Responding to an article (EC 618 445) describing an individualized program for young children with severe disabilities, including autism, and their families, this article notes features of the program such as its individualized nature, its emphasis on building capacity in families and early intervention providers, and its integrative practices…

Discusses the importance of nurturing alliances between specialists and families within the context of developmental assessments. Five axioms with family stories illustrate how specialists and families can collaborate during assessments to ensure that services include families and promote acquisition of knowledge in natural settings. (Author/CR)

An evaluation of Schoolwide Early Language and Literacy (SWELL) was undertaken in New South Wales, Australia, using a sample of 366 disadvantaged kindergarten students. Participants outperformed controls on pseudo-word decoding and reading connected text at the end of kindergarten, and on invented spelling and reading measures midway through first…

Describes the development of educational programs for children with special needs in Jordan. An overview of historical highlights and main problems and needs is presented. Information is provided on trends related to development of special education, special education teachers, family problems, early intervention, and attitudes toward…

The Specialized Training of Associates in Rural Alaska (STARS) is a 3-year project providing preparation to early intervention associates in rural Alaska and services to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. Evaluation methods and results are reported. Appendices describe the 24 training modules and list the program's…

Despite an attractive set of premises, the article "Where Will...?" (this issue) fails to identify the reasons for school psychology's frustrations with role and function. Many wonderful ideas and blueprints have appeared in previous literature with little accompanying revolution in practice. The reasons for these failures are outlined. (Author)

Interviews with 536 families receiving early intervention services for their young children with disabilities identified significant barriers to service utilization for American Indian families, low-income families without medical assistance, and families with children under 18 months of age. Additional factors influencing the service utilization…

Examined the relationship between childhood malnutrition and later intellectual development in 18 severely malnourished (SM) children who participated in a 3-year home visitation intervention. Follow-ups done 7, 8, 9, and 14 years after hospitalization showed that these children had markedly higher vocabulary and achievement scores than a control…

The benefits of pre-first programs and grade retentions are not consistently supported in the research literature. Study investigates the short- and long-term effects of pre-first programs on students' (n=66) academic achievement in reading and mathematics. No significant differences were found in six of the eight analyses conducted, indicating…

Argues that collaboration between Head Start and early intervention programs can improve accessibility to high quality child care and supports needed to reach and maintain self-sufficiency for low-income families of children with disabilities. Discusses how these systems can develop trusting collaborative relationships, increase affordability of…

This article describes basic assessment considerations for infants and toddlers exhibiting nonorganic failure to thrive. The evaluation process must examine feeding, maternal-child interactions, child temperament, and environmental risks and behaviors. Early identification and intervention are necessary to minimize the long-term developmental…

A study evaluated the use of a clinical tool developed to determine the listening behavior of young children at risk for developmental communication delays. The evaluation procedure was developed and successfully applied to 66 children (ages birth to 3) attending an early intervention program over a period of 3 years. (Contains six references.)…

Considers two factors that have influenced the level of parent/family participation in early intervention services: (1) an increased focus on families in both state and federal early intervention legislation and the incorporation of social systems frameworks for better understanding of child, parent, and (2) family functioning. Also summarizes…

Reports results of a four-year study involving 46 at-risk kindergartners that was designed to develop and evaluate a combined home and school intervention approach to preventing school antisocial behavior. Results indicated a measurable intervention effect for participants and persistence of gains into the primary grades. (Author/CR)

A study compared the progress of 12 Greek children (ages 8 months to 5 years) with disabilities who received a weekly educational visit from early interventionists for 2 years with that of 12 controls. Results showed significant gains for treated children in overall functioning level and in different domains of development. (Contains references.)…