Reviews the experimental literature concerning the effectiveness of prenatal and newborn home visiting programs in improving the lives of children and families, focusing on studies employing randomized trials. Results suggest that home visiting programs have had mixed success, improving some outcomes but not others. (MDM)

Strategies for the adaptation of Head Start for the economic and social conditions of the future involve the linkage of early childhood and family support approaches with community economic development. Such strategies must include a reappraisal of mental health models to ensure the health of children and their families. (SLD)

Provides procedural guidelines, developed for the Edina (Minnesota) public school system, for dealing with crisis intervention in grades pre-K through 12. Focusing primarily on suicide, the guidelines address three levels of at-risk students/staff. Recommended actions following the death of any student or faculty member are included. (GLR)

Examines the pattern of lethal violence among adolescent urban youth, and considers theoretical explanations for homicidal violence. Implications for community involvement and intervention are discussed. African Americans and other urban ethnic groups must recognize the violence in their communities and develop a clear and unified strategy to…

Physical fitness of children with learning disabilities may be comparatively low. In a school-university cooperative program, four rural children with learning disabilities and their families participated in a 10-week fitness program that included nutrition education and family exercise activities. Results were positive and showed the need for…

Examines biopsychosocial effects of acculturation on the high suicide rate among young Ojibwa males in relation to "pimadaziwin" (health, well-being, and longevity for self and family attained through cultural compliance) and "nissitise" (face-saving suicide following loss of "pimadaziwin"). Case study illustrates how…

This commentary on a study that found the use of a system of least prompts produced increases in rates of conversations between preschoolers with and without disabilities discusses the benefits of the hierarchical model of intervention that maximizes the usefulness of research to practitioners. (Author/CR)

Western social-work interventions must be adapted to empower ethnic minority families. A case study of a Hawaiian family-centered, family-empowering, problem-solving intervention using the Gandhi Technique shows it to be compatible with Asian and Pacific-Islander values. Considerations for culturally competent social work practice with Asian and…

Describes an evaluation of a home-school support project designed to improve the behavior of young children in danger of school exclusion. Concludes that, although the initiative was valued, effective operation of the initiative was hampered by problems of communication, by its single agency location, and by the short-term nature of its funding.…

The effectiveness of instruction in word-problem solving for students with learning problems in 25 outcome studies was examined across student characteristics, instructional features, methodological features, skill maintenance, and generalization components. Computer-assisted instruction was found to be most effective for group-design studies;…

Seventeen fourth and fifth graders with severe writing disabilities received a weekly one-hour individual tutorial which focused equally on transcription (handwriting and spelling) and composition skills. Students showed reliable improvement in composition and handwriting automaticity but not in spelling. Suggestions for teaching phonological…

Seattle's SafeFutures project focuses on intervention for children involved in, or at risk of becoming involved in, the juvenile-justice system, particularly Cambodian and Vietnamese youth; girls involved with gangs; and violent, chronic juvenile offenders. Project services include classes on social and cultural issues for Asian parents, tutoring…

Describes a 10-step process that educators can use when conducting functional assessments and developing Behavioral Intervention Plans required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 for students with disabilities with behavior problems. A case study is provided to illustrate the process. (Author/CR)

Presents a typology outlining five psychological risk states that may be experienced by adolescent drivers. Identifies the habitually cautious driving and active risk avoidance states as desirable from a traffic safety viewpoint. Identifies reduced risk perception, acceptance of risk at a cost, and risk seeking states as undesirable. Examines…

Outlines the sparse empirical data on sexual assault among Latinas. Presents a working bicultural model of sexual assault that frames the problem within both traditional Latino and American gender role systems. Discusses implications for providing culturally competent services for Latina victims that draw on supportive aspects of familism and…