The age at which women marry and bear chldren can influence their health and well-being and that of their chi dren. This fact is at the heart of the analysis contained in this document which was a result of a study of the World Fertility Survey (WFS) and other data pertaining to global demographics. The document is comprised of seven sets of…

This poster-size data sheet presents population estimates and selected demographic indicators for the nation's 281 metropolitan areas. These areas are divided into 261 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) and 20 Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Areas (CMSAs), reporting units which replace the Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas (SMSAs)…

This newsletter theme issue focuses on the training of practitioners to work with infants, toddlers, and their families with emphasis on the activities of the TASK (Training Approaches for Skills and Knowledge) Project of the National Center for Clinical Infant Programs. The TASK project addresses the concerns of four "stakeholder" groups:…

The story of the Austin Groups for the Elderly (AGE), a conglomeration of service agencies serving older adults and children, is related in this document. The agencies' decision to coordinate services as much as possible and to share a building to facilitate coordination and lower costs in financially difficult times is explained. The activities…

A resource and activity guide for the developmentally disabled that focuses on functional and constructive play is presented. Some basic ideas for fostering dramatic play among the severely developmentally disabled are also introduced. In following a developmental approach, this guide identifies goals and objectives, and explains the relevance of…

The primary purpose of this study was to examine uneven early development in premature infants. A multiple regression analysis was performed in which birth weight, length of gestation, length of assisted feeding, and length of ventilation were used to predict the descrepancy between a child's Psychomotor and Mental Scale scores on the Bayley…

The booklet contains the U.S. Government Report which accompanied the Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1986 (Public Law 99-457) and a commentary on the law written by the National Center for Clinical Infant Programs. The bill is intended to establish a federal discretionary program to assist states in developing and implementing an…

A study examined both the structure and the content of picture book interactions of 30 mothers with their 12-, 15-, or 18-month-old children. Interactions were videotaped in a laboratory playroom. Among the factors observed were the nature of the two partners' contributions as a function of the child's age, and the extent to which the mother gave…

The purpose of this practicum was to develop an on-site training program for latchkey family day care home providers. Practicum objectives were to (1) develop a pilot project involving three family day care homes in Pinellas County, Florida; (2) assist caregivers in meeting the annual training requirements; (3) design and implement, on-site, a…

Using five key indicators of nutritional status (dietary intake, biochemical tests for circulating levels of nutrients or their metabolites, anthropometric measures, low birth weight and infant mortality rates, and food, health, and income assistance program participation rates and benefit levels), this 1-year research project identified national,…

This hearing concerns problems and solutions related to working parents' need for day care services. Testimony focuses on (1) research findings, social trends, and public issues related to the need for day care; (2) infant and toddler care, day care options, school-age day care, and latchkey children; (3) the need for public funding for day care…

Discussing findings from three studies, this report focuses on questions mothers ask their children while looking at picture books and recent family photographs. In the first study, 30 mothers and their 12-, 15-, and 18-month-old children "read" a simple ABC book that had one picture for each letter in the alphabet. In the second study,…

This manual outlines a coding system for the categorization of social action performed in talking, in the context of mother-infant interaction. The system, constructed for investigating the acquisition of language for social-communicative purposes, codes talk on two levels: the single utterance, and the interchange. Both kinds of units are defined…

The report highlights eight children's programs found to be fiscally effective by evaluations completed in the last 5 years. Each of the programs is addressed in terms of evaluation findings from specific studies. The following eight programs are examined (sample findings in parentheses): (1) WIC-Special Supplemental Food Program for Women,…

Home movies of eight normal children and eight children later diagnosed as autistic were analyzed based on: (1) Piagetian criteria of sensorimotor development and semiotic functioning, and (2) developmental levels of action competencies. The age range covered was 4 to 42 months of age. The analysis showed that, from the second year of life, timing…