Young Handicapped Children Research Articles

Grandparents of Children with Special Needs: Insights into Their Experiences and Concerns

Families with young handicapped children have special needs for instrumental and emotional support. Many of these can be met within the family system. The role of grandparents is often overlooked, yet not only are they affected by a grandchild's handicap, but they often have resources that can strengthen the family. This article reviews findings on grandparents and reports the responses of participants in a grandparent workshop.

Young Handicapped Children: Their Prevalence and Experiences with Early Intervention Services

The present study assessed the prevalence of handicapping conditions among young children (0 through 4) In Ohio and explored the experiences these handicapped children and their families have had with early intervention services. Using a telephone interview procedure, parents from 1,551 families in Ohio having 2,133 children were administered a survey instrument. Results indicated that 6.1% of the young children had functionally handicapping conditions. Approximately two-thirds (63%) of these children had received early intervention services as a result of their conditions. Parents of those served reported that service was initiated soon after conditions were noticed and that they were satisfied with their quality. Planning implications for the general public, professionals, legislators, and administrators are discussed.

Translating Developmental Findings into Teaching Strategies for Young Handicapped Children

The growth of intervention programs for young handicapped children has generated concern about competencies critical for professionals who work with this group. Current theory and research place developmental importance on features of children's Interactions with the environment that include (1) responsivity to child cues, (2) appropriate language input, (3) active involvement with the environment, and (4) achievement of an "optimal match" between the child's level of functioning and task demands. This article reviews the theoretical and empirical bases for the importance of these elements and offers illustrations of their application to teaching.

Construction of social value or utility-based health indices: The usefulness of factorial experimental design plans

Global indices, which aggregate multiple health or function attributes into a single summary indicator, are useful measures in health research. Two key issues must be addressed in the initial stages of index construction (1) from the universe of possible health and function attributes, which ones should be included in a new index? and (2) how simple can the statistical model be to combine attributes into a single numeric index value? Factorial experimental designs were used in the initial stages of developing a function index for evaluating a program for the care of young handicapped children. Beginning with eight attributes judged important to the goals of the program by clinicians, social preference values for different function states were obtained from 32 parents of handicapped children and 32 members of the community. Using category rating methods each rater scored 16 written multi-attribute case descriptions which contained information about a child's status for all eight attributes. Either a good or poor level of each function attribute and age 3 or 5 years were described in each case. Thus, 2 8 = 256 different cases were rated. Two factorial design plans were selected and used to allocate case descriptions to raters. Analysis of variance determined that seven of the eight clinician selected attributes were required in a social value based index for handicapped children. Most importantly, the subsequent steps of index construction could be greatly simplified by the finding that a simple additive statistical model without complex attribute interaction terms was adequate for the index. We conclude that factorial experimental designs are an efficient, feasible and powerful tool for the initial stages of constructing a multi-attribute health index.

Patterns of developmental and behavioral progress for young brain‐injured children during interdisciplinary intervention

Pediatric hospital rehabilitation teams and community‐based early intervention programs confront the increasing demand to treat infants and preschoolers suffering both acquired and congenital brain injuries. However, few outcome studies are available to provide clear and practical guidance to their efforts. Specialists require more complete knowledge of the problems and the possibilities for these young handicapped children. Needed research can establish norms for progress and recovery, which can be used to evaluate individual gains, to provide prognoses, and to monitor interdisciplinary treatment impact. Our preliminary research traced comparative patterns of developmental and behavioral progress during intervention for infants and preschoolers suffering acquired and congenital brain injuries. In addition, this study documented treatment impact for both brain injury groups. Results demonstrated the existence of very similar overall progress and recovery patterns within both groups. An intensive interdisi...

