Research shows relationships fuel early brain development and provide the foundation for lifelong health and success. Yet we also know that parenting a very young child places enormous physical and emotional demands on adults. Some families may not have what they need, or know where to turn for support if they want it, even when it is within reach…

Early Head Start (EHS) is an evidence-based, federally funded, and community-based program with a two-generation approach to child development for children under age 3 and pregnant women in poverty. The mission of EHS is to support healthy prenatal outcomes; enhance the intellectual, social, and emotional development of infants and toddlers; and…

This study examined the rates of special education placement during middle school grades (sixth through eighth) among children who participated in the Linda Ray Intervention Program (LRIP) center-based and home-based learning modalities. The study sample included 113 children in Miami Dade County Public Schools who had gestational cocaine exposure…

An exploratory case study was undertaken to examine child and caregiver outcomes in a diverse sample of 21 infants/toddlers with severe disabilities who received services from an urban, Part C program where caregiver-focused intervention was emphasized. Purposive sampling and mixed methods were used to collect data on child developmental change,…

The fields of special education/early intervention and infant mental health are moving closer, as practitioners find common ground in understanding and intervening to support vulnerable infants and toddlers. The importance of the impact of relationships on all developmental domains has been brought to the foreground. This includes relationships…

Background: Previous research has indicated positive effects of early developmental intervention (EDI) on the development of children in developing countries. Few studies, however, have examined longitudinally when differential treatment effects may be observed and whether differential outcomes are associated with exposure to different risk…

This article reviews the literature on the transdisciplinary approach to early intervention services and identifies the essential elements of this approach. A practice model describing the implementation of the approach is then presented, based on the experiences of staff members in a home visiting program for infants that has been in existence…

The purpose of this study was to conduct a "pilot participatory evaluation" of Every Child Succeeds (ECS), a well-established home visitation program in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, using Photovoice methodology. Every Child Succeeds serves first-time, at-risk mothers and their infants. Seven ECS mothers participated in the…

This paper reports observational data describing the content addressed and the processes employed by early special educators during home visits with children with disabilities (birth to three) and their families. Findings indicated that a model of child-focused intervention was most frequently implemented. Home visits especially tended to focus on…

This study evaluated the Columbus (Ohio) Children's Hospital vision stimulation program, involving in-home intervention with 15 visually impaired infants. Comparison with controls indicated benefits of appropriate vision stimulation in increasing the neural foundation for vision and visual-motor function in visually impaired infants. (Author/DB)

The report documents activities of the 3-year (1986-1989) Assessment as Intervention Project at George Washington University (District of Columbia). Major activities of the project included: data collection with 25 families of newborn at-risk premature infants, including assessment-intervention sessions at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of age; data…

Five full-term and five preterm children with blindness (age 12 months) were visited at home with their families every two weeks for two years. An individualized, disability-specific early intervention that used different types of parent involvement was successful in accelerating development of the full-term infants, particularly in orientation…

This article refutes 10 myths and identifies literature that supports service delivery to infants and toddlers with disabilities in natural settings. The benefits of naturalistic intervention, home-based services, and family-centered services are discussed, and concerns regarding therapist shortages, ethical problems, personal safety of providers,…

This article reviews experimental studies of home-based early interventions for infants at biological risk and their families. The paper presents a description of developmental interventions in intensive care nurseries, a rationale for continuing developmental interventions (in particular, home-based services), and implications for early…

This study of the extent of turnover among early childhood interventionists working in 27 North Carolina home-based programs found that 49 percent of staff, 38 percent of consultant therapists and specialists, and 68 percent of directors of programs remained employed over a 2.7-year period. Mean length of staff service increased from 1985 to 1988.…