Research has shown contradictory results on the relationship of infant attachment security to play and mastery behavior, at times predicting the cognitive quality of play and at other times predicting the affective quality of play. In order to test the hypotheses that, during play, attachment security would predict only positive affect,…

This paper reviews the current literature on the suggested uses of play for assessment, prevention, and intervention with special needs children. The paper also uses case studies to illustrate the ways play is being used to facilitate achievement of early intervention goals and discusses advantages and disadvantages of these uses of play. The…

A sample of 80 families with a 2- or 3-year-old child in day care in one of four popular forms (baby sitter in the child's own home, family day care, part-time nursery program, and full-time day care center program) participated in a study of the effects of forms of care on children's development. Parents and caretakers were interviewed, and…

This longitudinal study identified hard-to-manage older toddlers and younger preschoolers, assessed the developmental course and prognostic significance of their difficult behavior, and delineated family factors possibly associated with early and persistent problems. Obtained from parents, teachers, and observers, cross-situational and…

In this study, everyday mother-to-toddler speech patterns among disadvantaged and advantaged groups were examined in the home environment. The Schachter FIS-C (Functions of Interpersonal Speech of Caretakers) language measuring instrument was applied to mother speech in three sociolinguistic urban groups: black disadvantaged, black advantaged, and…

A supportive father as well as a supportive mother may foster offspring's healthy development. But what the behavior of a supportive parent looks like may in part depend upon whether the parent is a mother or a father. From the beginnings of empirical research on fathers, the father's role in traditional western families has been conceptualized as…

Though personnel preparation programs for interventionists working with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers focus on the same competencies, there is content which is unique to teaching the infant or toddler in the home and teaching a preschooler in the classroom. Content is suggested for training early interventionists to deliver services to…

Differential language development and preparation for school among young children of different racial and social groups has been asserted for decades. A study focused on mother-child interaction in two common activities: reading children's books and telling narratives about both shared and unshared experiences. A socially diverse group of 46…

Using an action research model, this study concentrated on easing the transition into school by providing an induction program for preschool children which promotes the emotional needs of the child within the family. The research followed an ecological perspective, considering individual needs within the frameworks of school, home, and community…

This pilot study used a multidisciplinary, ethnographic approach to evaluate effects of prenatal drug exposure on four cocaine/polydrug-exposed infants and their rural mothers/caregivers and to begin development of a model training program. The study involved document review of hospital and social services records, participant observation,…

To examine parental sex stereotyping of young children, a study was undertaken in spring 1993 of 59 parents and caregivers and their infant and toddler children at child care centers and schools in Arkansas. Interviews and observations were conducted of the parents/caregivers, focusing on the types of toys bought for children, the toys that the…

These three papers report preliminary findings of an early intervention collaboration study on developmentally vulnerable infants and their families in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Subjects, 190 infants with Down syndrome, motor impairment, or developmental delays of unknown etiology, were recruited from 29 community-based early intervention…

This paper discusses the interagency collaboration between a clinical assessment and intervention program for toddlers offered through the psychiatry department of a large metropolitan west coast medical center and a group home for infants and young children who are positive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The paper presents the case…

The paper addresses the development of early intervention programs with hearing impaired infants and toddlers and their families. It stresses the importance of working cooperatively with parents, the multidisciplinary approach, appropriate assessment of both child and family, appropriate intervention including monitoring of progress, and…

In this paper, an overview of children's psychological processes is presented within the context of adoption, foster care, or other type of placement which requires the child to develop the coping skills necessary to continue toward optimal growth psychologically, cognitively, and socially. Findings from a research review indicate that children…