Urban children are exposed to lead through the air they breathe, the water they drink, and the food and nonfood substances they ingest. The history, diagnosis, and treatment of lead poisoning in these children are discussed. Includes information on the toxicology of lead and the various risk classes. (JN)

Part I of this report is organized around six dimensions of the quality of life of children in New York City: the demography of the City, the characteristics of families with children, children's health, children's ability to learn, the situation of children living away from home, and crimes committed against and by children. Public expenditures…

Proposes a model for understanding child and adolescent achievement problems. Suggests four dimensions of a family's learning environment: (1) family communication deviances; (2) family structure; (3) family attributions; and (4) family achievement values. Offers metaphor of family as "primary classroom." (Author/ABL)

The goal of this commentary is to focus attention on the various protective factors examined by the four studies of this special issue, in order to predict resilient functioning. These factors include internal factors (cognitive information processing, affective information processing-the attachment-proximity conceptualization) as well as external…

Children of alcoholics/addicts (COAs) are at a greater risk to develop alcohol and drug dependency, eating disorders, attention deficit disorders, stress-related illness, and suicidal behavior. Children become part of a conspiracy of silence by being told not to talk about the drug problem. The family members assume different roles which…

Compares five perspectives that account for children's adjustment to divorce. Perspectives discussed refer to absence of noncustodial parent, adjustment of custodial parent, interparental conflict, economic hardship, and stressful life changes. Derives hypotheses from each perspective and examines available studies for support. Sees need for model…

Presents theoretical model describing practice of psychiatric residential treatment for children and adolescents. Emphasis is on 40 practice principles, guiding concepts which dictate specific treatment techniques and administrative procedures for Southern Oregon Adolescent Study and Treatment Center. Groups principles into six clusters: program…

Notes that trauma of child's death challenges parents' worldview. Demonstrates how the task of affirming or remolding one's worldview is consistently intertwined with parents' continued interaction with inner representation of their dead child. Data are presented from 10-year ethnographic study of self-help group of bereaved parents. (Author/NB)

The paper discusses research and research applications regarding the exceptional child and the physical environment, and presents ways in which space can have an impact on learning and development. An argument is made for the creation of research based design principles based on knowledge of the relations between the physical environment and the…

Reviews possible strategies for reducing isolation and increasing cooperation of children in the school environment and in the community. Suggests ways that children can effectively work together such as problem-solving teams, support groups, and intergenerational programs. (JAC)

Understanding how children think about the needs of animals may aid bridging from how they care about individual animals to caring about the environment more generally. This study explored changes with age in children's conceptions of animals' needs, including how such conceptions may extend beyond the individual animal to larger systems and…

Children and adolescents have different understandings of death. For the baby, death is equated with separation. For toddlers, grief occurs when they realize the person is not returning. The preschool child who tends to live in the present with no clear concept of past or future will not understand the finality. Around ages 4 and 5, death is often…

Both the increased frequency of divorce and the resultant increase in single-parent households have experienced dramatic increases since World War II. In many instances, divorce is a major disruptive experience that imposes primary impact upon all family members. Characteristically, various levels of adjustment are required of family members amid…

Reviews the history of primary prevention in public and mental health, with special focus on the prevention of emotional problems in children. Emphasizes the need to approach prevention efforts from understanding causes of mental illness in the context of general social conditions, rather than from an individual perspective. (Author/MJL)

Stress is a part of the normal process of growing and developing for children. A stress situation is composed of anxiety and stress. If coping strategies are inadequate, depression can result. Four categories of stress include time, anticipatory, situational, and encounter stress. It is important to recognize unsuccessful defense mechanisms…