The birth and hospitalization of a preterm infant have powerful effects on the emerging parent-infant relationship. Characteristics of parents, infant factors, and factors in the hospital and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) environments--in addition to the circumstances surrounding preterm birth--may disrupt parent-infant relationships.…

The author discusses how nonverbal actions in young children are powerful communicators of experience, both past and present, and proposes new ways to observe, analyze, and reflect about these silent signals. The article describes the author's Ways of Seeing program, which uses principles of dance movement psychotherapy, the discipline of…

This article outlines the development and implementation of a project designed to help a school reflect on how well it has developed supportive behaviour management systems. The programme further encourages the school to implement more functional systems. When the local Group Special Education (GSE) office was offered an opportunity to develop…

Background: This longitudinal study of 48 children diagnosed with autism at 2-5 years of age was designed to test the hypothesis that diagnosis would remain stable for most of the sample but that there would be improvements in symptom severity, adaptive behavior, and emotional responsiveness in adolescence. Methods: A sample of children with…

Background: Parents of children with intellectual disabilities are at increased risk for stress and other mental health problems. The purpose of the present review is to consider the evidence base for psychological intervention to remediate stress in these parents. Methods: A selective review of interventions designed to reduce stress in parents…

Vocational rehabilitation counselors are in key positions to screen clients for alcohol and drug abuse. An educational program improved counselors understanding of this process.

Anticipatory guidance is a traditional nursing intervention. The purpose of this study was to identify factors to serve as targets for anticipatory guidance prior to high school graduation to reduce tobacco initiation among young adults after graduation. A sample of 203 randomly selected freshmen and sophomore students at a major midwestern…

Cognitive impairment has long been associated with the natural history of HIV among vertically infected children. In children, HIV may have a direct or indirect impact on the developing brain, may lead to global or highly specific consequences, and may be responsible for minor cognitive consequences or, conversely, long-term and severe disability.…

Children with developmental speech/language impairments are at higher risk for reading disability than typical peers with no history of speech/language impairment. This article reviews the literacy outcomes of children with speech/language impairments, clarifying the differential risk for three groups of children: speech production impairments…

A wide variety of nonestablished treatments have been proposed as "cures" for the core features of autism and are used frequently despite having largely escaped scientific scrutiny. In contrast, a growing body of empirical evidence supports the use of a few forms of theory-based and empirically validated treatment for some aspects of the core…

Neuromaturation is the functional development of the central nervous system (CNS). It is by its very nature a dynamic process, a continuous interaction between the genome and first the intrauterine environment, then the extrauterine environment. Understanding neuromaturation and being able to measure it is fundamental to infant neurodevelopmental…

Cathy, Kelly, and Lisa are early childhood special education (ECSE) teachers in inclusive, classroom-based programs. Each of them worked with paraprofessionals, primarily their assistant teachers, during their first year as ECSE teachers, and that experience resulted in difficulties of varying degrees. For Cathy, those difficulties were most…

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a behavioral disorder characterized by inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. The presence of ADHD is associated with behavioral and academic difficulties within a classroom setting. With a prevalence rate of 3% to 5%, teachers will undoubtedly come in contact with a student with ADHD at one…

Self-mutilation is not a new trend or phenomenon in adolescents. Self-mutilation can be divided into three categories: major, stereotypic, and moderate/superficial. Moderate/superficial self-mutilation is the most common type in adolescents and includes cutting, burning, and carving. School nurses are positioned to identify, to assist, and to…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a community-based comprehensive sex education program among unmarried youth in China. The impact of the intervention on sexual knowledge, attitudes, and sexual initiation were assessed, using a pre-test post-test quasi-experimental research design. The program used six methods for providing sex-related…