This article focuses on European early intervention for children with Down syndrome. Early intervention is viewed as a reconstruction of the construction processes in order to facilitate optimal response to environment conditions. It demands communication skills, a high level of transparency, theoretical education, and trust in the child's…

Describes development of the Sure Start program in the United Kingdom, focusing on the level of government support, policy development, and implementation. Maintains that the program is a prime example of "joined-up government" and evidence-based policy making. Outlines the program's evaluation strategy, including indicators of success.…

Describes the specific aspects of a collaborative project designed to encourage teen parents to read to their children and discusses how various organizations were involved. Includes a bibliography of children's books and support materials purchased for the program. (NH)

Examined three strategies for assessing compliance in students whose speech and language development were delayed. The effects of attention versus escape from instruction following compliance were examined through a descriptive assessment in the classroom, an out-of-class experimental analysis conducted by a consultant, and an in-class…

Describes a program in which preservice teachers served as tutors for at-risk first, second, and third graders in a tutorial model incorporating play and phonological awareness activities using puppets and comprehension strategy instruction using manipulatives. Finds that the program improved reading achievement for children at the first grade…

This article reflects on the Kentucky Teacher Internship Program, a program that provides first-year early childhood educators support and assistance from a team of resource teachers, principals, and teacher educators through a year-long supervised internship. It discusses teacher attrition and the need to address issues of teachers' pay and…

The cost of student loan defaults is a growing problem. At the beginning of this century, defaulted student loans exceed $25 billion (Student Aid News, 2001). In addition to the costs borne by the taxpayer as the federal government purchases defaulted accounts, there are costs incurred by schools, lenders, loan servicers, and guaranty agencies for…

The role of social context and the nature of human interaction provide rich resources for the study of learning and human cognition. In order to understand these elements more fully, it is important to consider the language in use within these contexts. The early intervention Reading Recovery is grounded in the belief that the conversation between…

In this article, the author responds to an article written by Chris Whittle, in which he maintains that most of America's education troubles will be over in just a quarter century. The author notes that Whittle's assumptions differ markedly from the available evidence on what works and ignore the complexity of the combined elements of politics,…

The authors compared parent-perceived communication behaviors for formally assessed stages longitudinally for 42 infants at risk for being nonspeaking. They compared perceived communication behaviors at assessed transitions to communicative stages (intentional behavior, intentional communication, symbolic communication) and found systematic…

To meet the present and future educational and mental health needs of our nation's youth, current models of mental health service delivery need to be reformed. Any more time spent arguing the differences between categories such as Emotional Disturbance (ED) and Social Maladjustment (SM) will only delay much needed services and deplete our already…

Comments on an article by Dunst and Bruder. Service coordination was supposed to be one of the major jewels in the legislative crown for young children with disabilities and their families. The authors have cast their experienced eyes on the heart of the matter, which is the models of service coordination that sprang to life almost immediately…

This study investigated the effects of a family-centered intervention that involved parents in weekly assessments and daily routine activities for promoting young children's language and behavior. Forty-one 3-5-year-old children at-risk for language and behavior problems, recruited from three developmental preschools, were randomly assigned to a…

The Seeds for Success pilot project involved RTLB, Ministry of Education-Special Education staff, and classroom teachers. It successfully developed and trialed a school entry screening and intervention programme for young children who were identified by teachers as having behaviour difficulties across three school clusters. Collaboration between…

Since the passage of the 1975 Education for All Handicapped Children Act and the 1986 PL99-457 amendment, many children aged birth to 3 years with special health care needs are enrolled in early intervention programs. Educators working in early intervention services often need to respond to and manage seizure activity and medical emergencies for…