Parents of 53 young children identified for giftedness between the ages of three and five responded to a questionnaire concerning child characteristics, support and availability of specialized services, curricular expectancies, and requested and volunteered services. Among immediate concerns expressed were developing and maintaining the child's…

Telephone interviews were conducted with 39 college-educated mothers of 3-year-old children to examine the conditions surrounding the occurrence of physical punishment. Responses suggest that certain types of misbehavior, notably aggression, were more likely to elicit spanking than other misbehavior. In addition, parents' positive attitudes toward…

A two-year study found that children generally watched children's television programs without parents and adult programs with parents. Children's and parents' coviewing of adult programs was predicted by parents' viewing habits. Coviewing declined with age. Parents who encouraged children's viewing, viewed television with their children more than…

This study investigated viewpoints of 290 parents and 267 professionals concerning early intervention services for infants and young children with disabilities in the light of requirements of Public Law 99-457. Major concerns of both groups related to accessing services, developing Individualized Family Service Plans, and coordinating services.…

A survey of 48 parents of young children in rural Native communities in Ontario examined children's play activities at home; reasons for utilizing the community day care center; and parent attitudes about play, cultural education, the value of the center to the community, and educational activities at the center. (SV)

Describes the development of a project to provide preschool services to disadvantaged children in Dublin, Ireland, highlighting pedagogical approaches and requirements for parental service in place of payment. Discusses research on program effectiveness indicating consistent program growth, regular attendance for most of the children, and high…

Examined sex role socialization and sex-typing in six-year olds from conventional and nonconventional family types. Children from families with strongest sex egalitarian beliefs displayed non-sex-typed knowledge of objects and occupations more often than did children from other families. Across family types, girls had more flexible sex-typing…

Examined the use of the Ages and Stages Questionnaires with 96 low- and middle-income parents on their child from 4 to 30 months. Found that percent agreement between a professionally-administered standardized assessment and questionnaires completed by low and middle-income parents was 80% to 91% and 85% to 93%, respectively. (Author/KB)

A study evaluated Parent to Parent mentoring programs in five states. The 56 parents who participated in the program showed statistically significant positive gains on measures of coping, attitude, and progress on addressing problems compared to 72 controls. A qualitative study provided insight into what makes the program work. (Contains…

Studied influence of parental attitudes about childrearing on the development of 4-year-olds' perception of self-competence. Found parental attitudes of understanding and acceptance were significant predictors of peer acceptance and physical competence. Findings highlighted importance of parents' realistic understanding and expectations of…

Maternal ratings of self-efficacy and involvement in early intervention were compared across two groups of mothers with young children with Prelingual deafness: 24 mothers of children with hearing aids and 30 mothers of children with a cochlear implant. Although mothers of children with cochlear implants rated their child's early intervention…

Post-adoption service use and unmet service needs were examined longitudinally in three matched groups of children: children adopted from Romanian orphanages following a minimum of eight months' institutional experience (RO: n = 36); children from Romania who were destined for orphanages but were adopted early in infancy (EA: n = 25); and Canadian…

This paper presents a review of the literature on toy play in infancy and early childhood, with an emphasis on both normal development and special considerations for young children with disabilities. Specifically, it describes children's encounters with toys within a developmental framework, identifies characteristics of the child and aspects of…

This book looks at children's early development through what are called "touchpoints": times just before a surge of rapid motor, cognitive, or emotional development when, for a short time, children regress in several areas and become difficult to understand. Part 1, called "Touchpoints of Development," is organized around the…

This document is a transcript of a workshop intended to inform conference participants about the experiences of two schools, both members of the League of Schools Reaching Out, which sponsored the workshop. First, the director of the early education program for the Ferguson Florissant (Missouri) school district spoke about her program, which is…