Describes the provisions of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, also known as the Welfare Reform Act, and discusses implications for young children with disabilities, their families, and early-intervention programs under Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. (DB)

Review of the literature on early development of typical and abnormal stereotyped and self-injurious behaviors found that such behaviors usually reach a maximum at age 2 and then decline but may increase again when the child reaches school age. Findings suggest that the second year may be a sensitive period for emergence of abnormal stereotyped…

This paper describes guidelines for reporting findings from studies using single subject methods, an approach from which early intervention has benefited substantially. Guidelines address: the foundations of the study, what was done to whom under what situations, what the data say, and what the findings mean. (Contains references.) (DB)

Reply by the current author to the comments made by R. A. McWilliam, R. N. Roberts and Andy Gomm on the original article. All three commentaries are addressing a common theme that service coordination is not receiving the attention it deserves by state and local early intervention systems and programs. The responses contain a number of key points…

Using data from the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project, this study analyzed the similarities and differences of variables associated with child care services for low-income families with young children with disabilities and low-income families with typically developing children. Four major variables were analyzed: access to child…

Parents (N=229) of young children with handicaps in 10 states evaluated the Family Needs Survey, one instrument sometimes used to develop Individualized Family Service Plans. Overall, parents felt the survey to be useful in communicating useful information to professionals. The survey was equally acceptable to minority and low income parents.…

This research review on parents' role in identifying their young children's disabilities through screening and assessment focuses on the relationship between parent report and the child's tested performance, variables that may affect parent-professional agreement, the effect of such disagreement on the usefulness of parent reports, and how and…

Comments on an article by Marisa G. Macy, Diane D. Bricker, and Jane K. Squires. This commentary presents a distinction between curriculum-based assessment (CBA) and curriculum-based measurement (CBM). CBA has been linked to a mastery measurement model whereas; CBM has been linked to a general outcome measurement model. The primary difference…

Early childhood intervention requires assessment procedures that are designed and field-validated specifically for young children with disabilities, capture real-life competencies in everyday routines, help plan individual programs, and document incremental improvements in developmental competencies. Conventional tests and testing, which have…

The Early Childhood Outcomes (ECO) Center was funded by the Office of Special Education Programs to promote the development and implementation of child and family outcome measures for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with disabilities. An evidence-based process with extensive stakeholder input led to the identification of five outcomes by which…

This study examined mother-child interaction as a predictor of mastery motivation (i.e., persistence on a problem-posing task) in 3-year-old children who were born premature and had either motor impairment or developmental delay (n = 34). Two aspects of mother-child interaction were hypothesized to predict for mastery motivation: response to…

Results are reported from an analysis of the research literature including children with disabilities (birth through age 5), their families, personnel who serve them, and policies and systems change strategies related to the provision of services. Analysis reveals trends in research methods and for studying particular topics and information about…

The Social Strategy Rating Scale, which measures social competence in young children with disabilities across multiple contexts, was completed with 47 toddlers in 3 social settings over a 16-month period. The scale exhibited relatively high interobserver agreement across items, high internal consistency, and sensitivity to skill changes over time.…

This response to a paper (EC 624 771) on the early development of stereotyped and self-injurious behavior in infants and young children considers reasons why such behaviors are maintained in some individuals. The use of functional behavioral assessment suggests these behaviors are influenced by environmental factors including attention, escape, or…

The accuracy of 3 developmental screening tests administered to 89 young children was compared. The Battelle Developmental Inventory Screening Test was more accurate than the Academic Scale of the Developmental Profile-II and the Denver-II, identifying correctly 72% of children with difficulties and 76% of children without diagnoses. (Author/JDD)