The Precise Identification and Remediation for Learning project identifies kindergarten pupils at risk for serious learning problems. The project involves identifying target skills, developing assessment materials, conducting initial assessments, identifying children with performance deficits, providing small-group remedial instruction,…

Discusses the importance of cultural sensitivity in work with parents who may be dysfunctional or inappropriate in their child rearing practices. (PCB)

Initially funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission, North Georgia Community Action's School Outreach Program identifies young children at risk of school failure. Outreach workers make home visits to help parents overcome problems affecting participation in their children's education. In the program's second year, 11% of program children…

Examines the way that feeding and nutrition concerns of children with disabilities are addressed under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; includes two case studies of families who received nutritional services for their young children (ages one and two) with disabilities. The role of the nutritionist is considered. (Author/SW)

Outcomes for infants with birth weights less than 800 grams, consequences for their families, and implications for primary care providers are considered. Early identification of difficulties, such as disorders of sensory integration and learning disabilities, and early intervention are advocated. Follow-up when the child is school-age is also…

Coordination of early intervention for children with disabilities is discussed, including barriers to interagency coordination. A 2-year study of 6 diverse states identified 13 ways in which public agencies are different from one another. Recommendations are offered to assist agencies to develop a coordinated service system. (Author/SW)

A survey of 775 early childhood intervention professionals examined their perceptions toward the integration of special services into regular classrooms. Results showed that special educators were most likely to use and favor integrated services, followed by occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, and physical therapists.…

Effects of videotaped self-modeling on acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of the contractible copula "is" with preschool children with delayed language were assessed. All three participating students made and maintained clear gains in acquiring the target behavior and applying it in normal conversational usage. (Author/PB)

Long-term intellectual and academic benefits related to an early childhood educational intervention, the Carolina Abecedarian Project, were found for 93 students from low-income families (98% African American). Results from 7 to 10 years after intervention supported the relative efficacy of preschool treatment over that given in early elementary…

Caring Start is a mobile-clinic program that provides prenatal care, well-baby clinics, childhood immunizations, counseling services, and contraceptives to rural poor families in northwest Pennsylvania. Before the mobile clinic, many rural women (mostly teenagers) went without prenatal health care due to lack of transportation. (LP)

Interviews with nine families and staff of an early intervention program for young children with disabilities found that staff members maintained beliefs about themselves as primary decision makers regarding development and implementation of Individualized Family Service Plans and that families perceived the early intervention program as more…

This study represents an attempt to build a home-based intervention package wherein caregivers encourage positive interactions between young children with autism and their siblings. Using a previously validated, classroom-based social skills intervention package, caregivers in three homes were able to produce substantial improvements in sibling…

This article describes the role of family members in early intervention personnel preparation efforts, provides a rationale for family involvement, and offers guidelines and strategies for facilitating the participation of families of special-needs young children in personnel preparation, in ways that model collaborative family-professional…

This study used semistructured interviews to examine the views of 10 teachers in integrated preschool settings for young children with and without special needs concerning integrated program development and implementation at the early childhood level. Findings suggest considerable variation in conditions of implementation, with teachers…

The relationship between preschool experience and the quality of schools subsequently attended as young adolescents was studied for 14,837 eighth graders from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988. The low quality of middle-grade schools attended by former Head Start participants explains, in part, why Head Start effects fail. (SLD)