Drawing on the perspectives of itinerant early childhood special education (ECSE) consultants reported in previous research, this article identifies issues and challenges specific to early intervention and education that must be considered for itinerant ECSE consultants to engage in productive consultation with personnel in child care or other…

This study examined professional comfort of 84 early intervention professionals in providing consultation about children with varying types, severity levels, and combinations of disabilities. Analysis suggested that more discomfort was reported if the child had severe disabilities or difficulties in communication and behavior. Additional training…

Content analysis of focus groups attended by 86 early intervention specialists revealed six factors affecting professional comfort with consultation: (1) child characteristics, (2) consultee characteristics, (3) program characteristics, (4) consultant characteristics, (5) available resources, and (6) consultant's history with the program. No…

Professional roles in early childhood special education (ECSE) are expanding beyond traditional frameworks of direct service, to include consultation services, program planning and evaluating, and marketing. Potential dangers of role conflict and role overload are noted. (Author/DB)

A model is presented for preparing community-based consultants to work on-site beside the staff of early childhood programs in order to improve the quality of these early childhood environments. The model provides measures of global quality in participating community-based programs, to determine the quality of care received before and after…

Examines the evolution of new professional roles and relationships in early childhood inclusive care and education, including the early intervention specialist, speech-language pathologist, physical therapist, and occupational therapist. Provides key questions for early childhood professionals, especially classroom teachers, to stimulate…