Suggests that parents who are aware of the differences between home play and school play more fully understand and value the role of play in the early childhood curriculum. Discusses benefits of school play along several dimensions, including interaction with peers and adults, group size, materials, planning, and guidance. Suggests ways for…

A randomized trial of the multisite evaluation of the Parents as Teachers home visiting program indicated significant attrition from program services and wide variation in participation and involvement of the families. This exploratory study of parental engagement reflects a growing emphasis in the field on research related to implementation…

One hundred seventy-six teachers employed in prekindergarten programs in Nebraska's public schools were surveyed regarding their perceptions of the administrative supports and challenges associated with their programs. Both early childhood and early childhood special education teachers participated. Overall findings suggest that most…

Research on the prevalence of behavior problems in preschool children from low-income families, and the risk factors associated with these behaviors, was reviewed. A systematic search of studies conducted between 1991 and 2002 yielded a total of 30 research reports that met all of the preestablished criteria. These studies yielded several…

This article defines emergent literacy, provides intervention principles for emergent literacy prevention and intervention activities, discusses the meaning of evidence-based practice, and describes three promising evidence-based approaches for emergent literacy intervention, including adult-child shared storybook reading, literacy-enriched play…

This article describes an application of a general outcome measurement system, Individual Growth and Development Indicators, with 68 preschoolers (ages 3-6). Results indicate the measures were easy to use; efficient in administration, scoring, and data interpretation; and provided valuable information for making early childhood education and…

The relationship between parent-child interactions and early literacy skills in children (ages 1-3) for 27 families living in low-income households was examined. Results found child language, parent language, emotional tone, joint attention, parental guidance, and parental responsivity behaviors were strongly related to later receptive vocabulary,…

Control of discourse topic was studied for two book-reading interactions involving 11 dyads of mothers and children (ages 3-5) with language impairments. Topic control was shared during book reading, robust reciprocal associations were evident between maternal and child discourse control features, and three patterns of topic control arrangements…

This article provides a theoretical framework for teacher sensitivity and responsiveness, describes the evidence that supports this focus, and delineates the research, interventions, and challenges that bear upon the enhancement of teacher-child sensitivity and responsibility in early childhood special education. A pilot program for facilitating…

This study compared three methods for assessing relational aggression (RA) and physical aggression (PA) in preschool children: a teacher rating scale; a peer nomination measure; and a direct observation measure. Results showed intermethod agreement between peer and teacher ratings of RA for girls and PA for boys. All three methods indicated boys…

This article reviews eight comprehensive social-emotional curricula for children under age 6 and describes two promising curricula currently under investigation. These programs have been successful in the promotion of interpersonal skills and the reduction or prevention of challenging behavior. Attention is given to the level of evidence or…

This study investigated the effectiveness of a relationship-focused intervention on the socioemotional well-being of 20 young children with autism or pervasive developmental disorder. Weekly intervention sessions encouraged parents to use a responsive teaching curriculum to promote children's socioemotional development. The intervention resulted…

This study evaluated effects of a teacher-training package that included sequential components of activity-based intervention (ABI) alone and ABI with discrete trials on the rate of instructional opportunities for young children with disabilities. All three children showed a higher rate of independent correct responses to target learning…

This article describes 21 parents' evaluation of a Web site intended to provide practical information about recommended practices such as activity-based or embedded instruction to families whose young children have disabilities or are at developmental risk. The parent group found the Web site, SPIES for Parents, to be helpful, useful, and…

This annotated bibliography of 57 items on activity-based intervention (ABI) for young children with and without disabilities is divided into five sections: (1) empirical research of ABI; (2) a review of the literature bridging the gap between research and practice; (3) summaries of books, chapters, and monographs; (4) Web sites and other online…