This newsletter issue focuses on toys, games, and activities that entertain special needs children and sharpen their ability to think, speak, and play with others. Play is beneficial to special children as it develops their creativity, helps them explore their environment, allows them to socialize, and provides opportunities for them to act out…

Part of a series on early childhood demonstration programs designed to improve early parent-child relationships, stimulate positive child development, and prevent later behavior difficulties, the pamphlet describes the Child Research Project at the University of North Carolina, in which parents were trained to act as cotherapists with their…

Within the context of President Bush's Reading First and Early Reading First initiatives to improve early literacy skills for preschool children and reading literacy skills for primary children, a national invitational conference on successful reading instruction was held in Washington, DC, on November 12-13, 2001. It focused on determining how…

This document is comprised of the one issue in volume 5 of "Bridges," a publication produced by the California Head Start-State Collaboration Office to detail the activities of the educational partnership and to provide relevant information to programs participating in the partnership. The Fall 2000 issue focuses on children with…

This article discusses Medicaid's EPSDT (Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment) program, which is a significant funding source for a wide variety of early intervention services for Medicaid eligible children. Strategies and questions that can help clarify and improve programs in each state are discussed, and important issues to…

This article examines three strategies that seem to hold particular promise in addressing the root causes of aggressive, violent behavior among young people. These strategies are improved health and counseling services for expectant and new mothers, particularly those at risk for child abuse or neglect; school reform that emphasizes the importance…

This study examined the current costs of preschool education in Scotland. Eleven preschool centers were studied in order to facilitate identification of key issues and to assist in designing the main questionnaire. Study findings indicated that main issues were the extent of between-center differences, information availability, and the use of…

The National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) was established to work with states and other policy groups to develop a model of educational outcomes for students with disabilities and to generate a list of indicators of these outcomes. NCEO developed a technique named Multi-Attribute Consensus Building (MACB) to build consensus among…

This set of newsletters presents a developmental perspective on gifted students from preschoolers to adolescents. Included are such regular columns as "The Hidden Gifted Learner,""Parenting the Gifted,""Instructional Strategies,""Creative Ventures and Encounters,""The Reading Room" (a book review column), "Personality Plus,""Adolescent…

This document consists of the two issues of this newsletter published during 1994. Issues contain articles and employment notices of interest to Montessori teachers and school administrators. Feature articles include: (1) "Meaningful In-Service Comes from Within Our Own School" (Anne Blickenstaff and Nancy Hildick), which discusses one…

This issue of the "Early Childhood Bulletin" identifies and discusses issues of concern regarding financial support for parent members of Interagency Coordinating Councils (ICCs). Information gathered via letters, conversations, and interviews with parent ICC members from around the country is summarized. The article consists of six…

This issue of the "Early Childhood Bulletin" describes some of the ways in which parents are learning to speak out on behalf of young children and their families being served through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part H early intervention programs. The document consists of four sections in which parents share…

This issue of a research journal on gifted education explores various aspects of the new talent-oriented approach to intellectual functioning and development. It examines the role of the family in talent development, career development of talented individuals, and the characteristics of ideal teachers for the gifted. Specific articles include: (1)…

The main private organization in Germany dedicated to combatting drug addition--the DHS and the Federal Health Information Agency (BzGA) jointly estimate the number of persons addicted to "illegal" drugs in Germany at around 200,000. Yet, people may grow up immune to drug addiction if they acquire a stable basis for self-confidence and…

This bulletin deals with the critical shortage of qualified professionals in special education and related services which seriously hinders the nation's ability to serve the growing number of children and youth with disabilities, birth to age 21. For every 10.5 special education teachers now employed in the nation, school systems report needing…