This book presents state-by-state information on 10 indicators of child and adolescent health, education, and social and economic well-being. Indicators were chosen because they represented measures generally comparable across states and widely regarded as reliable. Indicators were: (1) percentage of births with no early prenatal care; (2) infant…

In view of the many factors threatening the survival, health, and cognitive development of the world's disadvantaged children, both in the United States and in developing countries, the Ford Foundation has begun a new program, called Child Survival/Fair Start, to improve these children's chances. In this working paper, Fair Start's overall…

Proceedings from the International Summit on Prevention of Mental Retardation from Biomedical Causes are provided. After a list of participants and summary of the highlights of the conference, the keynote address by H. Moser is presented. The following 13 papers are provided along with workshop recommendations and a list of main points elicited…

The developments in child psychiatry in the past 25 years have been encouraging but represent only a prelude to the significant work that must be done relatively soon to meet the needs of the contemporary child. Before 1940, the desirability of multidisciplinary study of the child had been well established, and child guidance clinics had appeared.…

To help predict physical, mental, and social behavior problems in school age children, this longitudinal study intended to identify the origins of dysfunction and the characteristics which put infants at high risk for future problems. The study provided background data for the development of an operational screening and assessment method. The…

As child welfare professionals have become aware of the impact of prenatal substance exposure on children in the adoption process or who are available for adoption, there is a heightened need for understanding a range of issues connected with prenatal alcohol and drug exposure. This book addresses many of these issues, including the impact of…

Noting recent neuroscience research findings suggesting that caregivers play a vital role in brain development, this videotape explores the process of brain development during the first 15 months of life and presents implications for infant care. Part 1 of the 28-minute video discusses basic infant development and brain research, focusing on how…

Noting that humans develop according to a genetically encoded timeline and that departure from the timeline limits human potential, this book provides an illustrated practical guide to intervention to help children's bodies work as they should, to nurture children along their developmental timeline, to help children learn "from the inside…

This paper discusses the symptoms, causes, and diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and fetal alcohol effects (FAE). It then presents information from biological and adopted parents of 14 individuals (ages 4-23 years) diagnosed with FAS or FAE, based on a parent survey concerning behavioral and educational histories of their children.…

This policy brief addresses the current and future impact of substance abuse by pregnant women on their infants and children. It provides data on incidence estimates in 1985, 1989, 1995, and 2000. Findings of studies in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina provide documentation for varying incidence estimates.…

This bulletin issue addresses the theme of drug-exposed infants and the services required by these infants and their families. "Cocaine-Exposed Infants: Myths and Misunderstandings" (Barbara J. Myers and others) comments on the negative accounts of drug-exposed babies presented by mass media and reviews the mix of positive and negative…

This monograph, which reports findings from the New Jersey Governor's Council on the Prevention of Mental Retardation, discusses the scope of mental retardation (MR), its causes, identification of people at risk, and prevention methods. The Council cites several cost-effective prevention programs, such as vaccination programs and prenatal care…

The reduction and prevention of mental retardation and the role of colleges in intervention are addressed in six articles. In "Current Status of Efforts in Prevention of Mental Retardation," Allen C. Crocker includes information on diseases and conditions that contribute to mental retardation. Kermit H. Diggs' article, "Tertiary…

This book examines the relationships between poverty, disadvantage, and educational failure in a way considered to be more comprehensive and complex than is possible when such an examination is based solely on a concept of cultural disadvantage and defective experience. The mortality of infants and their mothers around birth, held to be both the…

This 34-minute videotape on meeting the special medical needs of children is intended for use in staff development with special educators, regular educators, and school nurses serving children with special health care needs in inclusive school settings. Emphasis is on linking "what we know" in the field of medicine to "how we…