In "A Long Poem: Take Time to…", I relate how the people on one city block engaged in a community based "long poem" art project during the COVID-19 pandemic. Arranged in two parts, this paper first looks at the literature on community art and its impact on personal and social health and wellbeing. Second, I describe how a…

Juvenile delinquency intervention and treatment programs have the broad goals of preventing crime and reducing recidivism by providing treatment and services to youth who have committed crimes. The following five statements are presented in this report and based on practices and programs rated by CrimeSolutions: (1) Juvenile awareness programs may…

Children and youth diagnosed with developmental disabilities (DD) are at a higher risk for mental health concerns (e.g., anxiety) and physical health issues (e.g., obesity) when compared to their typically developing counterparts. An intervention that may be able to mitigate and even prevent these issues is physical activity (PA); however, despite…

There is growing interest in Family Navigation as an approach to improving access to care for children with autism spectrum disorder, yet little data exist on the implementation of Family Navigation. The aim of this study was to identify potential failures in implementing Family Navigation for children with autism spectrum disorder, using a…

Significant declines in outdoor activity and engagement with the natural environment are growing concerns with negative impacts on well-being. We pilot-tested an intervention encouraging outdoor activity among adult mentor and child mentee pairs and families, in partnership with Milwaukee's Urban Ecology Center. The study used a mixed methods…

The number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is rapidly increasing throughout the United States. This increase also has an impact on participation in local community programs such as youth sports and recreational activities. The administrators of these agencies and departments will be required to develop and implement…

Engaging families and communities in physical activities for the benefit of children is an extension of the role of a physical education instructor. Although it is possible for a physical educator to generate ideas that encourage families and communities to move, a certified director of physical activity (C-DPA) would be better trained to…

Although parents and families are a valuable resource in substance abuse prevention programs, to date most programs have been community or school based. This article reviews the growing number of family-oriented programs and discusses outcome effectiveness when available. (Author/LHW)

This paper examines factors associated with meaningful family involvement in program planning for community residential services for individuals with mental retardation. It is argued that personnel in placement settings are often ambivalent about more family involvement. Guidelines for involving families at every stage both before and after…

This commentary discusses the limitations of traditional research and the benefits of participatory action research (PAR) that changes the stance of the researcher from dispassionate observer to that of friend, ally, and colleague of the "subject". The use of PAR in helping researchers, parents, and advocates work together in promoting…

The article describes "Parents and Children" (PAC), a Rochester (New York) support organization for families in which one or both spouses are hearing impaired. PAC origins, the goals and purposes of PAC, the types of programs offered, and model replication guidelines for other communities are discussed. (Author/DB)

This collection of papers presented at a 1996 conference on children's mental health research focuses on studies of family participation. Individual papers have the following titles and authors: (1) "Measuring Satisfaction with Community-Based Services for Children with Severe Emotional Disturbances: A Comparison of Questionnaires for Children and…

This document is part of a series of monographs on community-based services for children and adolescents who are severely emotionally disturbed. The series is the product of a national study of community-based service approaches, which identified over 200 programs serving emotionally disturbed children and included visits to several programs…

Describes how family literacy programs help increase adult literacy levels, broaden reading skills for children, and foster good reading habits for all family members. The recipients of Bell Atlantic/American Library Association Family Literacy Project grants are listed, their programs are summarized, and 11 clues that can help determine a…

The Prescribed Pediatric Center (Toledo, Ohio) is a community-based, multidisciplinary program for infants and children with chronic, complex medical conditions. This article describes program beginnings; the planning process; and the program's growth, development, and components. Initial program evaluation indicates positive effects on some…