The development and evaluation of a "kiddy cane" for use with young children with blindness, aged 2-6, is described including development of the prototype, field testing, modifications resulting from feedback from specialists, and ongoing evaluation. (Author/DB)

Examined the mediating role of the home environment on the relationship between IQs of mothers and their low birthweight children. Results indicated that the IQ of children at three years was related to maternal IQ and measures of home environment when children were one and three years of age. (BB)

The validity of the fourth edition of the Stanford-Binet (S-B IV) test was studied with 30 linguistically precocious children at ages 20, 24, and 30 months. Validity at 24 months was questionable. Problems in using the test with very young children are discussed. (SLD)

This article reviews recent research on phonological development and characteristics associated with different forms of delay. Language-delayed students are considered categorizable at 24 months as either "late talkers" with no major deviations from patterns of normal acquisition or disordered students whose developmental patterns are markedly…

Assessed the effects of relationship duration on 61 teacher-child dyads. Found that 91% of children who had been with their teacher for more than 1 year had secure attachments, compared to 67% who had been with their teacher for 9-12 months and 50% who had been with their teacher for 5-8 months. (MDM)

Examined factors associated with young children's aggression. Observed 104 toddlers during free play with same-sex peer, with both mothers present. Found that early out-of-home care was not related to aggression. Boys were more aggressive than girls. Observed aggression and mother-reported externalizing problems were associated significantly with…

Reviews the construct of attachment, its role as a motivational system in infancy, and its development in the first three years. Emphasizes that attachment must be assessed in the context of particular infant-parent relationships, and reviews specific infant and caregiver behaviors salient to the assessment of attachment. (Author/CR)

Studies specific play behaviors of parents and toddlers when playing with baby dolls and a clown as indices of gender-role socialization by parents. The clown and dolls elicited different play behaviors from both the parents and toddlers. Same sex parent/toddler dyads engaged in different types of play from opposite-sex dyads. (MMU)

Investigated the relationship between joint attention and toddler's race, sex, and SES. Found that joint attention related to a "persisting" mother, whether or not the toddler accepted the initial maternal bid. Females engaged in joint attention bouts and nonpersistent maternal responses after the bid was accepted more often than males. Race and…

Presents information to facilitate ideal family involvement in early intervention. Strategies for conducting family assessments while building collaborative partnerships with families are presented. Characteristics which produce effective collaborative partnerships are reviewed, and the reality of working with families is presented through two…

Examined the processes by which children interpret homonyms. Participants were 2-and 3-year olds, 4-year olds, 7-year olds, and 10-year olds. Each child was asked individually to interpret keywords from stories read aloud by the examiner. Keywords were homonyms, nonsense words, or unambiguous words. (Author/VWL)

A study used the ABILITIES Index to assess the relationship of inappropriate behaviors to social skills and behavior, vision, intellectual function, and intentional communication in 202 children (ages 6-59 months) with visual impairments. Results indicate inappropriate and unusual behavior continued to increase between birth and age 5. (CR)

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Preschool Services and the Parent Education Committee compiled a list of recommended books (published between 1993 and 1997) appropriate for use in group settings with children between the ages of 18 and 36 months. Bibliographic information and a short description are provided for each title.…

Two studies examined whether 1-year olds' name learning during joint attention was guided by expectation that names will be in the form of spoken words. Results showed that 13-month olds, but not 20-month olds, learned a new sound/object correspondence, as evidenced by their choosing targets reliably in responses to hearing the word or sound on…

Major components of the social support and social systems approach to early intervention are reviewed, reflections are presented, and the future use of the model are discussed. The paper concludes with an overview of a "third generation" model integrating new evidence for studying and practicing family systems intervention. (Contains extensive…