In a small randomized trial, early intervention with toddlers with autism as young as 18 months yielded significant improvements in their cognitive skills and helped with adaptive behavior. After two years, children who received the intervention known as Early Start Denver Model improved by a mean of 17.6 IQ points. Treatment group children also maintained their adaptive behavior scores over the two years while kids in the control group saw theirs decline.

The National Autism Center has published the final report of its National Standards Project, a rigorous multi-year project to analyze treatments for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The National Standards Report (2009) provides information on which treatments have been shown to be effective for children with ASD. It covers a broad range of applied treatments, identifies the level of scientific evidence available for each, and provides specific information about the age groups, treatment targets, and diagnostic populations to which these treatments have been applied. The report is meant to serve as a single, authoritative source of guidance for parents, caregivers, educators, and service providers as they make informed treatment decisions. Click here to learn more.

For students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), activities such as transitioning from one location to the next, organizing their learning materials, and completing assigned activities, can be very challenging. This Snapshot summarizes the findings of researchers, who studied structured work systems as one effective approach educators can use to address the unique learning styles and challenges experienced by students with ASD.

As part of its Charting Progress for Babies in Child Care Project, the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) has published the following two new research-based rationales for its recommendations to states about how to support the healthy growth and development of infants and toddlers in child care settings:   Establish Core Competencies (November 2009) - This rationale discusses how state child care licensing, subsidy, and quality enhancement policies can move toward establishing a core body of knowledge, skills, and expertise that providers and caregivers need in order to give babies and toddlers quality care, based on current research on social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development.  It provides recommendations, state examples, and online resources for state policymakers.   Provide Access to Training, Education, and Ongoing Supports (November 2009) - This rationale discusses how states can work to ensure access to specialized professional development for providers working with infants and toddlers, including participation in higher education programs, community-level training, ongoing individualized consultations, and access to appropriate information and supports. It includes recommendations, state examples, and online resources for state policymakers.

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) recently published a technical report, entitled State Approaches to School Readiness Assessment (2009), which discusses how states currently assess school readiness and how readiness information is used within the states. It includes states that have universal or near-universal assessment on an ongoing basis. Appendix A of the report summarizes approaches used in the 23 states that perform assessments.

Early learning councils have been established in a number of states to foster improved and better-coordinated early care and education systems. They are already eligible for federal funds, and they'll play a big role if and when the Early Learning Challenge Fund, which ties $10 billion in new funding to program improvement, becomes law. A report from New America Foundation's Early Education Initiative takes a look at the progress of these councils, finding that it has been uneven. Click here for full report.

A Commonwealth Fund-supported study published in Pediatrics evaluated the use of electronic health records in six health care organizations and found that such records can facilitate the screening of young children for developmental delays and can help flag young children with such delays.  Click here to read more on this study.

The Perry Preschool Project was the first major study to examine the impact of a high-quality preschool program on the lives of African American children who were born in poverty. A new podcast on American RadioWorks, entitled Early Lessons by Emily Hanford, discusses the experiences of people directly involved in the project. It includes interviews with teachers who were at the school and personal descriptions of what the experience was like. Click here to access the podcast.The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) has published a new Working Paper, entitled The Rate of Return to the High/Scope Perry Preschool Program (November 2009), by James J. Heckman, Seong Hyeok Moon, Rodrigo Pinto, Peter A. Savelyev, Adam Yavitz. To read an abstract or to download the full report, click here.

On November 25, 2009 the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) published the following requests for comments in the Federal Register. Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before December 28, 2009.

Children who have been in foster care often face difficulties succeeding in school.  Children may act out or have trouble learning due to fear or sadness. They can fall behind if they switch schools. And they are likely to be placed in special education.  Parents may not know how to access school-based services and may be intimidated by school personnel. In this issue of the national magazine for parents whose children are in foster care, RISE, parents write about how they advocate for the supports their children need to succeed in school.

FamiliesUSA has put together a state-by-state guide for families on health coverage.

NAMI is a grassroots mental health advocacy organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. NAMI provides a wide range of support programs in communities across the country for everyone, including those diagnosed with mental illness, families and caregivers, providers, and the general public. For example, NAMI provides a free, 12-week Family to Family Education Program for families and caregivers of individuals with mental illnesses. The course is taught by fellow trained family members and includes current information on mental illnesses, workshops, guidance to services within the community, strategies for coping with stress and worry, and up-to-date information about medications. Check out NAMI, to view moving testimonials from family members about the Family to Family Program and further detail about where to find a course in your area.

A new REL Northeast and Islands Issues & Answers Report published by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) finds that the six New England states and New York support Response to Intervention (RTI) as an overall school instructional improvement approach or as an approach to determining special-education eligibility at the local level. The report also finds that documents collected from the states' education agency websites address the eight core features of RTI as defined by the National Research Center on Learning Disabilities.

The Early Childhood Community: Enhancing Early Childhood Professional Development website features a blog by Christine Lindauer about her efforts to make inclusion a reality for her son.  Read her story.  At this website you can also find the joint definition and position statement on early childhood inclusion developed by the Division on Exceptional Children and the National Association for the Education of Young Children through a process facilitated by the National Professional Development Center on Inclusion.

Project Forum at the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE), in collaboration with the Legal Center for Foster Care and Education, has recently published a new policy brief entitled Surrogate Parents and Children with Disabilities: State-level Approaches (November, 2009), by Eve Müller. Survey responses from 41 State Departments of Education show that most states have issued policy or formal guidance pertaining to surrogate parents and children with disabilities, and most try to ensure that the educational decision making rights of biological and adoptive parents are preserved whenever possible. 12 states also report having a statewide surrogate parent program that addresses recruitment, training and retention of surrogates.

In 2008, 44 percent of young children under age 3 and under age 6 in the U.S. lived in low-income families and 22 percent lived in poor families. The National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) has published new fact sheets that describe the demographic, socio-economic, and geographic characteristics of these very young children and their parents, ighlighting important factors that appear to distinguish them from their less disadvantaged counterparts.

Basic Facts About Low-income Children, 2008: Children Under Age 3 (November 2009), and Basic Facts About Low-income Children, 2008: Children Under Age 6 (November 2009), by Vanessa R. Wight and Michelle Chau

The National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality has developed an Interactive Mapping Tool to help states develop their strategic plans for the use of ARRA funds.

The National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality (TQ Center) has drafted a report about the necessity for systemic reform that includes strategies such as induction and mentoring, working conditions and performance pay, and opportunities for teacher leadership. The TQ Center also provides resources to assist states in realizing this goal. Click here for full report.

Children's exposure to violence is pervasive and crosses all ages. The research findings reported by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention are critical to informing our efforts to pro­tect children from its damaging effects.  Conducted between January and May 2008, this comprehensive, nationwide survey measured the past-year and lifetime exposure to violence for children age 17 and younger across several major categories.  The bulletin reports that over the past year, 60% of children surveyed had been exposed to violence; nearly half had been assaulted at least once; 25% were victims of robbery, vandalism or theft.  The staggering results confirm that more needs to be done to develop and implement programs and policies to prevent violence and to help children who have been exposed. For a full report click here.

This five-part series walks you through the process of building next year's grant-seeking calendar for your nonprofit organization. Written by GrantStation's CEO, Cynthia M. Adams, these articles focus on how to design and effectively use a grant decision matrix, simplify your grants research, and create project specific grant-seeking strategies. Full of easy-to-follow "how to's" and several worksheets, these articles will make establishing a calendar for 2010 a great project for you, your staff, and your fundraising committee. Read Part Two: "Developing a Decision Matrix."