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Residential mobility after spinal cord injury (SCI) has not been extensively examined despite a growing interest in investigating the relationship between neighborhood exposures and community living outcomes. This study explores residential mobility patterns, the annual move rate, and reasons for moving among a community-living sample of adults with SCI. A survey was conducted with 690 people at six SCI Model Systems centers in the United States between July 2017 and October 2020. The outcomes included move status in the past 12 months, move distance, and the primary reason for moving. A sample from the 2019 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year pooled estimates was obtained for comparative analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the distributions of the outcomes and differences between the samples. The annual move rate for adults with SCI was 16.4%, and most moves were within the same county (56.6%). Recent movers were more likely to be young adults, be newly injured, and have low socioeconomic status. Housing quality, accessibility, and family were more frequently reported motivations for moving compared to employment. Young adults more commonly moved for family and accessibility, whereas middle-aged adults more commonly moved for housing quality. No notable difference was observed in the annual move rate between the SCI and the general population samples. These findings suggest an age-related pattern of residential relocation after SCI, which may be indicative an extended search for optimal living conditions that meet the housing and accessibility needs of this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine if the motor response on the stimulated manual muscle test (SMMT) in muscles with a grade 0 motor score on the manual muscle test (MMT) can differentiate lower motor neuron (LMN) from upper motor neuron (UMN) injury based on the presence of spontaneous activity (SA) with needle EMG. Prospective Study. Twenty-one subjects with acute traumatic cervical SCI. An upper extremity International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) evaluation was completed on all subjects. A needle EMG and an electrically stimulated manual muscle test (SMMT) were completed on all key upper extremity muscles with a MMT motor score of zero. The MMT, SMMT and Needle EMG were done on 77 muscles. The SMMT motor score was 0 on 10 muscles and >1 on 67 muscles. The needle EMG identified spontaneous activity (SA) in 55/77 muscles. Seventy percent (7/10) of the muscles with MMT and SMMT motor score of zero demonstrated SA on EMG. Seventy-two percent (48/67) of the muscles with MMT motor score = 0 and SMMT motor score ≥1 demonstrated SA on EMG. In our study, 70% of the muscles with a SMMT motor response of zero and 72% of the muscles with a SMMT motor response greater than or equal to one demonstrated SA on EMG. The use of the SMMT as a clinical measure to differentiate LMN from UMN integrity may be limited when applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Findings: Research suggests that early care and education programs are most effective when they include strong components of family involvement. The Center for the Study of Social Policy recommended that early care and education programs build family-centered practices to strengthen families and reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect. This article summarizes a statewide effort to implement this strategy, called Strengthening Families through Early Care and Education. We analyzed program self-assessments submitted by 186 early care and education programs. Analyses revealed that Head Start programs had better support systems in place for families than did "mainstream" (non-Head Start, non-accredited) early care and education programs. Results also showed that a small amount of state and local funding provided enough incentive for programs to improve their family-strengthening practices. Commitment and collaboration at the state level led to a sustainable impact by infusing "strengthening families" concepts into the early care and education field statewide. (Contains 4 tables.)

A model of developmentally appropriate practice in helping teachers grow is described. The model derives from a consideration of the psychological processes by which adults learn, and our desire to teach adults by the same methods we hope they will use in teaching children. The model includes a sequence of six kinds of interactions that the teacher trainer engages in with the teacher, from building trust to eliciting self-exploration. The concrete actions we take to create these kinds of interactions are described. This model of professional development was applied by a statewide project to increase the quality of child care in 150 classrooms serving primarily children from low-income families. Initial evaluations suggest it is working as hoped.

Research Findings: This study was designed to assess whether investments in child care quality were maintained 3 years after public funding for these centers was significantly reduced. An earlier evaluation documented significant improvements in classroom environments, teachers' sensitivity, and teachers' child-centered beliefs following a 15-month state intervention in 24 early care and education programs serving high numbers of children from low-income families. The current study used a quasi-experimental design, with pre- and postdata collected through direct observations and questionnaires in nonrandom treatment and comparison groups. Practice or Policy: Results at the 3-year follow-up showed that the majority (92%) of centers in the intervention group were accredited and that significant improvements in classroom environments were maintained after funding was significantly reduced. However, erosion in more sensitive measures (i.e., teacher sensitivity and child-centered beliefs) during the period of reduced funding suggested some concern that programs serving high concentrations of children from low-income families may require some consistent state support if they are to yield the positive life outcomes desired by economists and policymakers.

