T h e Coping Inventory, an observation instrument based on Lois Murphy's longitudinal study of children's coping behavior, is described. T h e instrument assesses 48 kinds of coping behavior in order to develop a profile for use in educational and therapeutic planning. Examples and supportive technical data are given.ost children with handicapping M conditions share a common problem: maladaptive coping behavior. They, like adults, are continuously cop ing with the routines and stresses that are part of daily living. T o help them, it is necessary to identify, assess, and teach the skills most related to adaptive coping.This article describes the Coping Inventory,* an observation instrument used to assess the behavior and skills that cliildren use to meet their own needs and to adapt to the demands of their environment. Analysis of children's ability to cope provides information about their resources, vulnerabilities, and general coping style. The resulting score is an index of adaptive behavior.The Coping Inventory is used for educational and therapeutic planning and to help determine the appropriate placement of the marginal child in school. It is also used to generate goals and objectives for more adaptive behavior in the Individual Educational Programs (IEP) required by PL 94-142.Coping is defined as an active, adap tive process of using strategies to manage one's world. It is behavior children learn from the interactions of their development, temperament, prior experience, general level of competence, areas of vulnerability, and the demands of the environment.Coping effectiveness is assessed on a continuum from adaptive to maladap tive. Adaptiue coping behavior is behavior that is appropriate to the environment or situation and/or that enhances efforts to care for oneself. It generates learning that can be generalized to new situations.

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The coping characteristics of a large sample of disabled and nondisabled children under three years old are assessed across three categories of behavioral patterns: sensorimotor organization, reactive behavior, and self-initiated behavior. The influence of family income, gender, age, and ethnicity are examined and the implications for early intervention discussed.

The authors describe a cognitive‐behavioral model for coping with stress that counselors can use as the basis for family assessment and personalized intervention. The model, assessment procedures, and appropriate counseling strategies are discussed. Translation of the model into clinical practice is examined with families of handicapped young children. A brief case study is provided to illustrate the model's usefulness for counselors.

This article discusses the coping process and examines issues concerning the influence of a handicapping condition on the development of coping competence in young children. A preliminary study is reported that investigated the differences between the coping behavior of 25 developmentally disabled and 25 nondisabled children who were 4 to 34 months of age. The Early Coping Inventory was used to assess three categories of behavior related to adaptive coping efforts (sensorimotor organization, reactive behavior, and self‐initiated behavior). Results indicated that the nondisabled children, as a group, demonstrated more effective coping‐related behavior than did their disabled peers. The disabled children were situationally effective, in that behavior used effectively in one type of situation was not generalized to other types of situations. Their coping behavior tended to be erratic, inflexible, or limited in the range of available management strategies. The greatest discrepancy between the two groups was in their self‐initiated behavior. The findings suggest the need for intervention services to address the enhancement of coping behavior of infants and toddlers with disabilities.