This newsletter article describes early identification of children who have hearing impairments in Oregon. Oregon was selected to demonstrate a model system for early identification that had been developed in Utah. A new birth certificate was designed, which enabled the Oregon Health Division to screen for risk factors for hearing loss. A…

This booklet for parents of young children with disabilities describes Colorado's Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) process. It provides information on IFSP guidelines, relates family stories and reflections for families and providers, and describes the values that drive the IFSP process in Colorado. Information is provided on…

This discussion concerns the advantages and disadvantages of using family day care, the most widely used form of day care in the United States. Advantages are that family day care providers generally: (1) accept younger infants than do centers; (2) are often conveniently located; (3) often have flexible hours; (4) provide home-like environments;…

This study investigated whether mothers' responses to their infants' gestures play a role in their infants' vocabulary development. Eight infants were observed interacting at home with their mothers on 2 occasions, when the infants were 10 to 12 months old, and 16 to 18 months old. Videotapes of the observations were transcribed and coded for…

This research review sought to discover the forms of family verbal interaction that nurture language development in infants and toddlers, the function of different family members in this process, and the role of environmental factors in language development. Results indicate that speech to a child is significantly different from speech to an…

This fact sheet presents information about the educare situation in South Africa to illustrate the glaring disparities between the races, until recently officially classified as White, Indian, Colored, and Black. These statistics delineate: (1) the under-6 population by race, geographic, and economic background; (2) costs, fees, and…

This study was designed to assess genetic influence on behavioral inhibition and its varying expression in 92 monozygotic and 86 dizygotic twin pairs. Infant behavior and mother-child interaction were observed and videotaped during structured play sessions at age 14, 20, 24, and 36 months. Analysis of the results suggests that most of the overlap…

This study considered three hypotheses: (1) cultures differ in the extent to which they represent infants as capable of vocal communication; (2) mothers' models of infant communication are influenced by their experiences in school; and (3) mothers' models of infant communication affect maternal responsiveness during the first 6 months of the…

This study examined the interaction between infant behavior and maternal ethnocentric attitudes and expectations. The ethnomethodological approach used in this study was guided by the assumption that it is essential for an investigator to consider the broad cultural context in which behavior is studied. The behavior of 80 African-American neonates…

This ERIC Digest briefly reviews studies of maternal employment, child care settings, and links between children's development and family and child care influences. Studies of maternal employment suggest that infants' positive relationships with caregivers may compensate for insecure attachments with mothers. If future research supports this…

Attachments of African-American infants should be studied with a focus on cultural practices involved with multiple caregiving. Assessments of African-American infant attachments that use standards of a culture in which care is provided by a primary caretaker should be replaced by assessment based on the cultural perspective of African-Americans.…

The lessons developed in this guide were designed for pregnant teenagers and teenage parents enrolled in the Wisconsin School-Age Parent (SAPAR) Program. The lessons can also be adapted for use in non-SAPAR courses such as family and consumer education, health, and language arts. The guide has eight chapters: Introduction (a preliminary lesson…

The manual presents policy and procedural information drawn from early intervention programs for handicapped infants and young children. Materials are based on the Infant Development Center (IDC) in South Portland, Maine, a state program for handicapped children from birth to 5 years old, and on the Washington County Children's Program (WCCP), a…

Collected in this textbook are approximately 30 brief articles and related materials concerning the traits, development, nurturing, and education of children from infancy through early childhood. While varied, material in each of the six sections generally centers on (1) characteristics, traits, and developmental issues in infancy, preschool and…

Reported in this paper are preliminary results from a study designed to examine the development of self-esteem and mastery of mothers with infants of very low birth weight (VLBW). (The term "self-esteem" is defined as the degree of positive or negative self-regard reported by an individual, and "mastery" is defined as the…