This book reviews research on the effectiveness of early intervention for children with disabilities or who are at risk. Program factors for children at risk and with disabilities, the effects of early intervention on different types of disabilities, and the outcomes of early intervention are explored. Chapters include: "Second-Generation Research in the Field of Early Intervention" (Michael J. Guralnick); "The Effectiveness of Early Intervention for Disadvantaged Children" (Donna Bryant and Kelly Maxwell); "Earliest Intervention for Preterm Infants in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit" (Heidelise Als); "Early Intervention for Low-Birth-Weight Infants and the Path to Second-Generation Research" (Clancy Blair and Craig T. Ramey); "Early Intervention for Children at Risk for Neuromotor Problems" (Amy L. Pakula and Frederick B. Palmer); "Early Intervention for Children Prenatally Exposed to Alcohol and Other Drugs" (Heather Carmichael Olson and Donna M. Burgess); "The Effects of Early Intervention on Maltreating Parents and Their Children" (Douglas Barnett); "The Effectiveness of Early Intervention for Children of Parents with Mental Retardation" (Maurice A. Feldman); "Early Intervention for Children with HIV Infection" (Herbert J. Cohen and others); "The Effectiveness of Providing Social Support for Families of Children at Risk" (Keith Crnic and Elizabeth Stormshak); "Evaluating the Effectiveness of Curriculum Alternatives for Infants and Preschoolers at High Risk" (Donald B. Bailey, Jr.); "Influencing Parent-Child Interactions for Children at Risk" (Kathryn E. Barnard); "The Effectiveness of Early Intervention for Children with Down Syndrome" (Donna Spiker and Marita R. Hopmann); "Early Intervention in Autism" (Geraldine Dawson and Julie Osterling); "The Effectiveness of Early Intervention for Children with Cerebral Palsy and Related Motor Disabilities" (Susan R. Harris); "The Effectiveness of Early Intervention for Children with Communication Disorders" (Lee K. McLean and Juliann Woods Cripe); "Early Intervention for Families of Preschool Children with Conduct Problems" (Carolyn Webster-Stratton); "The Effectiveness of Early Intervention for Deaf Children and Children with Hearing Loss" (Rosemary Calderon and Mark Greenberg); "The Effectiveness of Early Intervention for Children with Visual Impairments" (Philip Davidson and Gayle Harrison);"Influences of Social Support on Children with Disabilities and Their Families" (Carl J. Dunst and others); "The Effectiveness of Specific Educational/Developmental Curricula for Children with Established Disabilities" (Mary Beth Bruder); "Parent-Child Interaction Intervention When Children Have Disabilities" (Jeannette A. McCollum and Mary Louise Hemmeter); "Designing Early Intervention Programs To Promote Children's Social Competence" (Michael J. Guralnick and Brian Neville); "Two Generations of Family Research in Early Intervention" (Marty Wyngaarden Krauss); and "Are Parents' Beliefs about Their Children with Special Needs a Framework for Individualizing Intervention or a Focus of Change?" (Cathryn Booth). (Individual chapters include references.) (CR)