A peer modeling procedure was shown to induce swallowing in a young child with dysphagia, and to increase food acceptance in a young child who consistently declined food. A peer-mediated procedure, consisting of rotated opportunities to consume food with a peer, increased consumption more than did modeling alone. (Author/JDD)

Examined middle and lower class Anglo-American and Puerto Rican mothers' sociocultural values and perceptions of attachment behavior. Anglo mothers focused on self-confidence, independence, and autonomy, whereas Puerto Rican mothers focused on obedience, relatedness, and demeanor. Findings indicate the need for culturally sensitive models of the…

Describes a high school day care program which allows teenage mothers to stay in school and provides their child with school readiness opportunities. (BB)

Comments on a study that reported positive effects of a neurobehavioral-intervention approach on motor skills of young children with cerebral palsy. Discusses problems associated with contrived research situations and urges researchers and practitioners to join together to design and investigate the effects of new interventions. (CR)

Examined how child and family factors influence individual differences in the language development of African-American children between 18 and 30 months of age. Found that vocabulary and utterance length increased linearly. Children from more stimulating and responsive homes had larger vocabularies, used more irregular nouns and verbs, and had…

This article describes the use of measures of functional assessment of essential activities in self-care, mobility, communication, and social cognition in preschool children. An overview of functional assessment is provided, and psychometric properties of the various tests are described. Case studies illustrate the value of using functional…

This reaction to an article (Bailey, 2001) that describes three potential levels of accountability for providing family support in early intervention and preschool programs, recommends helping all family members of children with disabilities, helping parents identify programs in the community, and identifying the most appropriate professionals for…

This article presents an overview of personality disorders in adults and suggests strategies for early interventionists to use in interacting effectively with these families. Three vignettes of parents with personality disorders accessing the early intervention systems are provided to illustrate the challenges and suggested techniques of working…

A study explored how six childcare providers who have included children with special needs are able to provide care on a daily basis. Factors included the providers' commitment, finding the balance between resources and needs, problem-solving with parents, access to emotional support and technical assistance, and access to other supports.…

Argues that reading children's picture books to babies is an underestimated resource for addressing parenting skills and developmental issues, for providing emotional attachment and satisfaction, and for promoting basic literacy. The program "Read to Me" is described as an inexpensive, nondidactic and pleasurable intervention model for use with…

Explored practices around transitioning infants/toddlers to new classes. Responses to mail survey indicated that relatively few programs provided caregiver continuity. Most programs considered attainment of developmental milestones, age, and available space when making transition decisions for infants/toddlers. Most centers used a few practices to…

The early childhood years are critical for literacy development, and there is evidence that the home environments of young children with delays or disabilities are not as rich in literacy opportunities as those of their typically developing peers. The purpose of this study was to obtain information about how parents of infants and toddlers with…

This article discusses how teachers and parents can help build children's communication skills. Children's language develops in predictable stages. Here, the author outlines these stages. She also gives suggestions to parents on how to help build their communication skills at home. Language learning takes place throughout the classroom. The author…

Forty-eight toddlers aged 17 to 31 months attending long-day childcare participated in this project, which examined some of the influences of the day-care context on their emerging pretend play. Ninety minutes of video-taped observations were collected for each participant as they engaged in free play with their same-age peers and their…

"The Oxford Handbook of Deaf Studies, Language, and Education, Volume 2," is an updated edition of the landmark original volume. A range of international experts present a comprehensive overview of the field of deaf studies, language, and education. This area has grown dramatically over the past forty years. From work on the linguistics…