Six kindergartners with or at risk for emotional disturbance and reading deficits received a supplementary reading intervention over seven months. After instruction, participants outperformed six control at-risk and six norm-referencing students without disabilities on curriculum-based measures assessing early phonemic awareness and basic reading…

The benefits and disadvantages in conducting universal infant hearing screening and in the transition of audiology from a master's to a doctoral level profession are discussed from an epidemiological point of view. Epidemiologic strategies which may inform decision making in these two important and controversial areas are presented. (Author/CR)

Describes preliminary results obtained from preventive, early intervention, and remediation studies with culturally diverse elementary students with significant reading problems. The effects of daily phonological awareness activities, a synthetic phonics approach, and explicit instruction in the alphabet are summarized. Ethnic differences in…

Describes an early intervention reading program and discusses its implications for special education. Reviews current issues regarding definition, placement, and instruction for children with special reading needs. Efficacy data indicate impressive program results, with reductions in special education placements reported. Outlines program's…

Reflects on the author's training as a Reading Recovery teacher and examines her uneasy feelings about this highly acclaimed program. Notes that teachers do not have a voice in their training and that students do not have a voice in their Reading Recovery lessons. (SR)

Describes Supporting Literacy in the Classroom (SLIC), an early literacy program for classroom teachers that was developed in an urban school district. Discusses the components of the SLIC program: read alouds, shared reading, guided reading, and interactive writing. Reviews successful early literacy programs and describes classroom methods to…

A study evaluated a more-to-less, child-directed continuum of intervention to increase toy play among six toddlers with multiple disabilities. Toddlers were provided with repeated choices of preferred toys in a child-directed manner. Nonprompted toy play for two toddlers increased. Toy play also increased for another child after staff prompts and…

The intervention described in this article focuses on providing extra spelling instruction to young children who experience difficulty with literacy learning. The CASL Spelling Program is designed to teach children basic sound/letter combinations, spelling patterns involving long and short vowels, and common spelling words that fit these patterns.…

This article summarizes the early development of the visual system within the context of the other sensory systems and preterm birth and relates this information to early intervention. Retinopathy of prematurely, ocular defects, cortical visual impairment and potential impact of the neonatal intensive care unit environment are discussed. (Contains…

The recognition of the importance of brain development in the early years of life has led to expanded early intervention programs for very young children with or at risk for developmental disabilities. A biological basis for early intervention is explored, and brain plasticity is discussed. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

This article describes prelinguistic vocal development in two prelingually deaf children who received multi-channel cochlear implants at 10 and 28 months. The older child made rapid progress in vocal development, while the other showed slower progress Use of short periods of prelinguistic input for stimulating vocal development is discussed.…

This article discusses a workshop that explored research barriers in early intervention for children with autism in the United Kingdom. Following a summary of presentations, recommendations are made for the research agenda, basic research design, data collection, data analysis, interpretation of tests, improving statistical power, and a research…

This qualitative research project examined strategies taken at two secondary schools in Scotland to reduce exclusions. Emphasis was on keeping pupils "on track" and helping deviant pupils to modify their behavior within more flexible boundaries. Among successful strategies were identifying pupils "at risk" early, tailoring…

This article provides a rationale for the use of choice in home and school environments, advocates for the systematic and careful use of choice as an intervention strategy, provides examples for embedding choice, and discusses guidelines for use and factors that may limit the use of choice. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

This article explores how tactile experience books can be used to ensure that young children with visual impairments learn to read. It discusses making tactile experience books by collecting artifacts and gluing them to cardboard pages, and the benefits of tactile books. Descriptions of two tactile books are provided. (Contains references.) (CR)