Background: The emergence of language in the early years is a major developmental accomplishment that underpins learning, enables social interaction and, later, is an indicator of well-being. Learning language is an effortless process for most, but can be challenging for others. There is a need to act early. First, because there are several…

Children in low-income families face a myriad of risks which compromise optional development. Despite this, many children from disadvantaged backgrounds grow up to lead productive and healthy lives. A key contributor to this variability is the family context. This article reviews research on how families exacerbate or buffer children's experience…

This brief summarizes the working paper, "The Science of Neglect: The Persistent Absence of Responsive Care Disrupts the Developing Brain," and explains why neglect, or the absence of responsive, supportive care, can affect the formation of the developing brain, impairing later learning, behavior, and health. The brief also includes…

Article reviews current information about the developmental pathways of risk and resilience and examines the potential for school-based prevention/intervention programs to foster resilience and ameliorate risk. Implications for the delivery of educational and mental health services in schools using this knowledge are discussed. (Author/JDM)

Israeli kindergarten children were ranked on an advantaged-disadvantaged scale, and parent child- rearing attitudes were measured by means of a questionnaire. A strong positive relationship was found between rigid parental attitudes and disadvantaged rankings. Parent attitudes correlated with sociocultural factors, educational level, and national…

This study examines effectiveness of preschool and family intervention in prevention of cultural-familial retardation. It attempts to resolve part of the complex of influences on early intellectual development in those born into seriously disadvantaged environments that could account for the increased risk for certain children to be identified as…