BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES In developing countries, caring for the large number of babies in orphanages is very hard work. Whereas the physical needs of most of the children are met, play often gets neglected. Studies have repeatedly shown that babies in such institutionalized settings suffer from severe psychomotor retardation. The aim of this project was to develop an intervention programme of...

For 4 decades, vigorous efforts have been based on the premise that early intervention for children of poverty and, more recently, for children with developmental disabilities can yield significant improvements in cognitive, academic, and social outcomes. The history of these efforts is briefly summarized and a conceptual framework presented to understand the design, research, and policy releva...

Early intervention programs are designed to enhance the developmental competence of participants and to prevent or minimize developmental delays. Children targeted for early intervention may either include environmentally or biologically vulnerable children, or those with established developmental deficits. There is growing consensus based on the best available evidence that early interventions...

OBJECTIVE The differences in playfulness between young children with cerebral palsy and developmental delays and children who are typically developing, and the comparative effects of two interventions (one focused on improving mother-child interaction patterns, the other a neurodevelopmental treatment [NDT] session) on children's playfulness were examined in this study. Reliability and validity...

[Purpose] This study aimed to investigate the effects of a computer-based cognitive rehabilitation program for children with developmental disabilities. [Subjects] Subjects included 29 children with developmental disabilities. [Methods] The subjects were randomly allocated to either the experimental group or control group. Experimental group subjects received computer-based cognitive rehabilita...

The New York State Department of Health initiated the development of 6 clinical practice guidelines for children under 3 years of age with those developmental conditions most often seen in the state's Early Intervention Program. Separate guidelines were developed for autism/pervasive developmental disorders, communication disorders. Down syndrome, hearing impairment, motor disorders, and vision...