1 Section of Child Neurology, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, AZ 85724
I regret that Dr Lazar misinterpreted some of the statements in my paper, and I apologize if my intentions were unclear. My comments referred specifically (as stated) to the value of intervention programs with neurologically handicapped children. I am not opposed to programs for environmentally deprived children. I share Lazar's concern for sensible parental involvement in the development of children; however, I have not seen parents "often" abandon the child with special needs.
Since I stated specifically in the paper that "large- scale, systematic, and scientifically controlled studies with rigorous methodology are sorely needed," I fail to understand Lazar's comment that "my position discourages systematic longitudinal investigation of the effects of education on the physiologically damaged child."