This collection of papers presented at a 1996 conference on children's mental health focuses on early intervention approaches. Papers have the following titles and authors: (1) "Child Maltreatment and Prenatal Exposure to Alcohol and Other Drugs: Some Preliminary Findings" (Patrick A. Curtis and Mary Wood Schneider); (2) "Evaluation…

Child-adult dialogues are important in an interactionist approach to acquisition of language behaviors because of the scaffolding provided by adults. Different forms of scaffolding used with children with and without language impairments are reviewed, and research on scaffolding with children aged 4-6 years is reported. Discourse strategies used…

Scaffolding strategies occurring in interactions between speech pathologists and migrant children are discussed. Various contexts and strategies are first defined, and the role of the concept of scaffolding in different types of research is examined. Finally, a corpus of therapist-child interactions is analyzed, focusing on problems of mutual…

This report is intended to serve as a reference for educators and service providers providing early intervention services and family support to children who have been prenatally substance exposed. The first two sections present information on the extent of the problem noting that 1,200,000 American women of reproductive age use cocaine, alcohol,…

This handbook is intended to assist policy boards and Interagency Coordinating Councils in developing and writing clear guidelines for implementing Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act which mandates early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities. Principles are rooted in a "family systems"…

The Assessment and Intervention Model for the Bilingual Exceptional Student (AIM for the BESt) was designed as a comprehensive service delivery system to help school districts address the educational needs of language minority students. The model incorporates prereferral intervention, assessment, and intervention strategies. Implementation of the…

A survey of the states was conducted, focusing on coordination of services and financing for Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. On average, states reported using some 21 different sources to support the service delivery system, with each of the 44 funding sources listed being used by at least one state for at least 1…

This guide to alcohol and other drug abuse prevention for individuals with disabilities begins with a discussion of Congressional intent in enacting the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), the stressful demands experienced by Americans with disabilities, and the ways in which these stresses may predispose people with disabilities to…

Early Prevention of School Failure (EPSF) is a nationally validated program designed to prevent school failure by identifying the developmental levels and learning styles of children 4 to 6 years of age, and providing materials and teaching strategies to address students' needs and develop their strengths. In 1986-87, EPSF was introduced to the…

This literature review focuses on approaches to measuring and improving the self-concept of young children with special needs. Two particular models dominate the debate on the self-concept construct: the perceptual model (in which self-concept is equated with a self-description formed during the preschool years) and an operational model (in which…

The Bernard van Leer Foundation sponsors nontraditional, nonschool programs designed to improve the chances that preschoolers will enroll in school. In these programs and other informal education efforts, the community facilitator plays an important role. Typically, the facilitator is a member of the community who works without remuneration as a…

This document uses a question-and-answer format in clarifying the meaning and use of the term "informed clinical opinion," which appears in the regulatory requirements for the implementation of Part H of the Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments 1986 (Public Law 99-457) as an integral part of an eligibility determination. The paper…

Information on the implementation of services for preschool children with special needs and their families, acquired from a survey of 60 states and jurisdictions is presented. The information is organized into nine sections reflecting major state activities related to the Part B--Section 619 portion of the Individuals with Disabilities Education…

This report addresses problems associated with school readiness and offers recommendations intended to help the 15 member states of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) meet goals that were adopted in 1988. After discussing the importance of school readiness, the report lists some obstacles to readiness that are especially prevalent in the…

This paper discusses the interagency collaboration between a clinical assessment and intervention program for toddlers offered through the psychiatry department of a large metropolitan west coast medical center and a group home for infants and young children who are positive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The paper presents the case…