Approximately 1 in 6 children in the US has a developmental delay, disorder, or disability (DD). Early identification of DDs can help families access services that empower children and families, and it can improve child outcomes. The "Learn the Signs. Act Early." (LTSAE) Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)…

Early identification of developmental delays and disabilities (DDs) is a key component of well-child visits. Recommendations for assessing children's development during these visits continue to evolve. For almost a century, developmental milestones have been used to identify children with atypical development. More recently, the American Academy…

Shared interactive book reading (SIBR) is a broad term used to describe the act of adults reading aloud to children, while encouraging interaction by asking questions and engaging in a discussion about the book. SIBR can be used to embed naturalistic communication teaching strategies, creating learning opportunities to promote a child's language…

Effective collaboration among team members is a fundamental responsibility for all Early Intervention (EI) professionals. EI can be described as a particular type of service and support for infants and toddlers with delays/disabilities under three and their families provided through Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.…

Grounded in the work of researchers such as Dunst, Trivette, and Deal (1988), the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children's (DEC) Recommended Practices in the area of working with families provide guidance to EI/early childhood special education (ECSE) practitioners on how best to support families of young children who…

Young children with developmental delays, neurodevelopmental disorders, or other developmentally atypical presentations are increasingly referred to the mental health system of care because of symptoms that include prolonged tantrums, aggression, anxiety, and sensory processing difficulties. Concerning behaviors can be viewed as constitutional…

There are concerns about the quantity and quality of personnel in early childhood intervention (ECI) as the numbers of infants and young children with delays and disabilities grow in number, needs, and diversity. The Early Childhood Personnel Center (ECPC) was funded to provide technical assistance (TA) to state systems of ECI and institutions of…

Originally published in 1994 by ZERO TO THREE as the "Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood" ("DC:0-3") and revised in 2005 by ZERO TO THREE as the "Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood, Revised…

Mental health therapists use strategies such as rupture and repair, unconditional positive regard, and managing countertransference to help their clients achieve therapeutic goals. These tools work across disciplines. Teaching parents to use therapeutic techniques increases opportunities to enhance their child's development and builds compliance…

Early interventionists interact and partner with a multitude of families, all with unique strengths, backgrounds, and circumstances. During partnerships with family members, professionals may encounter interactions and relationships that they perceive as challenging or imbalanced. Skilled Dialogue is a framework which emphasizes the use of…

In this article, the author offers a brief tribute to Judy Lupart, a trail blazer in inclusive education in Canada. The author looks back over the past two decades to highlight how Judy's efforts have contributed to the current accomplishments in inclusion and have challenged everyone to ensure education for all.

This document is a guide for implementing widespread use of evidence-based practices for improving the outcomes for young children with or at-risk for delays or disabilities and their families. The evidence-based practices are selected practices from the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Recommended Practices (RPs). The guide is written for…

For thousands of parents of children with delays or disabilities, early intervention (EI) is the start of a lifetime of personal advocacy--learning to speak up on behalf of their own child to obtain the supports and educational experiences that establish future success in school and in life. Facing severe cuts in budgets, narrowing of eligibility…

This article describes the process of becoming a more reflective practitioner in the delivery of pediatric physical therapy through attention to 3 challenges: the therapist's resistance to addressing infant-parent mental health issues, the parents' resistance to acknowledging their infants' delays or disabilities, and the therapist's realization…

There is a very substantial literature over the past 50 years on the advantages of early detection and intervention on the cognitive, communicative, and social-emotional development of infants and toddlers at risk for developmental delay due to premature birth or social disadvantage. Most of these studies excluded children with severe delays or…