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Child/Home Early Language and Literacy Observation (CHELLO) by Susan B. Neuman, Julie Dwyer, and Serene Koh

Ladders to Literacy: Preschool Curriculum, Second Edition by Angela Notari-Syverson, Rollanda E. O'Connor, & Patricia F. Vadasy

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Children from low-resource backgrounds can face significant barriers to academic success. Learn about a curriculum that guides Head Start and other teachers through lessons specifically designed to expose children at risk to rich vocabulary usage and complex language that builds skills critical for school success.

Suzette Guiffré
Web Editor

9 easy ways to expand preschoolers' language every day

Children who've heard only the most basic vocabulary at home and experienced minimal reading need direct exposure to the language of learning so they can experience a curiosity about words, a delight in distinguishing sounds, and the fun of a conversation.

Building Language Throughout the Year*, an early literacy curriculum designed in collaboration with Head Start teachers, builds vocabulary and language skills through activities that teach children to listen and focus more effectively, learn to get along with others, and solve problems.

See how easily you can incorporate these language enrichment strategies in your everyday communication with children to expand their use of words.

*Building Language was one of six early literacy programs selected by ASHA as a model for Early Reading First.

FULL ARTICLE & FREE DOWNLOAD >>

Don't miss your chance to hear your favorite Brookes authors firsthand at DEC!

If you'd like to hear from the trusted experts behind your favorite Brookes books, there may be no better time than this year's DEC conference in Niagara Falls, Canada, October 25–28. More than 20 Brookes authors will be sharing their insights on developments in the field: Hear

• Michael Guralnick's opening keynote address on international perspectives in early childhood

• Toni Linder's preview session of the new edition of the Transdisciplinary Play-Based Assessment and Intervention

• AEPS developer Kristi Pretti-Frontczak's presentation on quality curriculum frameworks

...among many others! Brookes Publishing is the proud Conference Sponsor of DEC 2007.

Be sure to stop by booth 101 and say hello to the authors, get a free demo of AEPSinteractive™, and sign up for a chance to win an AEPS® starter kit. (Also be sure to ask for your 20% discount on all conference orders.) Hope you can make it—we'd love to see you there!

SEE WHICH AUTHORS AND BOOKS WILL BE HIGHLIGHTED >>

What is the most exciting research finding on early literacy development?

In a recent interview with Reading Rockets, Susan B. Neuman, the nationally respected expert who helped establish Early Reading First, was asked what she considered the most exciting research in early literacy today. Her answer involved the field's better understanding of what is appropriate when selecting books for babies. She talked about her new book—A Parent's Guide to Reading with Your Young Child—that helps parents match their choice of books with their child's development.

For professionals, Dr. Neuman has also developed the research-based Child/Home Early Language and Literacy Observation tool to rate the early literacy environment of home-based settings. Professionals use the CHELLO results to explicitly guide care providers toward steps that will help them improve their literacy supports and interactions with children.

SEE THE READING ROCKET INTERVIEW WITH SUSAN NEUMAN >>

ASQ developmental screening dramatically increases referrals in busy pediatrician office

A new study reported in the August issue of the AAP journal Pediatrics revealed that the use of the Ages & Stages Questionnaires® (ASQ) developmental screening tool in a busy pediatric practice resulted in a dramatic increase in referrals for further evaluation.

In the study, "Impact of Implementing Developmental Screening at 12 and 24 Months in a Pediatric Practice," a group of 1,428 caregivers and children attending their 12- or 24-month well-child visits completed the ASQ. The study found that

• pediatrician referral rates to the local early childhood developmental agency increased by 224%

• 36% of the referred patients later qualified for special education services, and an additional 41% were identified for closer observation

• pediatrician referral based on observation alone was significantly higher for children with suspected communication and gross motor delays relative to those with suspected fine motor, problem-solving, and personal-social delays

• 37 of the total 82 early intervention-eligible or monitored children would have been missed without the use of the screening instrument

Pediatrician Kevin Marks of PeaceHealth Medical Group sums up the significance of the findings: "The very children who benefit the most from early intervention services (children with mild delays, children from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and younger children with early signs of autism) are often the same children who pediatricians fail to identify in a timely manner without the help of universal, periodic, standardized developmental screening."

(Watch for additional items in the ASQ family of products, including training DVDs and an ASQ materials kit—coming soon!)

SEE THE ABSTRACT OF THE PEDIATRICS ARTICLE >>

Selected upcoming conferences

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