Developmental surveillance is the process of monitoring child development over time to promote healthy development and to identify possible problems. Standardized developmental screeners have greater sensitivity than milestone-based history taking. Unfortunately, Canadian screening guidelines, to date, are sparse, logistical barriers to implementation have slowed uptake of screening tests and physicians continue to rely on milestones. When using clinical impression as a framework for surveillance, clinicians may not know when to consider a milestone delayed because developmental attainments exist within an age range and there is an absence of referenced percentiles on available published tables, which are particularly problematic for the cognitive and social-emotional sectors, which are less familiar to physicians. A novel, five-sector milestone framework with upper limits, referenced to the best available level of evidence, is presented. This framework may be used in teaching and may help physicians to better recognize failed milestones to facilitate early identification of children at risk for developmental disorders.

We examined the effectiveness of self-managed individual and group contingency procedures in improving the completion and accuracy rates of daily mathematics homework assignments. A group of sixth-grade students having homework difficulties in mathematics were selected for the study. There was substantial improvement in the amount of homework completed over baseline for a majority of the students, whereas the results for accuracy were mixed. Students who participated in the self-management training made significant gains on standardized measures of academic achievement and curriculum-based measures of classroom performance. Parents also reported significantly fewer problems associated with homework completion following the intervention. Students who were allowed to select their own performance goals made superior improvements in the number of homework assignments returned compared to students who were given a specified goal by the classroom teacher. Parents, subjects, and the classroom teacher responded positively on consumer satisfaction measures following termination of the study.

All Canadian Paediatric Society position statements and practice points are reviewed regularly and revised as needed. Consult the Position Statements section of the CPS website www.cps.ca/en/documents for the most current version. Retired statements are removed from the website.

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The present article serves as a quick office reference for clinicians, providing anticipatory guidance about the cognitive and social-emotional development of newborns, and children up to five years of age. The present review links recommendations to specific evidence in the medical literature, citing sources of developmental standards and advice, so that these may be further explored if desired. Practising primary care providers have indicated that these are areas of child development that are not well addressed by training and other available resources. The present article includes parenting information on important clinical presentations with which clinicians may be less familiar, such as promoting attachment, prosocial behaviours, healthy sleep habits, self-discipline and problem-solving; as well as on managing behaviours that are part of normal development, such as separation anxiety, tantrums, aggression, picky eating and specific fears. Information on the development of language, literacy and socialization are also included.

This article provides a limited review of the effects of homework on students with disabilities, the essentials of effective homework programs, and variables that affect home-school partnerships. The emphasis is on students with learning disabilities and behavior disorders who are at risk for academic failure and poor school adjustment. The authors introduce the University of Utah Homework Partners series, which highlights three homework packages: a cooperative learning teams-based approach for classrooms, a package to train parents to be positive academic tutors for their children, and a systematic program to train parents in effective homework practices. The latter package is the major focus of this article because it emphasizes home-school partnerships for students with disabilities. Sanity Savers for Parents: Tips for Tackling Homework is a training program that teaches parents how to assess, design, and troubleshoot an effective in-home homework program for their child. The overall emphasis of this program is on practical interventions that are positive and motivating and include a home-to-school link to maximize the generalization of effects for students with learning and behavior disabilities.

This integrated approach is highly acceptable. Video clip usage, live dyads, clear written objectives and use of a standardised screening tool preserved the interaction and immediacy of a clinical encounter, while maintaining consistency in content.

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