A MULTIYEAR HOME-BASED PROGRAM TO PROMOTE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUNG PALESTINIAN CHILDREN WHO EXHIBIT DEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS

The effectiveness of the Portage Program, a home-based prescriptive-te aching secondary-prevention program based on behavioral principles and designed to promote development in infant and children who display ge neral cognitive and related disabilities, was examined over a five yea r period. The progress of 396 children with handicapping conditions wh o reside in the Gaza Strip was followed. Children in the three lowest levels of ability made little change in their rates of development whi le those in the two highest levels displayed decrements in their rates of development. Additional empirical studies on the Portage Program a re warranted to determine the types of children and the environmental conditions associated with its effects.