Early intervention professionals (N=95) rated their own knowledge and skills in 16 areas of competency. The paper analyzes the distinction between knowledge and skills, identification of item clusters, and changes in ratings over time. Findings provide partial support for the usefulness of self-ratings in the context of inservice education. (JDD)

Reviews treatment needs of dual diagnosed, substance abusing and mentally ill mothers. Suggests treatment strategies and programmatic options for serving and meeting needs of these mothers and their children. Devotes particular attention to residential and continuing care services and skills-based interventions for target clients. Concludes with…

Presents views conveyed to Pennsylvania's State Board of Education about what has been learned from poor and quality practices in early childhood education, and how to apply that knowledge to ensure the best education for young children. Recommends public school classes for preschool-aged children to prevent or remediate environmental and…

Children in a model preschool designed to develop planning and problem-solving abilities scored higher than children in comparison preschools on measures constructed to assess planning and problem-solving skills. (BB)

A beverage-server intervention project at two West Coast Navy bases that attempted to reduce levels of alcoholic intoxication via policy changes and server training is described. Data obtained via interviews and structured observations of 1,511 club customers indicate methodological bias and self-selection effects. Bias adjustments were performed…

Examines the use of reading diaries, in which parents of poor readers recorded their child's reading activities at home. Indicates that children made a mean gain in Reading Age Score of 6.3 months after five weeks of using the reading diary approach. Reports positive change in reading attitudes for both parents and children. (MG)

A program was designed for early detection and treatment of cognitive and emotional disabilities of preschool children in day care centers in low-income areas of two cities in Israel. After 10 months of treatment, the 53 children showed improvement in social emotional functioning, cognitive functioning, and competence. (JDD)

This article presents a model and practical suggestions for training teachers to use a case-study approach to training preservice and inservice early interventionists. The article covers necessary resources, a three-stage process in teaching the use of case studies, writing a case study, and collaboration with colleagues. (DB)

Early amplification is crucial to efficient habilitation and development of oral communication skills in hearing-impaired infants. Initial evaluation and fitting of amplification is a joint effort by the audiologist, therapist, and parents, whether the child uses traditional hearing aids or cochlear implants, and should be supplemented by a…

Discusses successes and problems of Head Start. Suggests that Head Start's difficulties relate to its implementation, not its design. Proposes increasing the effectiveness of Head Start through a series of reform strategies that relate to interventions that address the needs of children in child care, preschool children, and school-age children.…

The identification of clusters of behavior that are commonly seen in infants with prenatal drug exposure is discussed, as are intervention techniques that have been successful in hospital and home programs. Reading behavioral cues, modifying the environment, and providing support for the infant's attempts at self-regulation are suggested.…

An augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention to increase vocabulary acquisition by 5 children (ages 7-9) with mild to moderate mental disabilities was evaluated. The AAC communication procedure resulted in higher rates of vocabulary and sentence selection for each of the children; improvement persisted above baseline levels…

Examined the effectiveness of an intervention program to prevent conduct problems among the preschool sons of 104 alcoholic fathers. The 10-month intervention combined parent training and marital counseling and had significant positive effects on the children's negative, prosocial, and affective behavior at program termination. Only the prosocial…

This study compared the effectiveness of two interventions that differed in the nature of dialogic interactions among teachers and students in reading groups. Teacher-interns (n=35) instructed 109 children with mild disabilities in special education resource rooms. Analyses indicated that the intervention featuring dialog, social interactions, and…

Parents of nine preschoolers with Down's Syndrome participated in a training program focusing on phonological skills. Results of analysis of videotapes of parent-child interactions showed that measures of the children's phonological abilities were correlated with their parents' interactional communication skills. (Author/JDD)