first graders' academic achievement. A literature review reported the results of other studies on the effects of early educational experiences, such as Head Start, on at-risk students' elementary school achievement. In general, these studies indicated that early educational…

The Infant Health and Development Program (IHDP) is an intervention designed to facilitate social development in low birthweight (LBW) children. This report does not deal with the full complexity of operations involving program components as they interact to shape social competence. Rather, the report represents a first or "setting" stage, a look…

In the fall of 1990, and again in the fall of 1991, George Washington University invited a parent of a special needs child to assist in the teaching of a course on the dynamics of family intervention. The rationale for this action was to: (1) give students a personal experience with a parent of a special needs child; and (2) provide a model of the…

The methods and findings of studies of the effects and value of preschool education and compensatory education programs, such as Head Start, are reviewed. After introductory comments on ideological controversies and on terminology, section 1 focuses on evaluative studies of the immediate and long-term effects of preschool education and early…

Early Prevention of School Failure (EPSF) is a program designed to prevent children from failing academically. The program, which was introduced in the Wake County, North Carolina Public School System in 1986, identifies the developmental level of each participating kindergartner and recommends strategies to address each kindergartner's needs and…

This study was designed to determine whether the scores obtained from the Kindergarten Diagnostic Instrument (KDI) Test given to children prior to their enrollment in kindergarten would allow educators to identify those children who would eventually qualify for a first grade reading intervention program. A total of 346 children were randomly…

Individuals with mental illness and resulting psychiatric disabilities are entitled to the same rights as all other Americans, but services needed to integrate these people fully into the community are not yet in place, especially in the field of higher education. Postsecondary education is an opportunity for qualified students with psychiatric…

Three states, Ohio, Texas, and Arkansas were selected to study implementation of policies relating to the identification of gifted students from special populations, i.e., culturally diverse students, economically disadvantaged students, and students with disabilities. Individual profiles were completed for each state, and a cross state comparison…