Intended for use in Florida training programs for caregivers of infants and toddlers with disabilities, this guide presents an overview of the Model of Interdisciplinary Training for Children with Handicaps (MITCH); provides a user's guide to the series of MITCH modules; and presents specific information for presenting Module 1, which focuses on…

While librarians have traditionally provided story times for 3- to 5-year olds and more recently for toddlers, it is important to introduce children to books and libraries at an even earlier age. Young children's intellectual development is faster than that of any other age group. This book is a guide to developing library programs for babies and…

A child's need for formal communication may be as much an emotional need as a cognitive need. Several theories attempt to explain children's language development, including the theories developed by B. F. Skinner, Noam Chomsky, and J. Bruner. Most children typically follow a standard sequence of language development: crying and cooing, babbling,…

In the United States, depression rates of 12-20 percent have been reported in toddlers' mothers. Depressed mothers provide their children with less appropriate structure, guidance, and rule enforcement than non-depressed mothers. This research explored the relationships among the following variables: toddlers' behavioral difficulties, mothers'…

Many librarians would like to provide a reading club which includes not only reading patrons, but pre-reading or read-to-me patrons and those parents, family members and caregivers that care for, work with and read to them. To help library staff and volunteers organize, implement and manage a read-to-me club, this planning handbook is intended to…

Temporary child care programs, such as crisis nurseries or respite care services for children with special needs, need to develop and implement a risk management program to address any difficulties that might be encountered in providing direct care services. Risk management is a structured process to minimize potential liability, avoid harm to…

This Kids Count special report examines brain development during infancy and early childhood in order to provide a basis for an informed discussion about the need for preventive programs to foster healthy child development. The report summarizes information on early brain development and how experience shapes neural connections. It focuses on the…

The increase in the number of infants and toddlers experiencing nonparental care creates an urgent need for the insights of theorists, clinicians, and researchers. These insights can help caretakers promote the mental health of infants and toddlers. Although caregivers usually provide sufficient support of babies' cognitive development, they may…

This fifth annual report describes activities of Colorado's Statewide system of services and supports in compliance with Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The report notes an increasing emphasis on the following: values-oriented planning with extensive family involvement, interagency coordination, coordinated…

This final report of the Wisconsin Family-Centered Inservice Project describes the development, testing, implementation, and evaluation of an interdisciplinary inservice course for early interventionists and parents. The inservice course focused on attitudes, knowledge, and skills in four principal topic areas: (1) family-centered care, (2)…

A study examined how maternal separation anxiety contributes to the mother's departure actions and how those behaviors affect the child during separation. Subjects were 40 mothers and their toddlers, age 15 to 24 months, who were observed before and during separation. After completing the Maternal Separation Anxiety Questionnaire, mothers were…

How infants and toddlers become skilled social actors has not been examined as often as the peer interactions of older children. This study examined 24, middle-class toddlers (ages 23 to 33 months) in 9 different settings during their free-play time at a university-cooperative nursery school. Researchers analyzed 150 social bids which were either…

This publication deals with the present crisis in infant/toddler care. It presents information on infant/toddler development and optimal caregiving paractices, citing recent research on appropriate practices and the impact of poor versus quality care. The book is divided into two sections. In the first section, "Development and Program…

This theme issue addresses environmental risks to infants and young children. Articles have the following titles and authors: "Lead Exposure: The Commonest Environmental Disease of Childhood" (Herbert L. Needleman); "Research in Process: A Comparison of Lead Screening Methods in Young Children" (Catherine S. Rude and David…

This study examined patterns of social interactions and play activities in Japanese day care settings. Fifty children between 6 and 36 months of age in five day care centers in Tokyo were observed over several prescribed time intervals. Variables measured during the observations included: (1) type of social interaction; (2) type of activity…