The purpose of this research progress is to extend a set of studies that for the past ten years have been investigating the continuing impact of a preschool intervention program designed to aid the school adaptation of children at high risk for developmental retardation. Four age cohorts of randomly assigned experimental and control children will have entered public school by the beginning date of this program project request. The ninety-seven high-risk children (and families) participating in this program were identified at birth as children likely to develop mild mental retardation. The educational intervention program applied through the preschool years has been concerned primarily with the prevention of retarded development. An additional design feature was added as the experimental and control groups reached school age. The research literature has suggested that major change may take place when the child leaves a carefully designed preschool program and enter public school. Accordingly, each group, experimental and control, was divided again and half of each group received the services of a Home/School Resource Teacher who provided the family with information and home activities based upon the classroom teacher recommendations. The school age program is concerned both with continued attempts at prevention and with remediation of existing retarded development.
