This article describes a conceptual framework for developing a multifaceted, individualized treatment program for young children who stutter, their families, and their preschool or day-care staff. Suggestions are provided for reducing environmental demands through education, affective support, and behavior change facilitation. Direct therapy…

Nebraska family physicians (n=184) were surveyed concerning requests for consultations and referrals to early intervention services for hypothetical cases. Consultations and referrals were influenced by the child's level of developmental delay and age. Requests for educational and psychological consultations were in the low to moderate range.…

Six young children (ages 25 to 40 months) with delays in language comprehension were presented with stimulus items in 3 conditions: (1) object cue and speech, (2) movement cue and speech, or (3) speech alone. All children identified referents with fewer trials when object or movement cues were used with speech compared to use of speech alone.…

Evaluates the effectiveness of Reading Recovery (RR) in 10 schools in New South Wales. Finds that the RR group was superior to control students after 15 weeks, but that no differences were found after 30 weeks. Finds that 12 months after discontinuation, 35% of the students directly benefitted from the program, 35% had not been…

This paper reviews analytic methods for estimating growth curves or developmental trajectories from longitudinal data. Traditional models for studying change are contrasted with a relatively new method, hierarchical linear models. Evidence is presented indicating that hierarchical linear models can overcome some of the methodological limitations…

This article presents an early intervention model for infants who are deaf-blind that focuses on the significance of infant-caregiver interaction. It proposes intervention strategies to develop contingent responsiveness in caregivers, promote active learning in infants, support mutually satisfying exchanges, and address the exceptional learning…

A survey of directors of 61 Texas early intervention programs found that directors felt that program improvement should be the main reason for program evaluation efforts, that evaluating program goals and child progress are the most feasible strategies, and that evaluating program quality and family progress are the most difficult strategies. (DB)

Researchers tested the Concerns Based Adoption Model and the Stages of Concern Questionnaire (SoCQ), which address professionals' feelings about innovation. Professionals who received innovative training on early intervention completed the survey. Results support the Concerns Based Adoption Model's broad underlying assumptions. A revised model and…

Aggressive and nonaggressive third- through fifth-grade African-American boys were assigned to a behavior intervention program designed to reduce aggressive males' tendency to attribute hostile intentions to peers, an attention training program, or a nonintervention control group. The benefits and limitations of the intervention program are…

Discusses the activities of the Family Intervention Center (FIC) of the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh to prevent child abuse in the Sto-Rox school district through a school-based program that educates children about child abuse. One activity sponsored by FIC was a health fair for children and their parents. (MDM)

Discusses ways to prevent child abuse and neglect through parent education and home visiting programs for at-risk families that stress early intervention and preventive measures. Describes the Healthy Start program developed in Hawaii as a model for other states to follow. (MDM)

Evaluation of the interactive intervention model with mothers and young children (n=32) with developmental delays found that treatment mothers became more responsive and less directive and provided clearer linguistic models. Treatment children increased their use of vocal turns but did not make significantly greater improvement in overall…

This 1-year study found that emergent literacy behaviors were developed in 14 children (ages 4-6) with disabilities who were exposed to daily structured literacy activities. Independent book interactions increased in complexity and sustained attention, and "writing" behaviors increased in complexity, variety, and structure. (Author/JDD)

This article argues that current models of intervention for infants and toddlers with disabilities suffer from conflicting research results and practical implementation problems and discusses alternative approaches, including the need for comprehensive needs assessment, protocols for matching services with needs, interagency system changes, and a…

Key elements of a continuum of services for individuals with autism and other severe behavior disorders are described, focusing on development of a strong central organization; funding; staff recruitment, training, supervision, and evaluation; program evaluation; outreach parent training; home-based early intervention; vocational training;…