The article discusses autism in the birth to age two population in terms of early symptomatology and identification, early intervention as prevention, approaches to early assessment, and approaches to intervention. (DB)

Patterns of growth in one language in relation to growth in the other and also with respect to growth in both languages were studied in a group of 20 bilingual (English/Spanish) infants ages 10 to 30 months. The rate and pace of development were similar in both groups; differences among the bilinguals included their use of "referential"…

A third-year follow-up investigation of socioemotional behaviors of preterm and full-term infants videotaped mother-child and child-peer play sessions. Contributions of gender, birth status, attachment classification, and maternal contingency behavior to children's expressive development were examined. Results suggest that children learn greater…

Seventeen rating scales to assess parent-infant interactions are reviewed. A table provides identifying information, descriptive information, and psychometric qualities. Discussion includes implications for practice in the assessment of infants with disabilities and directions for future research. (Author/DB)

Examined low achievement in normal-or-above intelligence early adolescents born preterm, in a longitudinal study from birth through 12 years of age, compared to a group with no achievement problems. Found significant group differences in several domains in early adolescence. Also found that biological and social factors in infancy were associated…

Analysis of data on 1,404 young children with hearing losses indicated that 80% of the children were identified via informal hearing-screening procedures, such as parental suspicion and referral. Auditory brainstem response technology provided the lowest mean identification age. The study concludes that formal screening programs are not locating…

Examined mother-infant teaching interactions, Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) scores, and infant attachment security in 197 adolescent mothers and their infants. Adolescent mothers who were living with neither their own mothers nor their partners had better teaching interactions but lower HOME scores than those…

Reports on a longitudinal study of gross-motor development in 10 congenitally blind children during their first 3 years. Compared to developmental norms for sighted children, five full-term blind children showed slight delays in postural development but greater delays in locomotor development. Five preterm blind children showed major delays in all…

Describes the core constructs of attachment theory, namely, the attachment system and secure-base behavior. Discusses contextual factors thought to be crucial in development of individual differences in attachment, especially maternal sensitivity, and considers child characteristics, especially temperament, that may contribute to the attachment…

Reviews "The Epigenesis of Mind: Essays on Biology and Cognition" (S. Carey and R. Gelman, editors), a collection of essays that present a hard-scientific vision of cognitive development. Examines the arguments this work articulates and then determines the place it occupies in the analysis of the state of developmental psychology as presented in…

Reviews "An Odyssey in Learning and Perception" (E. J. Gibson), a volume of collected works that present a first-hand account of many advances in psychology over the past 60 years. A discussion of the two basic questions that capture the essence of Gibson's research, "What is learned" and "What is information" is…

Six children were visited in their homes every 2 weeks for 18 months from the age of 6 months to observe their developing comprehension and production of words. Results showed both similarities and individual differences in patterns of early comprehension. A close relationship was noted between early production and comprehension of words;…

Describes new concerns about infectious diseases in childcare settings (tuberculosis, gastrointestinal infections, and lice); sleep position and SIDS; HIV/AIDS issues; and the use of sterilized sand in sand boxes. (DR)

Analysis of survey responses from 42 families of infants/toddlers with special needs found that both mothers and fathers desired involvement in the child's early intervention program and that their major perceived need was for information. However, differences were found between fathers' and mothers' preferred formats for receiving information.…

New estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau's Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) suggest that there were about 851,000 children with disabilities, birth to 5, during the 1991-92 school year. Of these, 80% had received developmental services. Most likely to be unserved or underserved were children from low socioeconomic status families…