A successful early childhood program that is a nurturing place for children must also be a good place for staff to work. Too often it is not, and employees leave. Coping with staff turnover in early childhood programs is a constant struggle, not only for administrators but also for children and their families and the staff who remain behind. Both administrators and teachers, by examining the climate of their organizations, can effectively strategies to improve staff retention. While issues of compensation, professional development, and staff working conditions are all critical components of the struggle to retain staff and increase the quality of early childhood programs, this article focuses on program climate, which is less dependent on external factors and more easily addressed by all staff. To address this issue, the authors asked administrators at 15 high-quality early childhood programs in Wisconsin to share their strategies for staff retention. Their answers in four key areas were categorized as follows: (1) Do staff feel a sense of professional commitment? (2) What does the center do to enhance team building? (3) Do teachers, administrators, and families communicate? and (4) Do administrators and staff show appreciation for one another? It was found that creating a good organizational climate involves establishing and maintaining satisfying relationships among coworkers and with families, providing opportunities through which individuals contribute to the program, incorporating appreciation and respect, and building feelings of accomplishment, such as making a difference in the lives of children and families. While these aspects of an early childhood program do not supplant the need for appropriate compensation and adequate work conditions, they do promote job satisfaction, which is crucial to staff retention. A chart of "Guidelines for Improving Organizational Climate" is included.

State governments are beginning to institute systems to rate the quality of child care programs, both as a service to consumers and as an incentive for quality improvement. More states might experiment with such systems if they believed that valid ratings could be assigned without burdensome costs. The current study used survey data to construct an indirect rating of child care quality and then test whether that rating predicted observed quality. The results showed a moderate association between indirect and observed ratings of quality (r = 0.43, p less than 0.001), but more importantly, it opened the door to a statewide conversation about child care quality improvement. Applied research is never sufficient to create policy change, but with fortuitous timing and careful attention to practical concerns, research can add meaningfully to the public policy process.

Wisconsin's Early Childhood Excellence Initiative was a $15 million public policy effort designed in 2000 to increase child care quality for low-income children. An evaluation revealed significant improvement in classroom quality, the quality of caregiver interaction, and caregivers' beliefs about children following a complex multi-faceted intervention in 28 selected child care centers. The evaluation also revealed higher quality in Centers for Excellence relative to Comparison centers. Research over the past 35 years has demonstrated that high quality early care and education is one of our best hopes for optimizing the long-term developmental outcomes of infants and young children in poverty. Positive results from this evaluation suggest that it may be within the power of state government to raise the quality of early care and education, should the commitment be there to do so.

Presents historical background on family participation in early care/education programs. Highlights the vision and activities of four Wisconsin Early Childhood Centers for Excellence offering family-centered services with services to young children. Illustrates various strategies used to empower parents and strengthen bonds between parents and professionals. Infers from their success that new models based on family-centered goals can improve the overall quality of early care/education for young children. (Author/KB)

Investigated from a dynamic systems perspective mutual regulation during naturalistic interaction of mothers with their 4-month-olds. Found that mothers and infants communicated primarily through vocal signals and responses. Levels of contingent responsiveness between partners were significantly associated and occurred within distinct behavioral channels. Mothers were more influential than infants over object play, less influential than infants over expressive behavior. (Author/KB)

Parental stress was examined in socioeconomically matched mothers and fathers of children with Down syndrome (n=41) and typical children (n=58). Parents of children with Down syndrome perceived more caregiving difficulties, child-related stress (distractibility, demanding or unacceptable behavior), and parent-related stress (incompetence, depression, health problems, role-restriction) than did parents of typical children. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Compared mothers' play with infants with Down syndrome (DSC) and typically developing children (TDC) matched for mental or chronological age. Found that TDC mothers exhibited more object demonstrations with their developmentally younger children, who showed less object play. DSC mothers were more directive and supportive than mothers of younger and older TDC, who did not differ from each other. (Author/KB)