Recommended practices for Part C early childhood special education home visitors encourage use of caregiver coaching strategies to enhance learning opportunities within the natural routines of infants and toddlers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a multicomponent professional development intervention on home visitors' use…

The importance of being family centered when providing services to children with a disability and their families has gained currency in the research and practice literature. A growing body of evidence has validated many of the theoretical links between the help-giving practices of staff and desirable outcomes for families with a child with a…

The article examines several different approaches to case management practices. An enabling model of case management is proposed as a framework for ensuring that early intervention practices optimally influence child, parent, and family functioning as part of development and implementation of Individualized Family Service Plans. (DB)

The Research and Training Center (RTC) in Service Coordination is a federally funded project charged with carrying out an advanced research program to analyze current, and recommend future, policies and practices for service coordination under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act amendments of 1997. One RTC objective was to…

The article reviews emerging health care delivery options for handicapped children. Cost structures, quality of care, and future prospects are considered for Health Maintenance Organizations, Preferred Provider Organizations, Tax Supported Direct Service Programs, Hospital-Based Services, and Ambulatory Care Organizations. (Author/DB)

The chairman of the House Committee on Labor and Human Resources reviews economic and geographic factors affecting the development of social policy decisions for handicapped persons. He notes progress in prevention and early childhood special education and considers implications of tax policies for families of handicapped children. (CL)

This study interviewed 58 parents of preschool-aged disabled children about their perceptions of infant and family services proposed under Public Law 99-457. Parents expressed desires for knowledge about their child and available services, and stressed the importance of professionals empowering families to make their own decisions. (Author/PB)

This paper argues that behaviorism has utility in the design and implementation of early childhood special education services. It explores criticisms of behaviorism, describes critical features of the behavioral approach, and provides examples of the influence and application of the behavioral perspective in early childhood special education.…

Major components of the social support and social systems approach to early intervention are reviewed, reflections are presented, and the future use of the model are discussed. The paper concludes with an overview of a "third generation" model integrating new evidence for studying and practicing family systems intervention. (Contains extensive…

Perceptions of the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) process for children with disabilities were assessed in a statewide (North Carolina) survey of approximately 600 child service coordinators. Divergent viewpoints about the usefulness and process of developing the IFSP emerged, depending on the program with which the child service…

The transition of children between the two programs of Public Law 99-457, serving children aged birth through two and age three through five, can impact on state administration and local agency administration of the programs. Recommendations are provided for facilitating the family's and child's transition and ensuring continuity in services.…

Focus groups of early intervention therapists, nontherapist professionals, administrators, and family members were interviewed to determine challenges to providing specialized therapies to young children with disabilities. Results indicated a perception that policy/administrative constraints and a shortage of pediatric therapists caused services…

The development of comprehensive, coordinated, multidisciplinary services for young handicapped children is required by Public Law 99-457. The article presents a definition of technical assistance, a description of developmental levels in service provision, suggestions for designing such services, and a discussion of major needs of states…

This response to Mahoney et al. (EC 623 392) offers a definition of parent education and discusses the importance of identifying intended outcomes and providing effective educational opportunities. Two models of parent education in early intervention are described: Parents Interacting with Infants and the Individualized Support Project. Some…

This article reviews three salient issues faced by the staff of the Peabody College as one of the first early intervention inclusive programs: child recruitment, appropriate service delivery, and relative lack of barriers to inclusion. Program successes are juxtaposed with issues faced by contemporary early intervention approaches to inclusion.…