This booklet presents a series of play activities and interventions to facilitate development of social and communicative skills in young children who have visual impairments, hearing impairments, or both. The more than 100 activities attempt to increase the early communication and language competencies of young children. An appendix provides an…

This report discusses the status of children with disabilities mainstreamed into full-year Head Start programs in 1986-1987, based on the Program Information Report survey completed by each program. Nationally, children with disabilities totalled 65,276, comprising 12.7% of the Head Start enrollment. All programs reported serving at least one…

Supports for families of young children with disabilities--as provided by Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act--are vital, according to a study that assessed family outcomes at the end of early intervention near their child's third birthday. This report summarizes the main findings of the study in response to the five broad…

Parent involvement in Head Start has been key since its inception in 1965. In contrast to other early childhood intervention programs in the early 1960s, the program broke ground by viewing parental participation as essential to both children's and families' growth and development. Research has demonstrated that greater parent involvement links to…

Emphasizing that Literacy Links is a program for young children with little exposure to literacy activities at home, the book explains exactly how Literacy Links works to provide the background knowledge these children need to succeed. The book offers strategies to help literacy-deprived young learners. The book's educator/author has found that…

These testimonies by Lyon G. Reid to Congress include: "Learning Disabilities and Early Intervention Strategies" (June 6, 2002); "Measuring Success: Using Assessments and Accountability to Raise Student Achievement" (March 8, 2001); "Education Research and Evaluation and Student Achievement: Quality Counts" (May 4,…

This report describes achievements and activities of the Parent Early Evaluation of Kids (PEEK) Outreach Project at the University of Oregon. This project focused on assisting state agencies, regional and tribal entities, and local health and education programs to develop comprehensive, low-cost systems for child-find and referral. Rural and inner…

The High/Scope Perry Preschool Study is a study of the effects of a high-quality preschool program for children born in poverty. Following 123 children randomly assigned to program or no-program control groups, the study has had little attrition on a variety of measures from age 3 to age 41. The study has found evidence of preschool program…

Studies have shown that some children are at higher risk for otitis media. Those at risk may include children with some developmental disorders such as Down syndrome, Williams syndrome, Apert syndrome, fragile X syndrome, Turner syndrome, cleft palate, and autism; as well as all children attending childcare. It has been hypothesized that the link…

This analysis provides a preliminary estimate of the necessary level of funding needed to raise the degree qualifications to meet the requirements in the Head Start reauthorization legislation currently proposed in the House and Senate. While each bill is designed to improve the quality of Head Start programs by requiring an increase in the number…

Head Start programs provide critical comprehensive services for young children with or at risk of developing disabilities. Both the Head Start Act and federal Head Start performance standards require a mix of outreach, early child assessments, and evaluations, followed by comprehensive educational, medical, and social services provided in an…

In May 2002, a letter criticizing Reading Recovery was widely distributed to members of Congress and the education community via the Internet. The letter builds a distorted case based on flawed research and selective reporting of Reading Recovery studies. Reading Recovery is a short-term intervention for the lowest-achieving children in first…

Reading Recovery (RR) is a short-term intervention for the lowest-achieving children in first grade. Children meet individually with a specially trained teacher for 30 minutes daily for 12 to 20 weeks. There is substantial scientific evidence to support Reading Recovery's effectiveness with the lowest-performing first-grade students. Reading…

This paper reports the early stages of a 3-year evaluation of the Early Intervention Programme in Scotland. The Early Intervention Programme is a high-profile government initiative which receives major government funding (60 million pounds sterling over 5 years) and is designed to improve standards of literacy and numeracy in the first 2 years of…

In recent years there has been an increased interest in developing the basic reading and writing skills of primary students at risk for academic failure. Problems associated with typical evaluations of programmatic impact on students' literacy skills include the amount of testing time, sensitivity to smaller levels of growth, or, as in the case of…