The Baby Bridge program was developed to ensure timely and continuous therapy services following neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) discharge. A systematic process for development of the Baby Bridge program included a review of the evidence, integration of theory, and input from NICU health care professionals, early intervention leadership, and…

The objective of this study was to evaluate two early intervention packages to promote successful transitions to kindergarten for preschoolers with behavior problems recruited from Head Start preschools. Fifty children (M[subscript age] = 61 months; 76% male; 98% minority) referred by teachers due to early externalizing behavior problems were…

Young children with and at risk for emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD) present challenges for early childhood teachers. Evidence-based programs designed to address these young children's behavior problems exist, but there are a number of barriers to implementing these programs in early childhood settings. Advancing the science of treatment…

Collaborative early intervention (EI) service delivery is enhanced by professional development focused on knowledge and skills in the content and process of delivering services. This article describes a multicomponent online professional development course designed to build infant toddler specialists' capacity to support children with…

Measurement in early childhood is an increasingly large-scale endeavor addressing purposes of accountability, program improvement, child outcomes, and intervention decision making for individual children. The Early Communication Indicator (ECI) is a measure relevant to intervention decision making for infants and toddlers, including response to…

Many intervention programs use home visiting to target enhanced parent-child interactions; however, few studies have examined specific intervention strategies, limiting the potential utility of evaluation results to guide practice, research, or policy effectively. In this paper, we recommend that researchers and program evaluators open the "black…

The extent to which presumptive eligibility was used to enroll children in early intervention was the focus of this study. Participants were 180 children enrolled in early intervention in western NC during a 2-year period. Presumptive eligibility was defined as the process of determining a child's eligibility for IDEA Part C early intervention…

Young children with autism have deficits in initiating and responding to joint attention bids. This study was designed to examine a parent-implemented intervention targeting joint attention responding in children with autism. Parents were trained to increase their joint attention bids using behavior analytic techniques to facilitate appropriate…

This article describes the design and testing of the Family-Centered Program Rating Scale, which is seen as useful during comprehensive evaluation of early intervention programs for young children with disabilities and their families, as well as during program planning, staff development, and research processes. The article provides information…

This paper reviews evaluations of family-centered intervention programs conducted in neonatal intensive care units. Of 10 studies identified, 3 focused on intervention to benefit the family system; 6 involved parents, but the primary focus was the infant; and 1 study combined the 2 approaches. All the studies had substantial limitations.…

Analyses of data from over 6,000 Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs) in Indiana revealed that on average half the service hours on IFSPs were actually delivered to children and families. Most commonly delivered early intervention services were special instruction and occupational, physical, and speech therapy. Rates of delivered services…

Project Participate has developed and implemented a model for making decisions about interventions that enhance the ability of a preschool child with severe motor disabilities to actively participate in educational programs. The effectiveness of the process in increasing child participation in play, communication, social interaction, and mobility…

Mothers (N=503) of young handicapped children identified types of family intervention services currently received and needed. Results indicated that the most commonly available services involved providing information to parents about their children and helping parents participate in the early intervention system. Resource assistance and…

The Early Childhood Outcomes (ECO) Center was funded by the Office of Special Education Programs to promote the development and implementation of child and family outcome measures for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with disabilities. An evidence-based process with extensive stakeholder input led to the identification of five outcomes by which…

This paper reviews analytic methods for estimating growth curves or developmental trajectories from longitudinal data. Traditional models for studying change are contrasted with a relatively new method, hierarchical linear models. Evidence is presented indicating that hierarchical linear models can overcome some of the methodological limitations…