An augmentative and alternative communication device was designed for a nonspeaking, blind, severely mentally retarded 11-year-old. The device consisted of a computer-supported expanded keyboard that produced synthetic speech output when tactile symbols were activated. Described are the assessment procedures, instructional procedures, and…

Seven years after the state began funding preschool programs in 102 low-income New Jersey districts; two-thirds of eligible 4-year-olds are enrolled in these programs, according to a survey conducted by the Association for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ). Preschool enrollment in these districts has steadily increased, jumping nearly 10 percent in…

"Discovering Successful Pathways in Children's Development" provides a new perspective on the study of childhood and family life. Successful development is enhanced when communities provide meaningful life pathways that children can seek out and engage. Successful pathways include both a culturally valued direction for development and competence…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Secretary Spellings Defends Bush Budget on Capitol Hill: Congress Expresses Concern over Education Cuts, Proposal to…

This document contains four papers from a symposium on cost analysis, evaluation, and feedback in human resource development. "Training Evaluation with 360-Degree Feedback" (Froukje A. Jellema) reports on a quasi-experimental study that examined the effectiveness of 360-degree feedback in evaluating the training received by nurses in a…

The Vermont Interagency Coordinating Council for Families, Infants and Toddlers (VICC) was established by federal law to advise the Vermont Department of Education and the Agency of Human Services on the statewide system of early intervention services for families of children with special needs, ages birth to three. In Vermont, the early…

This collection of papers focuses on common influences that result in a number of interrelated risk behaviors, summarizing presentations and discussions from a recent conference at which a group of specialists from different health traditions synthesized current knowledge on the subject. There are 39 papers in four parts. Part 1, "Adolescents…

The Even Start Literacy Program, established in 1989, aims to simultaneously improve the literacy of children and their parents through (1) early childhood education; (2) parenting education; (3) adult education; and (4) parent-child joint literacy activities. The report details findings from the third national Even Start evaluation. The…

This project was designed to provide training to personnel serving infants and young children with disabilities and their families. The outcome was increased capacity for state and local service agencies in Oregon, California, and Idaho to deliver quality home-based services for young children (birth through six) with disabilities and their…

The Family Consultant Model (FCT) was designed to provide training to personnel serving infants and young children with disabilities and their families. This was accomplished through the replication of the FCT Model within local programs presently serving infants, toddlers and their families. Training in the FCT model was provided to…

Otitis media (OM) is an inflammation of the middle ear that is prevalent in childhood. OM can result in hearing loss, which interferes with learning. In Australia, indigenous children experience OM more often than other populations. Because teachers lack knowledge of OM and its effects on learning, affected children are often mislabeled as problem…

This handbook brings together leading authorities to provide a comprehensive account of current knowledge in the early literacy field. The chapters are: (1)"Introduction" (Neuman and Dickinson); (2) "Emergent Literacy: Development from Prereaders to Readers" (Whitehurst and Lonigan); (3) "A Sociocultural Perspective on…

This book is designed to help clinicians and teachers work more effectively with people with learning disabilities and their families. Chapter 1 provides an overview of learning disabilities. It presents commonly accepted medical and educational definitions, prevalence figures, and possible etiological explanations for various disorders. Chapter 2…

Designed for practicing speech-language pathologists, this book discusses different syndrome disabilities, pertinent speech-language characteristics, and goals and strategies to begin intervention efforts at a preschool level. Chapters address: (1) Angelman syndrome; (2) Asperger syndrome; (3) Down syndrome; (4) fetal alcohol syndrome; (5) fetal…

This report identifies and describes practices that support the achievement of students enrolled in five high performing, high poverty elementary schools. Findings indicate that despite variations, the school share many similarities in terms of the strategies they employ to strengthen academic performance: (1) the schools embrace the belief that…