The article reviews the role of Head Start in providing educational services to young handicapped children and discusses the problem of the lack of adequately trained teachers to provide such services, suggesting the Child Development Associate Credentialing and Training Program as a means to alleviate this problem. (JDD)

This bibliography provides a listing of 111 English-language books, articles, and audiovisual resources on the subject of relations between professionals and the parents of infants and toddlers with disabilities. Specific topics covered include, among others: parent attitudes, goal-setting, family assessment, stress, support groups, parent…

This study examined preferences for consultation models and styles among 67 professionals who worked in early intervention programs in Colorado. Participants preferred a collaborative approach involving shared responsibility across all stages of the consultation process and a directive style of sharing specific strategies to address the concerns…

In 1959 the New Jersey State Legislature enacted a law establishing the position of learning disabilities specialist (LDS) in order to provide services to aid the classroom teacher's work with pupils who have handicaps or learning disabilities. The innovation of new instructional methods, the adaptation of new educational materials, and the…

This article describes community-based developmental assessment (CDA) sites as one means for early identification of infants and toddlers with disabilities. At CDA sites, developmentalists assess referred children for developmental status and serve as liaison between the referring physician and the early intervention system. CDA sites are cost…

Issues related to training of personnel working with handicapped infants/toddlers and their families center on two major areas: content of training and process of training. Following an analysis of within-discipline and cross-discipline content and within-discipline and cross-discipline training processes, recommendations are offered concerning…

Two issues in early childhood special education personnel development (personnel shortages and state certification policies) are examined via a literature review and a survey. Both competency and experiential based certification policies are studied. Recommendations are made for developing appropriate certification/competency requirements and…

The subspecialty of "developmental school psychology" has emerged to identify and treat special needs children of preschool age. This article examines the rationale, tentative definition, attributes and competencies, and role functions for the developing profession. Issues and trends in training and practice are also discussed.…

A review of 40 federally funded personnel preparation projects for infant specialists focused on: demographic information; project scope; project rationale; training content, including competencies, practicum, and coursework; staff; budget; and project evaluation. Areas needing further examination by the early intervention field include training…

Discusses the importance of nurturing alliances between specialists and families within the context of developmental assessments. Five axioms with family stories illustrate how specialists and families can collaborate during assessments to ensure that services include families and promote acquisition of knowledge in natural settings. (Author/CR)

These three newsletter issues provide organizational news from the program that awards the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential to caregivers. Each issue provides a CDA profile of an exceptional educator or caregiver. The March issue introduces the new director of the Council for Early Childhood Professional Recognition and describes…