Studied perceptions and attitudes of fathers and mothers about their own and their spouse's parental roles, and identified relationships between those perceptions and variations in fathers' actual involvement in child rearing. Found mothers' perceptions of their partners' investments in parent, spouse, and worker roles were best predictors of…

Examined psychometric properties of Parenting Stress Index. Subjects were 191 low-income, urban African American mothers. Found acceptable subscale internal consistency and stability over six months. Concurrent validity revealed high convergence across measures among mothers reporting consistent stress. Subjects reported elevated stress levels in…

Models the spread of linguistic change by taking account of the ages of the acquirers and transmitters of change. The article focuses on three interlocutor combinations: parent-infant/young child, peer group-preadolescent and older adolescent/adult-adolescent. Findings suggest that borrowings are the easiest to acquire, while lexically…

Contains two short, experientially oriented articles for caregivers of infants and toddlers. The first promotes and describes gardening options for infants including choice of plants and activities. The second presents coping strategies for toddlers when a change of teacher or caregiver occurs, including development of an effective transition…

Hypothesizes regarding factors that enhance prosociality in children, implying that the quality of childrearing and early companionship have profound impact on toddlers' social behavior. Discusses observation space versus companion space, prosocial behavior across cultures, when toddlers abuse, and the implications of a circular reenactment of…

Considers effects of culture, health status, socioeconomic status, family structure, and biological factors on minority infants' development. (PCB)

Reviews two books for experienced teachers and administrators on national issues for care of infants and toddlers: "Caring for Infants and Toddlers in Violent Environments" (Osofsky and Fenichel, editors) and "Starting Points: Meeting the Needs of Our Youngest Children" (Carnegie Corporation). (JW)

Data based on about 400 families are used to describe development of early intervention services at the Maryland School for the Deaf from 1969 to 1992. Implications are discussed in relation to very early identification of hard-of-hearing and deaf children, the impact of changing etiologies, and the training of early intervention specialists.…

Within 6 weeks of infants' entry into an early intervention program and again 12 months later, data on infant and family adaptation were collected in home visits to families with infants with disabilities. Found that the strongest predictor of infants' developmental change was the severity of infants' psychomotor impairment. (BC)

Discusses four similarities between early childhood education systems in Oxfordshire, England and Reggio Emilia, Italy. Similarities between the two school systems include an integrated curriculum; (mixed) age grouping and school organization; the teacher's role; and the pedagogical underpinnings. (BB)

Black-white differences in infant mortality rate are examined for 38 large metropolitan statistical areas for 1982 through 1986. The most important difference predictor was a "segregation index" (residential dissimilarity) apparently independent of variation in median family income and poverty prevalence but possibly reflecting…

Research suggests that primary control increases as humans develop from infancy through middle age and then decreases in old age. To minimize losses, individuals rely on cognitively based secondary control processes in middle and old age. Literature on adult control processes is reviewed. (SLD)

Links the literature on learned helplessness with best practices in teaching children who are deaf-blind. Defines "learned helplessness" and "mastery motivation;" considers identification of learned helplessness; and offers suggestions such as rewarding independent rather than dependent behaviors and integrating orientation, mobility, and…

Describes the modes of transmission of HIV and the course of the disease in infants and toddlers. Information is provided on its effects on early development, medical screening and treatments, therapies, psychosocial assistance, and interventions, including nutritional therapy, occupational and physical therapies, and speech and language therapy.…

Examined 2-year-olds' language acquisition with an emphasis on the agency and intentionality of the child. Concluded that development depends on the child's expression of intentionality by actions (performance), the essential tension between the child's engagement and effort, and the integration of linguistic, cognitive, and social aspects of the…