The Cooperative Parent Infant Institute sponsored by the Iowa Department of Public Instruction and the Iowa School for the Deaf has served 85 preschool age hearing impaired children since 1978 by providing (1) a parent education program, (2) supplementary diagnostic evaluations, and (3) a family centered recreation program. (Author)

An interview with early intervention specialist Diane Bricker focuses on such questions as the effect of federal cutbacks for early childhood education, status of mainstreaming for preschoolers, effective intervention models, successful parent involvement, curriculum development and evaluation, and learning in the at-risk infant. (CL)

Provides English translation of a French study of legislation and programs providing preventive medical and social services to pregnant women and young children. Discussed are legislative objectives and organizational levels, strategies and modes of executive action, the contribution of social security to medical protection for mother and child,…

Describes an effective, cost-efficient method of intervention with families of failure-to-thrive infants which employs supervised social work students to model nurturing and provide support services to mothers. (Author)

Qualitative differences in videotaped mother/infant interactions were found to differentiate four groups of mothers (abusing, neglecting, problematic, and adequate) based on the mothers' welfare service status. Infants were found to display three patterns of interaction: passive, cooperative, and difficult. The original investigation and a…

Infants 8.5 and 9.5 months of age were tested for ability to determine the location of an object hidden in one of two covered containers before their left-right positions were reversed. Only the older infants provided with different colored covers to their containers were able to do this task. (Author/DB)

Analyzes the causal relationships of the fertility differentials of 2200 married women in a small Korean town. Notes the effect on fertility of socioeconomic status, age at first marriage, family background, and various family planning strategies (contraception, abortion). Discusses a process model on fertility. (Author/SB)

Critically reviews the concept of "bonding," exploring its empirical basis and the implications that follow from its application in practice. Among the conclusions reached are that there is a tendency to oversimplify attachment phenomena and that the notion of a sensitive period for attachment has no direct empirical support. (RH)

Examines mother characteristics, child behavior, and mother's temperament ratings when their babies were 4 months old. The social status, anxiety level, and mental health status of the mother were all related to temperament ratings on the Carey Infant Temperament Questionnaire. Results suggest that individual differences in mothers may be the…

Studies reporting predictions from assessments of infant recognition memory to later developmental performance and IQ are critiqued. Inelegancies in design, procedure, and analyses are noted. While this approach may have potential, its utility for practical or clinical purposes is still not demonstrated. (Author/RD)

Reviews recent research on mother-infant communication that takes into account both the infant's and parent's influences in interactions. Topics discussed include varieties of infant communications, cross-cultural research, the beginnings of communication patterns, assessment of communication effectiveness, and sequelae of differing mother-infant…

Results indicate that (1) social support is the best predictor of secure attachment and is most important for mothers with irritable babies, (2) maternal unresponsiveness is associated with resistance during reunion episodes and appears to be a mechanism through which anxious attachment develops, and (3) social support may mitigate the effects of…

Effects of sex and birth order on interactions between mothers and their six-month-old infants (matched in social class, infant's birth order, and sex) were studied using different sequential behavioral analyses. Results for each method are discussed. (Author/AEF)

Discusses implications of lateral dominance in infants for infant stimulation and development as well as implications for parents and teachers. (Author/DB)

Reviewed are language research thrusts of the 1970s relevant to language-delayed children: the change in focus to communication, rather than vocal requirements, and examinations of caretaker-infant interactions. Concerning language intervention with severely delayed children, language content and use objectives are identified and parent…