Retrenchment's Impact on Service for Young Handicapped Children

This paper reports a pilot survey of administrators' and professionals' perceptions of the impact of recent economic constraints and retrenchment on the nature and quality of special education services for young, severely handicapped children. The survey assessed changes relative to staff issues, educational environment, individualized programs, interagency activity, services to families, and training. Important decreases in staff morale, availability of therapeutic services, funds for replacement and purchase of materials, and level of service to families were noted. To a lesser extent, respondents reported an increase in the number of skills taught and increased involvement with outside agencies, especially for family and therapeutic services. Comparison of teacher and administrator responses showed major overlap but some important discrepancies. The findings are discussed in terms of short-term and long-term implications for early childhood special education and teacher training.

Determinants of Professional-Parental Agreement for the Developmental Status of Young Handicapped Children

Several factors have resulted in an increased interest on the part of professionals in collecting and using data from parents during assessment procedures conducted with young handicapped children. However, the results of recent studies which have examined differences between the developmental status of the child as described by parents and as evaluated by professionals have been contradictory. Some have concluded that parents provide significantly higher estimates of the child's development, while others have found no such differences. This study was designed to investigate relationships between parent- and child-related demographic variables and percentages of agreement calculated between both mothers and fathers and a diagnostician. Forty mothers and 32 fathers of handicapped children enrolled in early intervention programs were interviewed in order to complete the Developmental Profile. An overall percentage of agreement was calculated for each child by comparing parental data with that obtained by a diagnostician who scored the Developmental Profile by direct testing and observation. Significant relationships were found between some of the demographic variables and percentages of agreement. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for assessment procedures.

Integrating Normal and Handicapped Preschoolers: Effects on Child Development and Social Interaction

Integrated special education preschools are one alternative for educating young handicapped and nonhandicapped children in the same setting. Previous research in this area has focused on the effects of specific variables upon child behavior in the classroom. Few studies have examined overall program effects upon child development. The present study evaluated the effects of integrated special education preschool programs, relative to comparable groups of children in nonintegrated special education preschools, across a broad assessment battery (i.e., measures of cognitive, language, motor, and social behavior). Children in both types of programs made significant gains across the year. The children in the integrated special education classes scored significantly higher only on a social play measure taken in an analog setting. Temporal integration, without specific programming to encourage interaction between handicapped and nonhandicapped children, did not have a pervasive effect on child development in our sample of handicapped preschoolers.

Seating device for multiply handicapped infants. Suggestion from the field.

Proper positioning of children with neuromotor handicaps is important to achieve maximum function and to minimize abnormal movements. Positioning devices are also necessary, in some instances, to prevent undesirable postures that may lead to secondary deformities. Physical therapists are often responsible for evaluating the positioning needs of infants and young children and for providing families with suggestions regarding specialized adaptive devices. In our experience, a commercially available seating insert has met the need of many handicapped infants and young children for proper upright positioning in a highchair, stroller, or similar furniture designed for sitting. The seating insert is called a Baby Safe Sit* and was designed for use with healthy infants from 3 months to 2 years of age. It consists of a seat back and bottom with tie down cords for each leg of the chair and a support flap that is positioned between the child's legs and brought up around his trunk and buckled in back of the chair (Fig. 1).…

Eco-Behavioral Assessment

The effectiveness of early intervention programs has been an area of controversy since the early 1960s. Unfortunately, many in the academic community and the general public remain unconvinced that spending government funds for the education of young handicapped children is an effective use of public resources. Research has been limited to the measurement of singular outcomes (e.g., changes in the behavior and/or adjustment of the handicapped students or parents that have been the targets of intervention). This paper proposes a methodological expansion in evaluation research, an ecobehavioral approach, that has been used recently in teacher effectiveness studies within elementary grade classrooms. The paper discusses the implications of using the eco-behavioral approach in the evaluation of preschool programs for the handicapped. It argues that this methodology will allow both (a) determination of early intervention effectiveness and (b) specification of factors that are responsible for this effectiveness.

