Reports on a study of Grade 5 children who had been trained in phoneme identity six years earlier. Results reveal that these children were superior to untrained controls on irregular word reading and on a composite list of nonwords, regular words, and irregular words. Preschool instruction in phonemic structure had modest but detectable effects on…

This review of the research concerning developmental patterns of young children with autism finds specific patterns of relative strengths and weaknesses involving cognitive, emotional, linguistic, and motoric capacities. Early intervention strategies that address the unique learning profile of autism and utilize the effective practices developed…

There is a strong relationship between students' socioeconomic status and their levels of academic achievement. Although educators should be held accountable for improving the performance of all students, including those living in poverty, schools alone can't eliminate the negative factors associated with poverty that lead to a large achievement…

Although an extensive body of literature exists on Head Start, only a small part of this literature is program impact research. The body of existing research is inadequate in size, quality, and comparability for use in drawing conclusions about the impact of Head Start in any area in which Head Start provides services. This report from the General…

This paper discusses attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children under the age of five and how parents can cope with the disability. Topics include: (1) the presentation of the disability in children under five; (2) the diagnosis of the disability; (3) different approaches parents can adopt to deal with the disability; (4)…

This analysis of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act focuses on Minnesota's participation in Part H, which creates a discretionary program to assist states in planning, implementing, and developing a statewide system of comprehensive, coordinated, multidisciplinary, interagency programs for young (birth to age 3) children and their…

This paper examines policy options in implementing least restrictive environment (LRE) requirements of federal legislation (Public Laws 99-457 and 94-142), and offers recommendations regarding the array of placement options that should be available in relation to preschool children with handicaps. First, the legal interpretation of LRE is analyzed…

This paper examined 39 longitudinal studies of Head Start children and families, of which 17 reported parent outcomes. Convergent patterns of parent outcomes as well as the research methods used to investigate those outcomes, were analyzed. In-depth analysis of the studies with the strongest research design (for type of study) disclosed that Head…

This guide is one part of a set of materials designed to support an ecological intervention system for families and their special needs children between birth and three. The system is constructed on four premises: (1) intervention is guided by the family; (2) parent-child interactions are the heart of early intervention; (3) family rituals, daily…

This pamphlet explains briefly what is known about attention deficit disorders (ADD), to help parents and educators have a more positive influence on the ADD child's life. It begins with definitions of terminology; characteristics of preschool, school-age, and adult individuals with ADD; and causes of ADD. It discusses special problems associated…

Post structural reader theories--i.e., theories that focus on the reader/viewer rather than the text as the creator of meaning--are considered in this paper in terms of their application to educational media research. Some key concepts of reader theories are defined as follows: (1) reading is the process of creating meaning while viewing an…

Education programs for 4-year-olds may offer unique opportunities for the growth of services for young children. Currently, the role of state departments of education in preschool instruction is evolving; no single approach to public school programming for 4-year-olds exists. Approximately two-thirds of the 28 state and District of Columbia early…

The project sought to clarify the nature and structure of adaptive functioning and to address methodological issues in its assessment, in order to improve placement, evaluation, and instructional decision-making related to adaptive functioning. Project components included: (1) exploration of the structure of adaptive behavior; (2) comparison of…

The paper presents a review of the evaluation research on programs for young (preschool through grade 3) gifted children. Questions addressed concern the effectiveness of various program approaches on measures of general and specific abilities and the nature of existing reports. Topics reviewed include grouping strategies, preschool programs for…

This first volume in a two-part report reviews completed and proposed research studies on learning needs and problems in primary education and describes research proposed for Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, India, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Thailand. An introductory chapter considers the following…