This theme issue focuses on literacy education and prereading activities for very young children who may be at risk for reading failure. It contains several papers, with the following titles and authors: "The Beginnings of Literacy" (Joan Brooks McLane and Gillian Dowley McNamee); "A Book Is a Child's Companion" (Jeree H. Pawl); "What's It Mean To…

This module is part of a training program for foster parents and foster care workers offered at Colorado State University. The module's learning objectives address: (1) the development and promotion of healthy attachment of foster children to their biological and foster parents; (2) identification of attachment problems; (3) management of behavior…

This newsletter issue presents five articles addressing intervention with infants and toddlers having pervasive developmental disabilities. The first article is by Stanley I. Greenspan and is titled "Reconsidering the Diagnosis and Treatment of Very Young Children with Autistic Spectrum or Pervasive Developmental Disorder." This article…

This journal issue focuses on cooperative partnership programs for the improvement of educational services to students with disabilities. The eight articles are: (1) "Partner-Based Prelinguistic Intervention: A Preliminary Report" by M. Jeanne Wilcox (which found the intervention procedures had a strong effect on mother-child dyads); (2)…

The Social Circle (Georgia) School System is in the first year of full implementation of mastery learning in reading and mathematics for grades K-5. In response to a state mandate for competency-based education, the board of education adopted a program which included mastery learning and promotion standards. In order to fulfill the goal of…

Five bulletins of the National Center for Clinical Infant Programs include articles with the following titles and authors: "Infant Day Care: A Cause for Concern?" (Jay Belsky); "Model versus Modal Child Care for Children from Low-Income Families (Donna Wittmer); "Therapeutic Childcare at Merrywood School" (Maxine Siegel); "Individual Differences…

This guide contains a minicourse based upon the content of "About the Middle School Years, Book 3" of the Educational Opportunities in Virginia publications. The minicourse has been designed to help students, with the involvement of their parents, to begin planning for their middle school education. Included in this guide is a sequential…

Provided are summaries of conference presentations discussing aspects of birth, parent/child interaction, and attachment behavior. Material in part I explores perspectives on pregnancy and the perinatal period. Included are discussions of birth in nonindustrial societies, progress in the study of maternal behavior in animals, the physiological…

Three case studies of students (aged 8-13) with emotional and behavior problems are presented to illustrate issues in teacher-parent communication difficulties. Teachers' visits to the students' homes were used as part of a family systems approach in successfully devising a method to reinforce behavior change. (JDD)

This book presents guidance for educators on recognizing and responding to different forms of child maltreatment as well as ideas on the formation of a school reporting protocol and a Child Protection Team. The 11 chapters are: (1) "Why Are Educators So Important in the Lives of Abused and Neglected Children?"; (2) "How Can We…

This guide shows parents how to combine story reading, phonics, and writing to help their children develop into skilled and motivated readers. The guide discusses how to prepare children for reading success; how to use children's literature to promote learning and enjoyment; why combining book experiences and phonics is better than using either…

This book discusses characteristics of individuals with Asperger syndrome that affect behavior, and presents strategies for preventing behavioral problems. Chapter 1, "An Overview of the Characteristics of Asperger Syndrome that May Impact Behavior," discusses specific characteristics that affect cognition, language, socialization, sensory…

Reports on a survey involving 700 students and 300 parents in Volgodonsk, Russia. Itemizes types of leisure activities and hours per week of leisure time enjoyed by students and examines amount of organized leisure. Notes that television viewing consumed much of students' leisure time. Underscores parents' critical influence in determining student…

Parenting is the toughest job there is, and yet, there is very little training. Most parent their children by the methods their parents used. Parenting involves skills that must be learned. Even among good parents there is always room for improvement. This series of workshops is designed for persons who want to be better parents or guardians. Four…

This handbook for educators offers guidance on ways to understand families, family-teacher communication, the process of reinforcing classwork at home, caring for the whole child, and selected resources. Chapter 1 discusses the climate for family involvement, different perceptions of teachers and families, what families want to know, today's…