Intervention Programs for Young Handicapped Children in Europe: An Overview

Early childhood and special education programs in the United States have roots in Western Europe and Great Britain. Many parallels now exist, and a period of cross-fertilization may be at hand. Socio-cultural forces, professional interests, and evolving practice have reached a stage at which Europe offers a great deal in the variety and quality of its programs and services. Five countries are represented in this topical issue of JDEC—Germany, England, France, Italy, and Swiizerland-each by a leading authority currently involved in both the policy and the practice of early childhood intervention. Dr. McCleary has worked closely with them in their countries and in the preparation of the articles that follow. In her overview she establishes a perspective on education in Europe generally and on specific conditions and practices at the growing-point.

A Model of Services for Young Handicapped Children

This paper describes a model of services for children whose primary handicap was a communication disorder as well as children for whom a communication disorder was a related problem. Effectiveness ...

A Reaction to What Germany Is Providing Young Handicapped Children

A Reaction to What Germany Is Providing Young Handicapped Children

A Functional Analysis of the Evolution of Public Policy for Handicapped Young Children

Public policy governing early intervention programs for very young handicapped and at-risk children in Massachusetts underwent major changes between 1980 and 1984. Using a case study format this paper notes the statewide constraints on policy, administration, and finances that impaired early intervention service delivery prior to 1984. The process of policy change and formation is analyzed by focusing on the principal catalysts for change: key individuals and constituency groups, critical documents and research studies, and important political and economic events. These factors and others that were critical to the transformation of early intervention policy are viewed in terms of four functional stages: issue definition, proposal formulation, support mobilization, and decision enactment. The potential effects of the policy changes are addressed, and the generalizable features of the analytic framework are discussed.

Maternal withdrawal from handicapped toddlers.

Videotaped observations of the free-play interaction of mothers and (a) 12 physically handicapped, (b) 14 premature and (c) nine healthy 2-year-olds were evaluated. Mothers of handicapped toddlers were significantly more likely to ignore their children at 24 months than were mothers in other groups. Further, although children's Bayley scores had not differed when seen previously at 1 year, children of mothers who ignored at 2 years had lower concurrent 2-year IQ scores and experienced an average 30-point drop between the two evaluations. These results support clinical reports of maternal withdrawal from handicapped young children and suggest that the mother-child dyad in such cases may be at continuing risk throughout the early years.

Administrative Leadership

This article is for leadership personnel who design in-service education for people serving the needs of young handicapped children. Following a definition and description of assumptions and guidelines, an approach for developing an in-service plan is described. In the final section, attention is given to special circumstances planners may face as they design meaningful staff development opportunities.

Facilitating the Interpersonal Development of Young Handicapped Children

Although social development is a commonly cited educational goal, little systematic programming occurs for the development of social skills among the preschool handicapped, especially for the development of interpersonal skills. Insight into the reasons for this neglect leads to suggestions for correcting it.

Educating Young Handicapped Children: A Developmental Approach

Educating Young Handicapped Children: A Developmental Approach

A Performance-based Conceptualization of Social Competence of Handicapped Preschool Children

Few educators would dispute the importance of social competence for young handicapped children, yet there is much disagreement over an appropriate definition. Attempts to define social competence have included specifying all competent skills or behaviors of children or relating social competence to adaptive behavior. Most recent approaches have examined the skills or knowledge required for interpersonal social interactions as a basis for defining social competence; these approaches have encompassed both cognitive and behavioral orientations. In this paper, we advocate a performance-based approach to the assessment of social competence. In this approach, multiple social agents in the child's social environment (e.g., teachers, parents, peers, independent observers)

Supporting fathers of handicapped young children: Preliminary findings of program effects

The rationale for and history of an innovative program designed to meet the special needs of fathers of young handicapped children are described. The Supporting Extended Family Members (SEFAM) Father's Program provided fathers with both a regular source of information about their child and access to professional and peer support. The program was evaluated by monitoring changes both of fathers who participated in the program and their wives in the following domains: stress, depression, and support systems. Research measures are described which were designed to assess changes in these targeted domains. Preliminary results indicated that parents who participated in the pilot program reported lower levels of stress and depression and higher levels of satisfaction with social support than parents who were newly enrolled in the program. The findings are discussed in light of possible mediating factors for the observed results. Recommendations are made for improving the quality of data on the effects of early interventions on family members.