This volume explores whether the nation's early childhood programs are boosting child development and preparing children for schooling and proposes reforms that would improve the programs. The volume contains contrasting papers on the success of Head Start, Early Head Start, and home-visiting programs and on policies that would improve these three…

This study systematically investigated the influence of direction and frequency of rocking on the activity of two-month-old infants. Of the 84 subjects, 42 were males and 42 females. They were brought to the laboratory at least 2 hours after each feeding and placed supine in a bassinet. Rocking at 60 cycles per minute resulted in a greater…

A prenatal training program as described here can help to prevent some birth defects by providing important information. (MM)

A case of intrauterine cytomegalovirus infection with onset of autistic symptoms apparently after 6 months of age is reported. (Author)

Using 1978 data from the Massachusetts Birth and Death Registry, examined the effects of WIC prenatal participation. Found that increased WIC participation was associated with enhanced pregnancy outcomes, but suggested that other causal factors also should be considered. (GC)

Behavioral scientists are using established experimental methods to show that fetuses can and do learn. The methodology employed and results obtained from several studies are reported. (JN)

Preliminary research findings showed that infants who received systematic prenatal musical stimulation exhibit remarkable attention behaviors, imitate accurately sounds made by adults, and appear to structure vocalization much earlier than infants who did not have prenatal musical stimulation. This evidence could radically modify concepts of music…

Studied the maternal plasmatic zinc behavior at delivery time and the cord blood zinc concentration from appropriate and low-birth-weight full-term infants and appropriate preterm infants. Findings indicated that neither prematurity nor fetal growth delay interfere in maternal or newborn infants' zinc levels. (BJD)

Children (N=434) with nonsyndromic mental retardation were analysed for frequency of prenatal, perinatal and infantile biological disturbances. Mildly retarded individuals of unrelated parentage, both idiopathic and familial, had a strikingly higher prevalence of disturbances than a control group of retarded individuals with consanguineous parents…

Describes knowledge, attitudes and intervention policies regarding fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and fetal alcohol effects among obstetricians and gynecologists (N=1,128) in New York State. Survey results showed that subjects were well-informed about FAS, and almost all advised their obstetric patients to abstain or limit their alcohol intake. (LLL)

The author suggests that more empirical evidence will have to be found before environmental influence can be declared insufficient to the cause of Negro-White I.Q. score differences. (Editor/RT)