The DEC Recommended Practices provide guidance to families and professionals about the most effective ways to improve learning outcomes and promote development of young children, birth through age 5, who have, or are at-risk for, developmental delays or disabilities. "Assessment: Recommended Practices for Young Children and Families" is…

Almost 300,000 children in the United States from birth to 3 years of age are affected by a developmental disability. Disabilities have a lasting effect on a child's development and, in turn, may have a psychosocial impact on the child's family. In addition, the limitations of a child with a disability are often related to family members' stress,…

Discusses how supportive and accepting day care personnel can help parents of babies with handicapping conditions, such as cerebral palsy, to cope with their problems. (MP)

The empirical support for three theoretical approaches to infant intervention is reviewed, including direct intervention via nonsocial means, direct intervention via social means, and indirect infant intervention via social support to the family. For each approach, underlying theoretical assumptions are identified, and for each assumption,…

The study compared the effectiveness of the Washington State High Priority Infant Tracking Project in maintaining high risk infants in continuing health care, determining health and developmental outcomes, and surveying the use of community resources with other state tracking projects. The project identifies infants during the first 30 days of…

Ten infants, 2 to 11 months of age, who tested positive for cocaine at birth, were assessed by means of the Battelle Developmental Inventory and a questionnaire administered to the infants' foster parents. Seven of the infants evidenced measurable delays that legally (in California) mandated intervention. The most effective caretaking behaviors…

This "feature issue" focuses on early intervention with handicapped children, with an emphasis on: Project EDGE (Expanding Developmental Growth through Education), an early intervention research project initiated in 1968; strategies for developing family-friendly early intervention services; and progress reports from various states and…

The monograph describes the first 5 years' operation of the Iowa Infant Follow-up Program which stresses the early detection and treatment of children at risk for developing disabling conditions. The program has six components: (1) implementing a statewide process for identifying and tracking infants and children at risk for later developmental…

Developmental disabilities and chronic illness can impact the oral health of children in the preeruptive and primary dentition stages. The article covers prevention and management of dental caries; gingival changes; trauma to the primary dentition; sucking, swallowing, and mastication; extraorally fed patients; and factitial injuries. Home-care…

The social work practice arena and professional preparation are described as they relate to infants and young children vulnerable to developmental problems and problems of psychosocial dysfunction. Curriculum structure of accredited Master's degree programs and the model curriculum project of the National Catholic School of Social Service are…

Intended to help developers of early intervention programs for children with developmental disabilities, the book provides philosophy, methods, and procedures based on experiences of the Child Development Center of the University of Tennessee Center for Health Sciences. The first section presents a program description including information on…

The study surveyed the informational needs of parents (N=367) of children, ages birth to 8 years, with disabilities and developmental delay. The questionnaire used, revised for this study, attempted to determine information needs by asking about interests and problems in child rearing through the use of "titles" of articles. It also surveyed…

The paper first points out how important it is for professionals who work with families and infants with developmental problems to be aware of ethnic and cultural differences, and then goes on to discuss some values typically held by Hispanic Americans. Professionals should understand the family's immigration history and status in order to know…

A resource and activity guide for the developmentally disabled that focuses on functional and constructive play is presented. Some basic ideas for fostering dramatic play among the severely developmentally disabled are also introduced. In following a developmental approach, this guide identifies goals and objectives, and explains the relevance of…

The document describes New Jersey's plan to provide services to persons with developmental disabilities (DD). Section I defines developmental disabilities, provides population statistics by age group for 21 counties, and briefly outlines the DD State Grant Program. Section II outlines the organization (including appointment of 12 members who…