Discusses ways for caregivers to improve sensitivity to cultural and individual differences and increase communication across cultural barriers. Offers suggestions for managing and resolving conflicts related to caregiving practices. (LB)

Examined relationship between personal assistance and level of productivity, using sample of 30 Japanese adults with severe physical disabilities. Found that married individuals who used nonfamily, paid assistants were among most satisfied; and married, older, and less educated individuals were among most productive. (Author/NB)

Spoken communication between residents (n=10; ages 12-21) and staff members in an institution for people with mental retardation was examined. Findings suggest that staff members and residents differed in their use of topics, with staff members talking primarily about instructional and behavior management topics and residents focusing mostly on…

In two experiments, mothers told their infant and an adult a story that involved target words, and women taught an assembly procedure involving novel terminology to another adult. In speech to infants, mothers positioned focused words on pitch peaks, but in speech to adults, the emphasis was more variable. (BC)

Analyzed "if" sentences in conversations in the homes and preschools of four-year-old children. Parents and teachers used "if" more often than did children. Children and parents did not differ in the proportion of "ifs" that had the linguistic properties of a conditional premise. (BC)

Examined the relationship of caregivers' beliefs and behavior to personal and professional background and work environment. Studied the quality of care in family day care homes in Israel in terms of the caregiver's behavior. With the exception of the attribution of influence, caregivers' beliefs were not related to their background or work…

Developed and administered 17-item instrument to assess knowledge of specific mental health problems (depression, agitation, disorientation) and behavioral approaches to them to 191 nurse's aides and 21 clinicians with training in behavioral management and experience with older nursing home residents. Aides averaged 11 correct answers; clinicians…

Used a cross-sectional natural language database to investigate the parent-child conversations of 3-, 4-, and 5-year olds. Found that 4-year-olds and, to a greater extent, 5-year olds reliably used explicit contrastives. All the children regularly elicited mentalistic responses from their parents and, in some cases, these parental responses were…

Proposes that providing prosocial curricula in child care facilities will aid in resolving problems related to potential antisocial behaviors. Describes 30 teacher tools for creating a classroom environment to facilitate prosocial interactions and cognitive competence, including teaching words for feelings, using bibliotherapy, being aware of…

Parents of 116 adult children with mental retardation were evaluated for family sense of coherence, social support, family adaptability, family cohesion, and family adaptation. Results indicated that family sense of coherence, social support, and family adaptability (but not family cohesion) made a significant contribution to family adaptation.…

Notes that caregivers, parents, and teachers struggle with discipline; suggests that examination of possible causes of unacceptable behaviors may lead to understanding. Contends that reflection rather than reaction can promote positive outcomes as five basic issues contribute to child behavior: (1) developmental stage; (2) individual difference;…

Identifies conceptual and methodological strengths of Hawley and Little's article and commends the pedagogical value of the approach taken. Notes that questions still unanswered concern the validity of adult caregiver perceptions of social dominance, the relationship between competition hierarchies and hierarchies based on directed agonism, and…

Author of the landmark work "Baby and Child Care," Benjamin Spock changed how parents and indirectly professional caregivers raise children. Spock believed all infants are inherently good and discipline is mistakenly identified with punishment. He felt quality child care was essential to successful development and play for infants and…

Readiness to learn is a constant state. Two critical aspects of early childhood provide parents sufficient understanding of their child's development: attachment and brain development. Children develop attachments to caregivers but need consistent parental care and love. Human brains continue to quickly grow during the first two years of life.…

Presents a case study of the process of change as two university-based child care programs move toward full inclusion of special needs children. Describes the critical patterns of change that emerged, focusing on the impact of change on staff and program. Highlights themes of change that indicate there are some conditions necessary for change to…