The focus of this curriculum is on prevention of spinal cord injury (SCI) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). The program is aimed at young children because it is during the early years that behavioral patterns are formed which become increasingly more difficult to modify as the child enters adolescence. The curriculum is based on principles of…

This report reviews projects funded during 1989 within the Children with Severe Disabilities (CWSD) component of the Australian Government Special Education Program. The review examined four aspects: (1) identification of those currently receiving services through CWSD funds; (2) description of the type of programs being funded; (3) the role of…

The Early Recognition Intervention Network (ERIN) model provides a technology for observing special needs children, ages 2 to 7, and planning and implementing Individual Education Programs for them. The model is designed to work successfully whether the child is in a mainstream or a special setting, has mild or severe disabilities, comes from an…

These three papers report preliminary findings of an early intervention collaboration study on developmentally vulnerable infants and their families in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Subjects, 190 infants with Down syndrome, motor impairment, or developmental delays of unknown etiology, were recruited from 29 community-based early intervention…

The activities and accomplishments of the Success for All program are described. Success for All is a school-based achievement-oriented program for disadvantaged students in prekindergarten through grade 5. The program is designed to prevent or intervene in the development of learning problems in the child's early years by effectively organizing…

This final report describes the activities of Project Dakota Outreach, an early education program for children with disabilities designed to assist families living in Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Empowerment and Enterprise Zones in Texas, New York, and Minnesota. The major feature of the model is power-balancing, a concept…

This final report describes the Technology Assessment Software Package (TASP) Project, which produced developmentally appropriate technology assessment software for children from 18 months through 8 years of age who have moderate to severe disabilities that interfere with their interaction with people, objects, tasks, and events in their…

This collection of papers presented at a 1996 conference on children's mental health focuses on early intervention approaches. Papers have the following titles and authors: (1) "Child Maltreatment and Prenatal Exposure to Alcohol and Other Drugs: Some Preliminary Findings" (Patrick A. Curtis and Mary Wood Schneider); (2) "Evaluation…

This report is intended to serve as a reference for educators and service providers providing early intervention services and family support to children who have been prenatally substance exposed. The first two sections present information on the extent of the problem noting that 1,200,000 American women of reproductive age use cocaine, alcohol,…

This handbook is intended to assist policy boards and Interagency Coordinating Councils in developing and writing clear guidelines for implementing Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act which mandates early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities. Principles are rooted in a "family systems"…

A survey of the states was conducted, focusing on coordination of services and financing for Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. On average, states reported using some 21 different sources to support the service delivery system, with each of the 44 funding sources listed being used by at least one state for at least 1…

Early Prevention of School Failure (EPSF) is a nationally validated program designed to prevent school failure by identifying the developmental levels and learning styles of children 4 to 6 years of age, and providing materials and teaching strategies to address students' needs and develop their strengths. In 1986-87, EPSF was introduced to the…

This literature review focuses on approaches to measuring and improving the self-concept of young children with special needs. Two particular models dominate the debate on the self-concept construct: the perceptual model (in which self-concept is equated with a self-description formed during the preschool years) and an operational model (in which…

The Bernard van Leer Foundation sponsors nontraditional, nonschool programs designed to improve the chances that preschoolers will enroll in school. In these programs and other informal education efforts, the community facilitator plays an important role. Typically, the facilitator is a member of the community who works without remuneration as a…

This document uses a question-and-answer format in clarifying the meaning and use of the term "informed clinical opinion," which appears in the regulatory requirements for the implementation of Part H of the Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments 1986 (Public Law 99-457) as an integral part of an eligibility determination. The paper…