Two studies examined developmental outcomes associated with services in inclusive and self-contained preschool classrooms. Children functioning at relatively higher levels of social and emotional functioning performed better in inclusive settings than in specialized settings and children in full-day classrooms achieved higher rates of progress…

This study investigated families of children with autism spectrum disorders using early intervention and early childhood services, as well as the perceived efficacy and developmental outcomes related to the services and service delivery methods. Results indicated that a variety of recommended practices are not being used by families and…

Due to the relatively late age of clinical diagnosis of autism, the early brain pathology of children with autism has remained largely unstudied. The increased use of retrospective measures such as head circumference, along with a surge of MRI studies of toddlers with autism, have opened a whole new area of research and discovery. Recent studies…

Standardized clinical assessments from the point of view of children are rare. A standardized narrative assessment measure, developed to assess children's perceptions of their caregiving environments, the Narrative Story-Stem Technique (NSST), was used with two fraternal twins, age 8, with histories of severe maltreatment and multiple foster…

A range of factors, including early experience, parent-child interaction patterns, biological factors, and life events, have been associated with the development of depression among adolescents. Relations between early experience, attachment insecurity, and later depression may be mediated by failures to develop adaptive social skills, the…

Behavioural and emotional problems occur more frequently in children with learning problems than in a cross-section of the general population, both at home and at school. While behaviour problems reportedly are a key obstructive factor impeding inclusive education, children with both behavioural and learning disabilities carry a high risk of…

SHAPES--an acronym for the South Plains Child Care Management Services (SpCCMS) Helping, Assisting and Preparing Educators and Staff--is also the name of a preschool readiness curriculum that is being developed for use by administrators and teachers. The first phase of the curriculum development consists of the publication of five books to be used…

Based on classroom observations, developmental assessment, individual educational planning, and research, this curriculum describes developmentally appropriate practices to assist adults who work with young children (primarily 3-year-olds) in providing quality care and education. Chapter 1 sets out the study's specific questions, procedures,…

This book discusses the developmental characteristics and needs of preschoolers and how to create an environment that fosters growth in all facets of their development. The four chapters examine intellectual development, social-emotional growth, spiritual growth, and physical development. Each chapter explores the particular needs and…

A nationwide survey was conducted to determine what skills and knowledge kindergarten teachers consider important for preschoolers to have upon entering kindergarten. A sample of 400 randomly selected school districts were invited to contribute kindergarten readiness guidelines and report cards; 78 schools and school districts from the United…

Project Word-Back, an exploratory followup study of 21 young deaf-blind (Rubella) children (6 to 9 years old), was conducted to establish a tentative reference source of information, obtain teacher estimates on selected aspects of the current functioning level of a sample of children, and provide basic data from which hypotheses may be formulated…

The current state of and opportunities for basic research related to child and adolescent development are described in this report. The document was prepared as a resource for developing the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's 5-year plan of research for the years 1983-1987. Five broad areas of research are addressed: (1)…

This study investigated the predictive power of four indices of cognitive style, the intercorrelations of cognitive style with selected cognitive and affective variables, and the test-retest reliability of the Matching Familiar Figures (MFF) test. The social, emotional, and cognitive development of 38 kindergarten children was assessed by their…

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN A CHILD'S SOCIAL ENVIRONMENTS AND HIS DEVELOPMENT WAS STUDIED. A MAIN AREA OF CONCERN WAS CULTURAL DISADVANTAGE AMONG CHILDREN FROM LOWER SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS. THESE CHILDREN NOT ONLY FELL BEHIND IN BASIC SCHOLASTIC GROWTH, BUT ALSO RESPONDED MINIMALLY TO THE FUNCTION OF THE SCHOOL. THE BASIC PHILOSPHY OF THE…

This book is intended for educators who want to know more about the theoretical foundations of the Responsive Education Program (REP), how the program works, how successful it has been, and what is required for implementation. The book also may be useful to instructors and staff developers who are training people to work in the field of education.…