Maintains that early childhood professionals in Australia and elsewhere need to: (1) consider their roles in a dynamic community with an uncertain future; (2) make known the purpose of early childhood services; and (3) meet the needs of young children and their families. (BB)

Discusses an effort to critically evaluate research relevant to the education of children under five. The effort involved a report on the implications of the research for policy, practice, and further research. (Author/BB)

Examines the level of imaginative and social play of children in relation to family structure (single parent household versus dual parent household), maternal level of stress, and mothers' beliefs and attitudes about play. (BB)

Discusses the impact of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) on the developmental processes of infants. Excerpts from three case histories are presented to highlight physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive impairment in infants. (Author/BB)

Investigates the extent of similarity in the sequence of development of concepts in children with Down's Syndrome, children with other forms of retardation, and nonretarded children. (Author/BB)

Discusses developmental characteristics and needs of kindergarten children; environments that meet these children's needs; and the roles of kindergartens, public schools, and society in meeting the needs of kindergarten children. (Author/BB)

Evaluates effects of age of initial intervention on hearing-impaired children's academic achievement, social-emotional adjustment, and speech comprehension. Early intervention was not associated with improved performance in any dependent measures. (Author/BB)

Compared trisomy-21 infants whose parents were trained in vicarious techniques with those whose parents were trained by written instruction. Significant differences in gross motor and language development favored vicariously trained parents. (Author/BB)

Evaluates five themes of the race debate in education and social work: identity, assimilation, compensatory provisions, pathology, and integration/cultural pluralism. Outlines a broad approach to multi-cultural, anti-racist child practice. (Author/BB)

Focuses on factors that can contribute to stress in young children due to family relocation and strategies to smooth the transition. (BB)

Examines effects of an improved staff ratio in New Zealand kindergartens on interactions between children and teachers. The introduction of a third teacher was associated with a statistically significant reduction in children's negative behaviors directed to peers. (Author/BB)

Investigates the relationship between social-behavioral competence and behavior disorders among preschoolers in a Head Start program. Results indicate that children identified as externalizers and internalizers are clearly different from those in the control group on a range of adjustment measures. (Author/BB)

Uses a Weberian sociological approach to examine teachers' beliefs and discussions about play. Teachers held differing beliefs and their actions were related to their belief systems. Reasons for intervention fell into three Weberian constructs: cultural, social-political, and economic influences. (Author/BB)

Illustrates the utility of nonreactive measures with preschool children in a variety of contexts. Offers a rationale for using nonreactive and observational tests and interview measures. Discusses four types of nonreactive measures and their limitations. (Author/BB)

Examines language scores of untreated disadvantaged four-year-olds on the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities as a function of the Family Development Research Program testing style. Children in the program were more likely than other intervention project preschoolers to achieve near normal scores. (Author/BB)