The Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing's (MECDHH's) "POINT" (Providing Opportunities for Integrating New Technologies) project is implementing a telepractice, distance learning collaborative in Maine with eight hub sites and 18 end points using Tandberg videoconferencing technology. This network is planned to be a…

This article describes the findings of a qualitative study on knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and practices towards children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus in four regions of Uganda. Focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews were held with parents of children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, policy-makers, and service…

The impact of spoken language skills on the social inclusion of children with hearing loss is of interest for listening and spoken language early intervention providers. This study used spoken language assessments and a parent-report social inclusion survey to investigate this impact for 95 children with hearing loss (M = 5.1 years of age). The…

A substantial literature documents the benefits of early childhood education and formal preschool experiences on children's school readiness, with low-income and otherwise disadvantaged children benefitting the most from these programs. However, these academic benefits often fade out as children age, and most disappear by the end of kindergarten…

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of the Home Improvement for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) program on school performance during the 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th grades. The study employed a quasi-experimental, post-hoc design using existing data on children who participated in the HIPPY program as 3-, 4-, or 5-year-olds, including:…

A national mail survey of Head Start preschool teachers (N = 500) was conducted to assess their practices, the availability of specialist support, and their views related to emergent literacy instruction for Head Start children who have a disability or developmental delay. The responding teachers (n = 254) reported that (a) nearly one quarter of…

This study used a nonequivalent group design to evaluate the impact of an emergent literacy intervention on preschool children identified with early reading difficulties. Thirty-five children were compared with 39 typically developing classroom peers on various reading measures in a community-based project--"Mission I'm Possible" (MIP),…

Prevalence rates of autism spectrum disorder have risen dramatically over the past few decades (now estimated at 1:50 children). The estimated total annual cost to the public purse in the United States is US$137 billion, with an individual lifetime cost in the United Kingdom estimated at between £0.8 million and £1.23 million depending on the…

The purpose of this review was to update previous reviews on factors related to students' responsiveness to early literacy intervention. The 14 studies in this synthesis used experimental designs, provided small-group or one-on-one reading interventions, and analyzed factors related to responsiveness to those interventions. Participants were…

Background: Despite the mounting evidence of efficacy of early intervention for children with autism spectrum disorders, there is little research that considers the various perceptions and resources with which parents respond to the pressures and opportunities associated with participation in early intervention. Research is particularly lacking…

Due to the numerous interventions available for children with autism, parents are faced with challenging decisions regarding treatments from the time of diagnosis and throughout their child's life. This exploratory qualitative study investigated the reasons behind parents' decisions about interventions for their child with autism. In-depth…

Background: Sensory integration (SI) therapy is an intervention widely used with children with disability despite the lack of evidence regarding its efficacy. Method: A questionnaire was distributed to early intervention teachers in Malaysia and Singapore. Information was sought on how early intervention teachers learned about SI therapy, the…

Sometimes people see developmental advances in a child so dramatic, so spectacular, that they have difficulty accepting the idea that ordinary growth processes are at work. The increments are too great; the direction of change has rotated 90 or 180 degrees. At such times, people find themselves proclaiming, "It's a developmental miracle." During…

The 2020 Pro-Kid Policy Agenda for California is the comprehensive roadmap at the state level to ensure that all children have the necessary supports to reach their full potential. California has an obligation to tear down the structural barriers to all kids, especially kids of color, from growing up healthy, safe, and ready for college, career,…

The Native American and Alaska Native Children in School (NAM) discretionary grants program aims to reduce the persistent achievement gaps between Native American and Alaska Native (NA/AN) youth and their peers on measures of reading and English language arts (ELA) (NCES 2015) and on measures of college-readiness in reading (ACT 2017). One reason…