Four projects involving high school sophomores, college students, and young women investigated intrafamily violence and incest in southern Appalachia. Relationships of family stress, educational attainment, and family process variables to physical violence and abuse are discussed. Over one-third of women reported at least one incestuous…

Evaluates the effects of an enrichment package on the free- play behavior of black South African children in day care. Aims to assess the short-term effects and cost-effectiveness of such enrichment. Discusses the results in terms of often unexpected impacts that intervention schemes can have in the developing world, even those specifically…

An interview with Christopher Schenk, Britain's Inspector of Schools, reveals his impressions of the differences and similarities of early childhood education in Britain and the United States. Topics included teaching methods, at-risk children, standardized tests, early intervention, family involvement in the schools, funding, and health care.…

This paper asserts that the educational philosophy of early childhood education (ECE) emphasizes child-directed instruction based on children's interests, whereas early childhood special education emphasizes teacher-directed activities that promote the acquisition of specific developmental skills. Research on parent-child interaction that points…

This paper presents a decision model illustrating the role of values in influencing choices between policy options in implementing Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The paper discusses value assumptions, the role of conflicting values in decision making, the concept of an individual hierarchy of values, and implications…

This article describes new approaches to providing physical and occupational therapy intervention services in naturalistic early childhood settings and reviews the limited body of literature examining their efficacy. It offers assessment and intervention strategies that support a normalized approach to intervention and offers suggestions for…

Nine adolescent mothers interacted with their infants in three interaction style conditions differing in terms of stimulation and responsiveness provided by the adult. Results support the position that, by interacting in a stimulating and contingently responsive manner, caregivers increase the likelihood of engagement states that are believed to…

Describes Oregon's Rural Early Intervention Training Project, a University of Oregon master's level training program that includes on-site courses and practicum supervision and summer on-campus course work and practicum. Discusses program philosophy, goals, and objectives; student recruitment process; course work; and evaluation measures. Includes…

Early intervention professionals (n=26) reported that they spend more time with families from cultural backgrounds other than their own in eliciting concerns, attempting to understand the family's needs and customs, and explaining the Individualized Family Service Plan process. Families from lower socioeconomic and educational backgrounds were…

Describes two early intervention projects used on the Navajo reservation. A Head Start teacher training project uses innovative methods built on the Navajo oral tradition. A parents-as-first-teachers project involves Navajo parents reading culturally relevant material to their children, and children reconstructing the story content. (BC)

This study of 142 early interventionists examined self-competence in working with families, value placed on family roles, and concern about family-centered practices, and explored their relationship with experience, discipline, and job category. Nurses and social workers scored higher than educators and other health care professionals in several…

Common values are identified in three theoretical models of early intervention practice (developmental, functional, and biological models), suggesting that professional practice can be guided by such convergent principles as the value of independent mastery of tasks, emphasis on adaptation, and the contingently responsive environment. Two…

This paper argues for the integration of traditional concepts of developmental domains to provide more unified early intervention programing for young children with disabilities and their families. Research is reviewed which supports an integrated approach to child development. (DB)

This paper on speech production in children and youth with hearing impairments focuses on ways to foster clear speech throughout the daily classroom routine and curriculum. It describes elements of the program at the Montreal Oral School for the Deaf in Quebec, Canada, such as early intervention, maximal use of hearing, and parent participation.…

Skills that families gain in coping with transitions at the early ages of their child with visual impairments provide skills necessary for all the life-stage transitions that follow and, thus, are termed marathon skills. The transition programing of the Lighthouse Child Development Center in New York City is designed to develop those skills. (JDD)