Examined continuity in 94 children's vocalization and language development. Acquired data from parent reports of children's vocal and lexical development from 14 to 18 months, and from language development scales administered at 18 months. Found that early vocalizers comprehended and produced more words and suffixes than late vocalizers, and that…

Studied usefulness of Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) for cross-national comparisons of nursery school quality. Found that ratings can be made in two hours, and can provide comparisons on several important criteria, but because the scale is empirically, rather than theoretically based, its use can obscure cultural differences in…

Used qualitative data to compare child-rearing practices of second-generation Punjabi mothers living in England and those of Punjabis in India using a qualitative analysis. Found that compared to Indian Punjabis, British Punjabis had smaller families, less preference for sons, were less likely to massage and bathe infants traditionally or to…

Examined relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and mediated learning experience (MLE) in mother-child free-play and structured interaction situations, and how well MLE predicted cognitive performance of kindergartners. Found that MLE scores were positively related to SES, and higher in free-play than in structured situations, especially…

Examined contributions of perceptions regarding family of origin well-being and self-esteem to college students' attitudes toward divorced single mothers. Found that perceptions of family of origin well-being predicted attitudes toward divorced single mothers, but family type and self-esteem did not. The amount of interaction with single-parent…

Compared direction and purpose of touch, type, body area touched, and responses to touch for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers observed in early childhood classrooms. Found that infants received more touch than older children. Touch involving "vulnerable body parts" and negative responses occurred more often among toddlers than preschoolers.…

Compared effectiveness of vicarious and written training techniques to teach parents an early stimulation program for infants with Downs Syndrome. Found that infants whose parents were trained through observing a clinician stimulate their child had higher average developmental quotients in gross motor and language development between 6 and 24…

Details speech acquisition process of first British, congenitally deaf infant without other handicaps to be fitted with a cochlear implant, noting the utility of Ling's model of speech acquisition. Notes that following implant, subject showed pattern and timing of acquisition of spoken words comparable to that of normally hearing infants or of…

Assessed sleep disorders in 265 visually impaired and 67 non-disabled 10- to 72-month olds. Found that infants with visual impairments had more difficulties in falling asleep and in sleeping through the night than nonhandicapped children. Also found a relationship between sleep disorders and the regularity of children's daily routine and…

Interviewed 130 Hong Kong parents to examine child-rearing practices and their educational implications. Results, in the areas of parental expectations, parent support, discipline, and homework, underscore the difficult task of rearing children when traditional family practices are changing and where preschools and schools operate with more formal…

Describes features of social pretend play and identifies characteristics of young children's cognitive and social play that may inhibit their participation. Describes approaches for supporting the social pretend play of children with mild to moderate developmental delays and disabilities, including assessment of play skills, use of structured play…

Reviews contributions of National Vocational Qualifications in Child Care and Education to early childhood workers. Argues that whether or not introduction of the qualifications is seen as an advance depends on whether the focus is on improving the training of currently unqualified workers or on the need to develop a new graduate-level education…

Surveyed 275 parents as to desires and expectations for child care, for which there is currently little information. Found that most parents were satisfied with their chosen child care arrangements, but had a limited base of knowledge for their choice and had stereotypical views of the meaning of progress. Choices showed concern for affordability…

Reviews evolution of workfare programs during the past 25 years. Summarizes both positive and negative outcomes of such programs, and identifies some key issues and unanswered questions resulting from these outcomes. Suggests a more viable direction for welfare reform in the areas of child care responsibility, balance of rights and obligations,…

Case studies examined impact of early intervention on the rate of acquisition of communicative and linguistic behaviors for a small group of severely and profoundly deaf infants. Found that infants who were diagnosed and used amplification by six months of age acquired vocal and linguistic skills at an age more comparable to hearing peers than did…