The effect of instructing parents of children with language delays in effective joint book-reading techniques was compared with language facilitation through more general conversational instruction. Thirty-three children, 3 to 6 years of age, and their mothers participated. Parents receiving a version of Whitehurst's Dialogic Reading Training Program (Whitehurst et al., 1988) increased their use of what/who questions, open-ended questions, imitation, and expansions more than did parents receiving conversational language training. More modest effects were also found for the children, primarily in an increased rate of verbal responses to questions, increased number of different words, and increased Mean Length of Utterance. Parents whose behavior changed following the instruction were more likely to have had children whose language changed, a finding suggesting that the program affects children's development. In addition, correlations between children's pretest level and their change as a result of the treatment suggested that children learn different things from joint book reading at different points in development. On the whole, the results of this investigation of book-reading training suggest that it has considerable potential for facilitating language development with children with language delays, but that stronger interventions, monitored over a longer period of time, are needed.

This study was designed to test the effects of activity-based phonological instruction delivered by five classroom teachers on the phonological skill development and reading and writing outcomes of kindergarten children with ( n = 31) and without ( n = 57) disabilities, and children repeating kindergarten ( n = 19) placed in general and self-contained classes. Teachers in the treatment received 10 inservice training sessions spaced over the school year and implemented from 100 to 281 activities during the 6-month intervention. Outcomes for treated children were compared with children matched for type (general or repeating kindergartners, or children with mild disabilities) in classrooms using the same background prereading curriculum. Results suggest that intervention delivered by nonresearch personnel can be an effective way to improve the literacy outcomes of children with a broad range of ability.

The relationship between play scores and communication skills measured in two ways was investigated in 19 young children with Down syndrome. When play competence, as observed in a play arena, was compared to mothers' perceptions of receptive and expressive communication skills, moderate and significant correlations were found. When play skills were compared to six language production measures, play was moderately and significantly correlated with only one measure, mean length of utterance in morphemes. Implications for these findings and for team assessments are discussed.The move toward transdisciplinary team assessment and intervention models of service for young children with special needs has heightened interest in collaborative models. In some cases, these new models lead to role sharing, role exchange, and role release as staff from one discipline learn about the concerns, techniques, and strategies of other disciplines. The idea of sharing knowledge and responsibilities with others means finding common ground and valuing the contributions unique to each discipline. One area that affords opportunities for staff to explore commonalities is that of children's play. Play is the generalist of development. For example, while a child is playing with a toy cash register, psychologists can learn much about the child's ability to problem solve, and occupational and physical therapists can analyze the child's hand and arm movements.

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Alternative assessment approaches to standardized, norm-reference tests are increasingly recommended as best practice for assessing young children, especially those from minority backgrounds. This article discusses the cultural biases of traditional assessment approaches used with preschool- and kindergarten age-children, arguing for the need to broaden assessment practices to meet the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Four alternative approaches are described that can be integrated into everyday routines and can draw on the observations and interactions with children and families. These approaches are discussed in terms of their relevance to children and families with vastly different backgrounds within a transdisciplinary framework. Recommendations are provided for professionals who wish to adopt these approaches.