When a military family has a child with autism, they face all the emotions and challenges that accompany this diagnosis, compounded by the realities of military service: war, extended family separation, frequent moves, varying access to specialized healthcare, and other stressors that complicate and often work against effective treatment for…

The experiences of children's play have a profound impact on all areas of their growth and development. Memories of play can be vivid and detailed. These memories often have a treasured place in our hearts and minds. Educators and parents have a special opportunity to ask themselves, "What kind of memories of play do I hope for the children…

Generally recognized as the standard work in its field, "Behavioral, Social, and Emotional Assessment of Children and Adolescents" provides a comprehensive foundation and guide for conducting conceptually sound, culturally responsive, and ecologically oriented assessments of student social and emotional behavior. It is aimed at graduate…

Aspects covered include federal support for the gifted, identification, the arts, the developmental process, and minority and disadvantaged gifted. Trends examined include cooperation between special and regular classroom teachers, more comprehensive program planning, and greater advocacy efforts. (DLS)

This brief paper offers guidelines on recognizing giftedness in young children based on a study of the developmental characteristics of 77 gifted and average children as reported in parent questionnaires. The questionnaire asked parents to describe their children's development during the first 36 months. Major findings indicated that: parents of…

The article focuses on giftedness in preschool-age children, including: the importance of early identification of giftedness, identification methods, techniques for providing a nurturing environment in the home, needs of parents of gifted children, and school programs for serving the gifted. A bibliography of relevant books and periodicals is…

Discusses the importance of child caregivers' attention to normal development of infants during the first year of life. Gut level feelings about abnormality are significant in early diagnoses of handicapped children. A list of warning signs that indicate problems in motor development is included. (SH)

This special issue of the "CEDS/Newsletter" is devoted to the theme of "preschool, early childhood, and infant assessment." It emphasizes the need for early assessment and intervention with young handicapped children. An article by Linda Pearl, "Issues in Infant Assessment," covers the purpose of infant assessment,…

Intended for use in Florida training programs for caregivers of infants and toddlers with disabilities, this guide presents an overview of the Model of Interdisciplinary Training for Children with Handicaps (MITCH); offers a user's guide to the series; and provides specific information for presenting Module 3, which focuses on meeting the special…

Autism presents parents and families with many challenges under normal circumstances. Autism in a military family magnifies many of those challenges and adds a few more that are unique to the demands of military life and service, further complicating an already complex neurobiological disorder. Military sources indicate that more than 13,000…

This second volume of the Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System (AEPS) Test and its associated curriculum, begins with an overview of the test and a discussion on the purpose and value of the assessment and evaluation of young children. Chapter 3 describes the target population for the AEPS Test and the use of the test with children with…

This first volume of the Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System (AEPS) Test and its associated curriculum, describes the AEPS measurement components for the developmental range from birth to 6 years. Chapter 1 provides a comprehensive description of the AEPS Test and chapter 2 discusses linking assessment, goal development, intervention,…

Information is provided for parents of handicapped children, aged 0-2 years, on the uniqueness of each infant's learning processes and the valuable role that parents and others can play in helping their infants with special needs to make the most of their abilities. The digest examines parents' concerns during the infant's hospital stay and early…

A review of the development of self and empathy in infancy in general is followed by discussion of atypical development, noting that autistic children have a general deficit in development of empathic capacity and physical and representational sense of self. Specific interventions to enhance the development of both sense of self and empathic…

Suggestions are provided on how to identify the preschool gifted-talented-creative (GTC) child, how parents explain away giftedness, how parents can retrospectively understand themselves as GTC, how to deal with problem behavior and the effects of divided parental authority, and how to bring out the best in each child. (JDD)