Azar Hadadian

Mother's Stress: Implications for Attachment Relationships

This study included thirty‐three mothers of children who were attending a preschool program for high‐risk families. The childrens age ranged from 36‐54 months. The Attachment Q‐Set and the Parenting Stress Index were used to measure the relationships between parental stress and the security of attachment relationships. Results showed a significant negative relationship between the Child Domain section of the PSI and Attachment Q‐Set scores. Within this sample the mean security scores were significantly higher for the group of mothers with the lowest stress scores. Implications for the field include the importance of a comprehensive, multi‐agency‐coordinated, early intervention service delivery model which could operate on a variety of levels at once. Service providers need to be cognizant of the impact of the stress cycle on families and its developmental outcomes for young children. A paradigm shift may be necessary in order to move early intervention services from a crisis to a preventive‐based model.

Can Assistive Technology Help Us to Not Leave Any Child Behind

Abstract Although there is excellent evidence for the efficacy of using various technologies to enhance emergent literacy skills in young children with disabilities, society, including parents and professionals, has been slow in acknowledging these positive findings. The authors of this article demonstrate the dichotomous position that places preschool children with disabilities at risk for not becoming literate members of communities along with their typically developing peers. There are profound implications for children with special needs who do not develop literacy skills. The authors provide practical recommendations to enable parents and professionals to enhance their literacy-related activities using assistive technology.

Literacy, development and disabilities: are we moving in the right direction?

A growing body of research supports the belief that literacy begins at birth for all children, including young children with disabilities. The literature review revealed issues related to individuals with disabilities and literacy, including the differences in parental perceptions and lack of adequate support and exposure to literacy related materials for individuals with disabilities. This article highlights available research in this area and its implications for practice.

Early intervention service providers: what do they say about their infant mental health training needs?

Early intervention providers (957) were asked about their comfort level with and interest in training in infant mental health (IMH) topics including attachment, behavior and regulation/adaption, and whether they worked with families who needed information in these areas. Results indicated that providers continue to grow in understanding of these core IMH topics and that they continue to recognize the importance of training in these areas for themselves and families. Significant differences were found by provider type, level of experience and minority status. Both minority and less experienced providers were most interested in learning more about IMH topics.

Early Intervention Providers and High-Risk Families.

Early intervention and early care providers reported frequently encountering families with multiple economic, social and mental health challenges. Providers endorsed needs for mentoring and training to understand specific problems, to gain knowledge of community resources, to be able to talk with families about challenges and to recognize and manage their own responses to the families. Implications for training are discussed.