Five recent studies of methods to prevent reading difficulties are examined. It is estimated that current methods would leave 2 to 6 percent of children with inadequate word reading skills in the first and second grades. Several broad characteristics of these "treatment resisters" are identified and implications are discussed. (Contains…

Evaluated an intervention designed to influence mothers' sensitive responsiveness toward their infant by presenting information about the newborn's competence to interact and promoting affectionate handling and interaction. Found that the enhancement group showed greater frequency of co-occurrences involving vocal exchanges, looking to the…

The parent of a murdered daughter (who is also an educator) examines student potential for violence and suicide and stresses the importance of early intervention for violence prevention. Teachers are urged to establish meaningful connections with students to identify students who fit the profile of alienation that typifies those who actually…

Examines the effectiveness of an early literacy intervention project for inner-city children in grades 1-4. Discusses the factors that predicted reading growth as the number of rime patterns taught, story grammar instruction, the number of words the child read at home, and parent involvement in recreational reading. Considers results and…

This qualitative study examined perceptions of 248 parents of young children with special needs concerning the benefits, barriers, and improvements needed in current early intervention services in Illinois. Benefits cited included the technical knowledge and skills of service providers; barriers included a need for more specialized child-oriented…

Examined the impact of a program in Quebec to improve parents' abilities to introduce their preschoolers to the written word. Found evidence for parents' progress and gains in skills. Concluded that the program has significant potential for parental skill development. (Author/KB)

A study of 42 persons involved in providing early intervention services investigated perspectives on reporting abuse and neglect of children with disabilities. Participants described relatively few strengths within current reporting systems and several challenges affecting decisions to report abuse or neglect. Recommendations for reducing these…

Evaluation of effects of manual signing on toddlers' verbal and nonverbal communicative behaviors in an inclusive preschool found that teacher signing was accompanied by increases in communicative interactions by toddlers with and without disabilities. No reductive effects on communicative verbalizations were observed for either group. (Contains…

An itinerant special education teacher talks about her changing role in the development of social skills in young children with disabilities. A continuum of social skills interventions is explained and the importance of matching types of interventions to children and settings is stressed. The special challenges of the itinerant teacher role are…

A study investigated generalization effects of script-based intervention in increasing semantic relation skills among four Korean preschoolers with language disorders. The script-based intervention was effective at increasing all participants' use of semantic relation skills and generalizing the acquired semantic relation skills across non-trained…

Addresses intergenerational risk factors affecting individual growth. Discusses how risk factors occurring during a mother's own developmental history can affect the postnatal environment, and how an intergenerational approach can aid in understanding cognitive development. (Author/SD)

This article discusses research findings which indicate that kindergartners' letter knowledge and print concepts knowledge are good predictors in early childhood of future reading ability. Four types of models to explain why some children are less successful than others in learning to read are then presented. (Contains references.) (CR)

This article profiles the Hope Infant Family Support Program in San Diego, California, and its shift to providing educational services in the natural environment. How the program managed this complex change process is discussed, including the development of a vision statement, incentives, skill development, resource allocation changes, and action…

Part of a continuing feature on different aspects of early intervention that reviews resources that cost $50 or less, this article profiles six resources for the development of personnel and policies that support inclusion. The resources address childcare, preschool administration, and best practices in integration inservice training models. (CR)

This article reviews the nature and source of pain in young children with disabilities, challenges facing the clinician, and approaches for assessing and managing pain in infants and young children with significant neurologic impairments. The need for continued research to improve professional awareness and establish practice guidelines is urged.…