This study replicates an earlier one carried out in London in which an association was found between lead and intelligence, reading and spelling. In the present study 194 children living near an urban motorway were given the same battery of tests as well as an extensive family interview to determine background variables. Before social factors were taken into account there were no significant associations between lead and outcome variable. Possible reasons for the negative results from this study are discussed.

Provision of safe and effective occupational therapy in neonatal intensive care units requires an understanding of neonatal medical conditions and treatment modalities. This article explains basic medical concepts and technology with terminology frequently encountered in neonatal intensive care. Discussions of neonatal thermoregulation, respiratory care, hemodynamic monitoring, and metabolic support are presented as general areas of focus. Equipment usage and precautions are included. Several case studies illustrate the incorporation of medical knowledge into neonatal occupational therapy practice.

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Parents' attitudes towards single‐sex and mixed secondary schooling are examined in this paper. In two studies, statements about mixed and girls‐only schooling were read out to parents, who were asked whether or not they agreed with them. Parents were also asked if they knew why some parents preferred mixed schools for their sons. Few differences between the parents of girls and boys at primary schools emerged; at the secondary stage it was found that most parents who sent their daughters to girls‐only secondary schools felt that such schools allowed girls to gain more personal and academic self‐confidence. The responses of parents of girls and boys at mixed secondary schools to the statements about mixed schooling showed considerable agreement. However, those parents with sons at mixed schools were more likely than parents of girls to agree that the presence of girls had a ‘civilising’ influence on the boys. The comments relating to why parents might prefer a mixed rather than a boys‐only school for their sons indicated that the great majority of parents of both boys and girls felt that there were social advantages for boys being educated with girls. Methods to try to highlight educational rather than social issues in the context of choice of mixed and single‐sex schooling are discussed, together with some methodological implications for research examining issues relating to parental choice of secondary school.

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