A survey of 81 pediatric and 81 obstetric training programs from 42 states determined that respondents favored screening pregnant patients for cocaine abuse by maternal history (81 percent) and urine toxicology (36 percent), though many fewer reported these as established policy. Physicians favored such interventions as voluntary drug…

Case studies of 10 unmarried, African-American adolescent mothers at risk of dropping out of school are presented, revealing the stressful situations created by competing demands of school and home. Educational deficits that existed prior to pregnancy and their influence on contraceptive behavior and pregnancy resolution are noted. Intervention…

This paper introduces management models for developing a collaborative language intervention process, implementation models for language assessment and Individualized Education Program planning, and multicultural issues. Strategy training for language and communication is introduced as a feasible example, with macrolevel and microlevel process…

This article explains Family of Origin Education, a cognitive approach to helping students change maladaptive behaviors through understanding the historical and environmental contexts of such behaviors. Three phases of the approach, including staff preparation, student training (an eight-step process), and application to nonadaptive behavior, are…

Evaluated anger-aggression management curriculum using cognitive-behavioral techniques for effects on urban, at-risk middle school students (n=22). Following 10-session curriculum which used video symbolic modeling, self-instruction, problem solving, and self-monitoring, significant differences between treatment and placebo-control groups were…

For years, College Board has been promoting and publicizing necessary pathways to postsecondary education. Even bolder step is EQUITY 2000--demanding program of prealgebra, algebra, and geometry designed to ensure minority students' success in vigorous high school mathematics programs. Pacesetter initiative aims to make high-standards curriculum,…

The development of communicative competence and the role of cultural context in the communicative interaction of four young Inuit children and their caregivers was studied ethnographically. Caregiver accommodations to Inuit children differed in many ways from those reported for White middle class North Americans. The paper calls for culturally…

Describes school-based Intervention Assistant Teams' (IATs) work with rural nonspecial education students experiencing regular-classroom difficulties. Teams evaluate students, recommend, and carry out intervention. Discusses team leadership, membership, and principals' and parents' roles. Describes potential IAT benefits for students, parents, and…

Several dimensions of early identification of disabling conditions are discussed, including the relationship between early identification and prevention. Preventative components are described for child find, screening, assessment, and program planning. Assumptions behind screening and assessment guidelines are discussed, emphasizing the assumption…

This article describes data requirements in Public Law 99-457; discusses issues confronting states as they develop data systems, such as the problems of comprehensiveness, incompatibility, and confidentiality; examines data on numbers of infants and toddlers receiving early intervention services; and explores applications of a national database on…

Five principles of learning for young children with handicaps (functioning below a developmental age of one year) are presented, with descriptions of strategies that can be used to facilitate ascendance to higher levels of cognitive-social-communicative functioning. The principles include frequent adult-child interactions, meaningful context for…

Summarizes research on disabled children's effects on families and families' influences on children's adjustment. Offers (1) guidelines for family support programs involving school-home partnerships; (2) cautionary notes on provision of family support programs; and (3) methods for preparing professionals for such programs. (BC)

Parent attitudes and effects of parent participation were studied for workshops for professionals trying to become more family-focused in early intervention programs for children with disabilities. Thirty professionals and six mothers participated. Parent presence influenced the extent to which professionals perceived a need for change in program…

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), the leading cause of mental retardation, often goes unrecognized because of social and emotional taboos about alcohol and alcoholism. This article describes medical and behavioral characteristics of FAS children and describes guiding principles for educators, based on early intervention, teaching communication and…

This article describes how treatments that assist students in developing essential personal and academic skills can be integrated with behavioristic methods to provide effective treatment in school-based programs for seriously emotionally disturbed students. An overview of the key theoretical concepts supporting an integrated treatment approach is…