Evaluated methods of family-focused assessment for identifying family strengths, resources, concerns, and priorities. Parents reported a preference for self-report measures--in combination with a structured interview--over the use of self-report measures or interviews alone. Discusses findings in context of assessments for early childhood service…

Recommends that early childhood teachers articulate clearly the reasons for programs for young children that incorporate developmentally appropriate practices, a broad range of learning activity choices, classroom observation techniques for student evaluation, and parent involvement. (BB)

Interviews were conducted with 30 parents of children with developmental disabilities and 30 parents of children without disabilities, all graduates of intensive care hospital nurseries. The experience gave both groups of parents a stronger appreciation for children and life itself. Differences between the two groups included amount of caregiving…

Presents a newsletter that discusses methods parents can use to handle sexual questions or behavior in young children. An accompanying letter to parents addresses young children's sexual behavior and ways parents can respond to this behavior. (GH)

Examines evaluative behavior of parents toward their young children as a function of child gender, as well as relations between parental evaluation comments and children's emotional behavior (expressions of shame and pride). Results with 30 3-year-olds show gender differences in parental evaluation. (SLD)

Differences were examined in parent ratings of social-emotional behavior among 64 preschool-aged children referred for child find screening and assessment and 64 preschool-aged typical children. The children who had been referred were found to have greater social skills deficits and problem behavior excesses than the comparison group. (Author/CR)

An analysis of transcripts from focus groups of service providers and parents of children diagnosed with autism found convergence in the areas of collaboration, family support, financial issues, equity, early identification, advocacy, training, and inclusion. Divergent themes included access, home programming, the law, best practice, and…

A survey of 25 families of children (ages 3-9) with autism and pervasive developmental disabilities found that families interacted with a host of different agencies and professionals to receive services. Many families reported difficulty accessing needed services and minimal involvement in planning or implementing these interventions. (CR)

A mother describes her experience and interactions with professionals concerning the birth, surgeries, and early development of her daughter who was born with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, a condition in which the failure of the diaphragm to form completely compromises the position and functioning of many major organs. (DB)

Evaluates shared parenting (SP), marital satisfaction, and division of child-care tasks in dual-earner families (N=116). Results show that psychological and relational SP dimensions predicted marital satisfaction, parental competence, and closeness to their children, but division of child-care tasks did not. Findings are interpreted to highlight…

Examined associations among poverty, measures of social support, and parents' reports of punitive and unsupportive behaviors, using data from the National Survey of Families and Households. Found that parents' reports of punitive behavior decreased with perceived social support and that the more help received from others, the less likely parents…

A survey (N=22) of the effects of early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) for young children with autism analyzed case reviews and parent questionnaires. Data failed to support any instances of "recovery" while still yielding a high degree of parental satisfaction with the treatment. Continued dependence on extensive educational and related…

Data were collected in a longitudinal study of 134 boys and 132 girls and their families during kindergarten and first grade. Four hours of parent-child interaction were coded to ascertain parent discipline practices. A structured interview assessed maternal attributions about child behavior. Maternal ratings of child conduct problems at…

The stresses experienced by most families include limitations on time, conditions of employment, financial burdens and sibling rivalry. For the families of a child with a chronic illness, these stresses are often compounded, making family functioning problematic. Chronic illness is marked by permanency and the need for ongoing vigilance with…

Parental meta-emotion, assessed through interviews, involves parents' philosophy about emotions and has been found to be related to parenting behaviors and children's emotional and social competence (e.g., Gottman, Katz, & Hooven, 1996; Katz & Windecker-Nelson, 2004). The Emotion-Related Parenting Styles Self-Test is a true-false…