Literature review indicates adoption status never really ends for any adoptive family; agencies should help whenever help is needed. For families adopting children with special needs, it is imperative help be available at all times. This involves special considerations. Kinds of services needed are discussed, and program designed to provide those…

Investigated services received, length of treatment, and outcomes of thousands of Asian-American, African-American, Mexican-American, and White clients using outpatient community mental health services. Asian Americans and Mexican Americans underutilized services. African Americans overutilized services and exhibited less positive outcomes.…

Examines rewards and costs to "natural helpers," service-providers separate from any established group. Survey of 19 rural helpers identifies lack of appreciation, time and energy loss, and emotional-spiritual fatigue as costs of helping. Suggests mental health professionals collaborate with helpers. Recommends ways of enlisting helpers'…

This guide to developing a physical fitness and wellness program for preschool children with disabilities stresses a holistic approach to wellness, the importance of play choices and food preferences, play experiences which develop spiritual values and ethics, emotional health, social development, and intellectual aspects of development. (DB)

Discusses why gifted girls are at risk for emotional instability due to the mixed social messages they receive, the lack of mental-health services for gifted girls, and their need for specialized counseling. Urges mental-health professionals to consult with professionals in gifted education to provide appropriate services. (CR)

Evaluates two training programs for asthmatic children, aged 7-14. The first group consisted of patients and their parents who participated in a five-day standardized family-oriented clinical asthma training program followed by monthly training sessions. The second group omitted these follow-up interventions. Results indicate that the first group…

Describes the Children's Health Matters project, which helps eligible families enroll their uninsured children in Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program. Lists strategies to be used by Catholic schools: connect children to health insurance through the School Lunch Program; distribute outreach materials; discuss this issue at…

Outlines four steps to improve social skills interventions that take advantage of the unique environments of schools and increase the likelihood that social skills interventions can achieve individualization and generalization. The four steps are: identifying key skills; teaching the skill in isolation; practicing in controlled settings; and…

The satisfaction of 469 parents or guardians and 387 of their children who received mental health services at 22 community agencies in Illinois was assessed with standardized measures and procedures. Youths' satisfaction was less than that of their parents. Results are used to formulate a prediction model. (SLD)

A New Zealand program was designed to reduce burn and scald hazards in the home. Seven groups of parents and caregivers of preschool children participated. Three months after the program, selected participants had sustained 68% of the positive practice changes they had made. Evaluation also noted barriers to participant change and strengths and…

Adventure-based Counseling (ABC), and in particular low-element challenge courses (LECC), are group-oriented programs that help participants learn to share responsibility, develop cooperative problem-solving skills, and increase self-confidence and well-being. Proposes that an intentional combination of the two programs offers a unique opportunity…

Argues that educational partnerships need to reflect not only collaboration among service institutions and providers, but also an actual integration of basic services. Suggests that a collaborative, integrated, service-delivery system should be the primary basis for allocating new resources to school and community efforts to enhance the safety and…

Issues of health education programming for people with intellectual disability are discussed. Three aspects of health education programming are considered: physical activity, general health knowledge, and social supports for health. Continuity of information is viewed as important in policy development as well as interprofessional coordination and…

Observations and interviews over six months at seven adult mental health day programs in Canada showed how organizational context shapes occupational therapy practice. The social organization of knowledge forms an invisible controlling apparatus that constrains the empowerment of adult clients. (96 references) (JOW)

Articles in this special issue consider different aspects of community-level evaluation research and demonstrate the emerging sophistication and promise of this field. Process evaluation, qualitative research, and meta-analysis are promising new directions for ensuring more appropriate levels of analysis and more appropriate outcomes. (SLD)