Examines exposure to chemicals within the home and three important ways in which hazardous substances can be identified and evaluated. Suggests a rational picture of human health risks and contains an introductory discussion of reasons for exposure, epidemiology, cancer causes and patterns, animal testing, toxins, and risk. (LZ)

Most recent articles on school psychologist involvement with families have been theoretical or conceptual in nature, and little has appeared regarding useful procedures. This article suggests an existing self-report measure that may be a useful addition to psychoeducational evaluations. Four case studies using the technique are presented, its…

This study found no significant difference in the prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigens or antibodies between 180 noninstitutionalized subjects (ages 1-29) with Down's syndrome and 155 subjects without Down's syndrome. This finding contrasts with previous findings with institutionalized Down's syndrome subjects. (Author/DB)

Children, aged 9-10, and their mothers described how they coped with stress, and mothers completed a questionnaire that assessed parenting dimensions. Results indicated that children from families with high levels of maternal support and low levels of family structure used the greatest variety of coping strategies, and children of supportive…

Schools and Staffing Survey data from 1987-88, 1990-91, and 1993-94 show that many first graders enter school environments or come from family environments not conducive to learning. Problems are usually more severe in urban environments. The severity of most problems increased from 1987 to 1994. (SK)

Used confirmatory methodology to examine reliability and validity of Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales-III in 922 families with children with disabilities. The Cohesion Scale proposed by instrument authors remained intact. The original Adaptability Scale was divided into two scales, Adaptability focusing on leadership and family…

Discusses the value of grandparents as a source of support and a source of stress for parents of children with disabilities. Suggestions are provided to help professionals mobilize the assistance of grandparents as a source of support, including the need to provide grandparent support groups and more information. (CR)

Describes parents' and school psychologists' perspective on 33 parent-involvement activities aimed at enhancing students' school success. Although parents' mean ratings for use were higher than school psychologists' mean ratings of feasibility of implementation on 94% of activities, a high degree of similarity exists in rank order of activities…

Used prospective data to examine the relationship between the family environment and child and adolescent achievement and to determine genetic and environmental contributions to this relationship. Data from 2,108 sibling full- and half-sibling pairs from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth suggest that genetic factors explain about…

Evaluates the home safety component provided by Project SafeCare with three families reported for child neglect. Results indicate that in-home training was effective in reducing hazards in diverse home settings, and that these reductions were maintained over time. Social validation data indicate that parents provided positive ratings for the home…

Using merged data on adolescents (N=860), research looks at how community resources affect adolescent risk-taking attitudes and problem behavior. Determined that among high-risk adolescents, selected community resources have significant associations with adolescent outcomes. Residential stability decreases both adolescent risk-taking attitudes and…

Examines the effects of mothers' strategies of combining employment and welfare receipt during the first three years of their child's life on the child's cognitive development, behavior problems, and home learning environment at ages five and six. No negative association was found on most child outcomes with a mother's employment whether or not it…

Presents an account of the literacy activities engaged in by the parents of 29 children around the time that the children were about to start school. Finds a considerable amount of literacy activity evident in the homes, regardless of whether the children were fluent readers or not. Argues that home environment is not enough to account for…

Focuses on theoretical and practical difficulties in constructing and evaluating a measure of the home environment of a diversity of families. Describes limitations of theory to guide developmental indicator selection and ways to deal with these limitations. Discusses rationale for selecting criteria for judging test validity and use of cause…

Examines how far traces of the Nazi past can still be found in the psychological family environment of college students attending a counseling center two generations after the end of World War II. Reveals that failure to discuss such topics within families was of decisive significance during counseling sessions, and that current problems often…