The digest presents the background and reasons for early intervention with children at risk for handicaps. Early intervention is defined, and three primary reasons for intervention are cited: (1) to enhance the child's development, (2) to provide support and assistance to the family, and (3) to maximize the child's and family's benefit to society.…

Research on the effectiveness of early intervention with handicapped children is reviewed in this information digest. Presented in question and answer format, the digest addresses the following questions: What is early intervention? Why intervene early? Is early intervention really effective? Is early intervention cost effective? Are there…

This annotated bibliography of material from the ERIC database presents 48 annotations on the topic of research on Reading Recovery. The bibliography begins with: (1) a 2-page Education Research Consumer Guide entitled "Reading Recovery" (which defines the topic and answers some pertinent questions about it; and (2) a sample ERIC…

As part of a series on the legal and governmental foundations governing education of handicapped and gifted children, the booklet focuses on the provision of developmentally appropriate services to handicapped infants and preschool age children and their families. An initial section reviews the literature on the benefits of early intervention in…

Noting that Reading Recovery appears to be both effective and fairly non-controversial, this digest discusses aspects of the Reading Recovery program. Elements of the Reading Recovery program and a typical Reading Recovery lesson are described; issues of the importance of teacher education and teacher role in those lessons are addressed; the…

This digest reviews current research on girls' delinquent and violent behavior, the factors contributing to it, and effective programming strategies to prevent it. Girls are more involved in violent crime than they were a decade ago. Their murder rate is up 64%, although status offenses (offenses only because the perpetrator is a minor) continue…

This digest, based on a longer document titled "Alcohol and Other Drugs: Use, Abuse, and Disabilities" by Peter E. Leone, addresses the following questions: (1) "Are students with disabling conditions more likely to use or abuse alcohol or other drugs than their peers?" (usually a "no" response); (2) "Are…

This digest reviews and summarizes what is known about effective school-wide behavioral management systems. Emphasis in such systems is on consistency throughout the building and across classrooms with the entire staff, both professional and nonprofessional, uniformly implementing common strategies. Common features of school-wide behavioral…

This research abstract summarizes two reports titled: (1) "Mainstream Assistance Teams to Accommodate Difficult to Teach Students in General Education" (Douglas Fuchs and Lynn S. Fuchs) and "Prereferral Intervention through Teacher Consultation: Mainstream Assistance Teams (Douglas Fuchs and others). The project investigated a…

This digest reviews a variety of the policies, programs, and practices to prevent youth violence so that local leaders can base decisions on the experience of other communities. The effectiveness of school violence prevention initiatives is increased by public policies that reinforce their message and by community programs that attempt to prevent…

This brief paper summarizes research findings concerning the identification and implementation of effective practices in early childhood intervention for children with disabilities. First, research documenting the effectiveness of early childhood intervention is noted and the importance of developing individualized programs within integrated early…

This digest summarizes the research on effects of the full-service school model on students with disabilities. In the full-service model, schools house a variety of health care, mental health, and related services for children and their families. Examples are listed of preventive services, early intervention services, and intensive treatments for…

This digest summarizes information on incidence in and identification and intervention of potentially suicidal children and youth with disabilities. Estimates suggesting that some categories of exceptional youth have higher suicide rates than the general population are cited. Suicide risk factors and signs that a student is potentially suicidal…

This booklet addresses the difficulties of comparing and drawing meaning from dropout data prepared by different agencies, and examines the characteristics of students--and of schools--that place students at risk for leaving school prematurely. The booklet describes prevention programs and presents evidence on their effectiveness. It reviews…

This brief paper summarizes the current literature concerning youth aggression and violence especially risk, resilience, and prevention. It summarizes risk factors for aggression and violence including child characteristics (e.g., hyperactivity, risk-taking, emotional disturbance), home conditions (e.g., harsh and ineffective parental discipline,…