A qualitative study of Bookstart, which gave free children's books and support to British inner-city families, collected data from librarians, health visitors, and nursery school staff. Bookstart increased positive attitudes toward and interest in books. Health visitors' support was crucial in helping parents use the books to support children's…

The position paper contains recommendations for the certification of early childhood special educators serving children (ages birth-five) with special needs and their families. Following a discussion of background issues, the paper proposes a two-level certification structure for generalists and specialists, essential content areas of study, and…

The family dimensions of 24 Individualized Family Service Plans written for infants/toddlers with handicaps and their families were examined to determine the presence of key legislative requirements, the domains of family goals, structural dimensions, level of parent involvement, and time parameters for goal attainment. Issues surrounding family…

Psychologists who are infant specialists play important roles in clinical assessment, intervention, and research with infants who have developmental disabilities and their families. Specific training experiences helpful to professional development are reviewed and their implications for training programs are discussed. (Author/DB)

This paper considers methodological issues related to the independent variable in early intervention research. Three standards are proposed: (1) use theory to guide research; (2) provide operational definitions of independent variables, quantify them, and describe how they relate to theory; and (3) measure treatment fidelity. Three levels of…

This survey, which obtained responses from 37 countries, concluded that there are more than 4,500 toy libraries in the world in 31 countries on all continents. Libraries include (1) community-oriented toy libraries; (2) lekoteks for children with special needs; (3) toy libraries as a cultural, social, and recreational center; and (4) toy lending…

The study, with 57 children (ages 3-6) enrolled in 3 Head Start classes, demonstrated that short-term, large-group basic concept instruction combining direct instruction with interactive and incidental teaching techniques resulted in significantly improved scores on the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts-Revised. (Author/DB)

To meet student needs, the Port Angeles School District (Washington) K-3 Support Program has certified staff that serve as a blend of social service providers, counselors, and teachers. They provide in-class lessons, staff consultation, direct student services, and parenting classes. Appended is a list of eight additional resources. (MLF)

This article describes conceptual and statistical issues in three approaches to the measurement of change in early intervention programs: change scores, indexes of change, and residual change scores. Advantages and limitations of each approach are reviewed. Problems with the reliability of change scores are highlighted. Criteria for selecting…

Describes the Reading Recovery program, including the diagnostic survey, getting students started in the program, the lesson plan format, and teacher training. (MG)

Service-utilization data for 133 infants and toddlers with developmental delays were gathered over four months. For each service encounter, the duration, location, and type of service, was recorded. Findings revealed that families received an average of 1.7 hours per week of services. Thirty-four percent of services occurred in community-based…

This study examined utilization rates of scheduled early-intervention services for 146 infants and toddlers with disabilities. Among findings were: (1) 69% of families used most of their services; (2) child and maternal characteristics were not significantly related to service utilization; and (3) providers who were younger and closer in age to…

Discussion of criteria for evaluating qualitative reports of early intervention research identifies four important criteria: (1) where the investigators are coming from; (2) what they did; (3) how they arrived at their findings; and (4) what the study means. A checklist of key indicators of quality in reports of qualitative research is attached.…

This response to a paper (EC 624 771) on the early development of stereotyped and self-injurious behavior in infants and young children examines possible reasons why so little is known about these behaviors. These include questions about what behaviors would indicate the need for intervention, how to determine if a repetitive behavior is aberrant,…

Reviews enrichment research of the 1990s. Examines marriage preparation and premarital counseling; specific programs, such as Training in Marriage Enrichment; specific populations, such as children; and continuing research needs, particularly in the areas of measurement, participants, and program characteristics. Claims that marriage and family…