Addresses effects of beliefs of professionals working with families of children with disabilities and/or from culturally different groups. Considered are beliefs about groups of people such as stereotypes and generalizations, beliefs about what disabilities mean, beliefs about parenting skills, and beliefs about goal setting. Greater awareness of…

This keynote address to the 1996 International Early Childhood Conference on Children with Special Needs reviews progress in early intervention of the last decade and four studies which examined the effectiveness of early intervention programs and parent education programs for teen mothers. The author urges better data collection and holding state…

This keynote address at the 1995 International Division for Early Childhood Conference on Children with Special Needs focuses on the need for early childhood education and society in general to: embrace principles of diversity, put into practice what has been learned from research, foster family-focused programs, encourage inclusiveness in…

This keynote address argues that some efforts of early educational programs have, themselves, led to new risks for children. Issues discussed include the confusion between culture and development, services to poor children and families, and segregating young children with special needs. (JDD)

This keynote address states that early intervention services must consider more than professional analyses in their planning. It describes findings from focus group discussions with Latino families of children with disabilities, emphasizing the need to match early intervention services with parent expectations and goals, and the need for services…

This speech calls for an end to prolonged debate about integration of preschool children in early intervention programs, discusses what is known from research on integration, describes quality indicators of early intervention programs, and makes suggestions for institutionalizing quality early intervention services. (JDD)