Do stage-related patterns of early cognitive development reported for normally developing children also characterize at-risk and handicapped children when mental age organization of data is used? Mental age predicted Piagetian-based cognitive levels one to three but did not predict highest-level symbolic functioning in 95 handicapped children.…

Discusses a study of the relationship between context and a mother's speech to her prelinguistic infant and a second phase which involved 48 mothers and their infants. Results are discussed in relation to a hypothesis that assumes that mothers' speech is determined by particular interactive rules operating in the mother-infant dyad. (Author/SED)

Discusses the need for mother-infant support groups. Provides information for choosing the setting, structuring the group; provides activities and concerns for interaction. (BJD)

Reports questionnaire data from Black teenagers and grandmothers from 101 low-income urban families. Results indicated that grandmothers were more knowledgeable about infant development than were daughters. The presence of a baby seemed to provide the context in which the grandmother helped the young mother acquire information about infant…

Observers coded the behavior of 40 middle-class, traditional couples and their 5-month-old infants, and parents filled out attitude questionnaires. Fathers' sex-role orientation and both parents' views concerning the role of the father were found to be correlated significantly with observed levels of paternal activity. (Author/CB)

Music education for preschool children holds much growth potential for music educators. Parents should be encouraged to sing lullabies to their babies and to provide a home atmosphere rich with music. Music educators should serve as guides to parents in an effort to influence positively the musical development of children. (RM)

Summarizes major ideas of articles in special issue on infant intervention programs. Describes current assumptions about infant stimulation, differences between programs based on the populations they serve, and research findings on the efficacy of infant stimulation. Assesses the future of infant intervention. (KH)

Examines results of a study of samples of babbling production of 6, 8, and 10-month-old infants from French, Arabic, and Cantonese backgrounds. Various judges were asked to identify those infants from their own linguistics community, with the intention of supporting hypothesis of an early influence on babbling of metaphonological characteristics…

This article describes the Zucker Center's program in Toledo, Ohio which identifies children with developmental delays and enrolls them in a demonstration infant stimulation program. The center provides educational programs in neonatal care, nutrition, general stimulation, and parenting techniques. Available from: PS 504 969. (JMB)

Father involvement with first-born infants in caretaking, affective proximal, and social activities was observed in a naturalistic home setting with mothers also present. Fathers were more involved in social activities, particularly play with the infant, than in physical caretaking. (Author)

The authors discuss several studies which invalidate the common presumption that fathers play an insignificant role in the sociopersonality development of their infant children. It is shown that fathers are extremely salient individuals in the lives of their children, particularly their sons. (Author)

This study of 12 white, upper-middle-class mothers and their children was conducted to provide information on how verbal aspects of mother-child interaction are differentiated by sex of the child. Results suggest greater verbal quantity and responsivity for mother-female compared with mother-male dyads. (Author/SB)

Two studies were conducted, one to judge the relative ages of pairs of vocalizations from Chinese and American infants of varying ages, the other to judge the linguistic community of the vocalizer when age was held constant. Judgments were highly accurate in the first study, but not in the second. (Author/RM)

This article summarizes state and community policy activities during the first six months of 2006 and provides updates of the progress to serve infants, toddlers, and their families. The following states are included in the report: (1) Rhode Island; (2) Virginia; (3) New York; (4) Pennsylvania; (5) Nebraska; (6) Ohio; (7) Washington; (8) Arizona;…

This research brief outlines the characteristics of the current workforce serving children ages 3-5 years, and begins the discussion of the needs of the field to implement universal preschool in Massachusetts. Specifically, this brief addresses two questions about the workforce: (1) What are the characteristics, including educational…