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This paper describes a longitudinal study undertaken with 40 pre-schoolers during their last six months in an early childhood centre and their first six months at school. The study presents an investigation of the pathways that child drawers and painters make towards representational depictions. As such its primary focus is on cognitive processes. Monthly samples of 40 children's drawings and paintings were collected over a 12-month period that included the children's transition into formal schooling. CrossTabs analysis showed that the relevant cognitive abilities tended to present in clusters and that patterning may be a serious component both in its own right, as well as in facilitating representational depictions, as previously claimed by Booth. (Contains 4 tables and 15 figures.)

This study examines interventions designed to improve communication between individuals who take care of children with ADHD. A teacher rating of 6,171 elementary school children identifies 1,573 children with ADHD or with high risk for ADHD. Parent interviews and information from teachers are collected on 243 children who are randomized into treatment and control conditions and followed for 39 months. The interventions consisted of group workshops and single one-on-one tutorials with parents, teachers, and providers about the evaluation and treatment of ADHD that stressed the need for communication between the three parties. There are few significant effects on communication that are short lived. Results suggest that the interventions are insufficient to cause significant increase in communication. Future attempts to improve parent-teacher-provider coordination should be continuing rather than single-session interventions. (Contains 6 tables and 4 figures.)

This study describes the use of content analysis to develop a framework for analysing children's animated television programs (in this case, "Bob the Builder") and as such represents the initial stage of a larger project. Results indicate this popular TV series for preschoolers presents contradictory social messages about the roles of men and women as depicted through the two main characters, Bob and Wendy. (Contains 1 diagram and 2 tables.)

In order to determine whether expenditures for mental health could be reduced and quality improved, Congress mandated that the Department of Defense conduct a demonstration project utilizing a wraparound mental health service system for child and adolescent military dependents. A longitudinal quasiexperimental design was used to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the demonstration. The results showed that children in the Wraparound Group received more wraparound services than those in the treatment as usual (TAU) Comparison Group. These services included case management, in-home treatment, and other nontraditional services. The Demonstration also provided better continuity of care. Multiple methods were used to investigate the impact of wraparound. Both groups showed some improvement on some measures but there were no differences between the groups in functioning, symptoms, life satisfaction, positive functioning, or sentinel events. Regardless of which statistical model was used to estimate costs, the Demonstration was also more expensive. The higher level of expenditures for the Wraparound group was a result of some expensive traditional care and the addition of nontraditional services. Several possible explanations of these results are provided.

Analyzes key assumptions behind Vygotsky's writing on children's play. Argues that Vygotsky's writings about play do not constitute a psychological theory, and would be better acknowledged as part of the historical evolution of ideas about children's play. Maintains that theoretical significance of Vygotsky's opinion about play can be questioned based on current research in the area. (Author/KB)

This study demonstrates the usefulness of cluster analytic patterns of care in a sample of 979 children receiving federal mental health services. Six patterns were identified. These service-utilization clusters provide a useful and easily understood way to summarize children's quantity of use of various mental health services. (SLD)

The Parent and Youth Vanderbilt Functioning Indexes are functioning problem indexes for children and adolescents that require neither clinicians nor trained raters. Their low cost of administration permits adequate sample sizes in outcome evaluations of large numbers of students. The development of these instruments is described. (SLD)

The relationship of 18 parolee characteristics to outcome of parole was investigated (N=254). Three variables predicted likelihood of parole violation: length of sentence; parole officer's assessment of risk; and previous parole (negative relationship). This study is discussed within labeling theory and its model of deviant career development. (EMK)

A waveguide based noninvasive procedure to measure the complex permittivity of epoxy resins and catalysts normally employed in the composite industry is presented. The proposed method combines an analytical approach with a numerical optimization technique, and is based on the injection of the liquid under test beforehand into a cuvette (disposable container) with rectangular cross section. The cuvette filled with the liquid specimen is positioned at the center of a WR-340 rectangular waveguide for measuring the scattering coefficient data in the S-band. The approximate value of the complex permittivity of the specimen is reconstructed from the measured scattering coefficient data using the newly proposed analytical closed-form relations. These analytical expressions are based on derivation of the transcendental equation for the multilayered partially filled waveguide structure using the transverse resonance method. In order to determine quite accurate values of dielectric parameters of the liquid specimen, the experimental setup is simulated with the help of a 3-D full-wave electromagnetic field simulator and accordingly theoretical values of the scattering coefficients are computed. The complex permittivity of the liquid specimen in this case is determined using an optimization algorithm, which minimizes the error between the theoretical and measured values of scattering coefficients. To avoid the local minima problem commonly encountered with optimization routines and to increase the convergence rate, the complex permittivity of the specimen reconstructed using the analytical approach is used as the initial guess. The applicability of the overall procedure is determined by measuring a number of liquid specimens used in the composite industry. Index Terms--Complex relative permittivity, dielectric materials, electromagnetic heating, microwave measurements, partially filled rectangular waveguides, waveguide discontinuities.