Measures of young children's social development are needed in the Multi-Tier System of Supports (MTSS) approach to early childhood. In 2004, we reported initial development of an observational measure of infants' and toddlers' social skills designed for early educators, the Early Social Indicator (ESI). Here, we report preliminary findings on the…

This study aims to characterize participation of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) graduates in early intervention (EI). We used data from the National Early Intervention Longitudinal Study. We fit models of days from referral to Individualized Family Service Plan creation (plan time), days from referral to initiation of services (service time),…

The purpose of this study was to determine in what ways the quality of plans developed by individualized family service plan (IFSP) teams changed following targeted revisions to the IFSP form and instruction manual. IFSPs were collected from 94 family service coordinators, one IFSP from each before and one from each after the form revision. The…

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…

The Early Communication Indicator (ECI) is a measure relevant to intervention decision making and progress monitoring for infants and toddlers. With increasing recognition of the importance of quality early childhood education and intervention for all children, measurement plays an important role in documenting children's progress and outcomes of…

Intervention was implemented with an infant identified at 9 months of age with a behavioral profile consistent with autistic spectrum disorder. The intervention approach, the Early Start Denver model, consisted of a 12-week, 1.5-hr-per-week individualized parent-child education program. Results of this case study demonstrated that the parent…

Interest in the concept of collaboration in early intervention has focused primarily on collaboration among professionals or between professionals and families. Few studies have examined patterns of collaboration between early interventionists and families headed by adolescent mothers. This study examined the perspectives and experiences of 6…

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…

This response to an article evaluating Indiana's early intervention service delivery (EC 628 669) notes additional important aspects such as the central finance model used, the value of the Indiana data system in tracking the amount and type of services provided, the incentive provided to complete all the Individual Family Service Plan data…

This response to an article evaluating Indiana's early intervention service delivery (EC 628 669) identifies implications of the study including: service intensity is relatively light; service location and context and the process of Individualized Family Service Plan formulation should be examined; implementation should be treated as an…

Evidence is presented regarding the construct validity and internal consistency reliability of scores for an investigator-developed individualized family service plan (IFSP) rating scale. One hundred and twenty IFSPs were rated using a 12-item instrument, the IFSP Rating Scale (McWilliam & Jung, 2001). Using principal components factor…

Comments on an article by Dunst and Bruder. Service coordination was supposed to be one of the major jewels in the legislative crown for young children with disabilities and their families. The authors have cast their experienced eyes on the heart of the matter, which is the models of service coordination that sprang to life almost immediately…

A study investigated effects of service coordinator variables on evidence of recommended practice in 120 Individualized Family Service Plans. Variables included months of experience, college major, degree level, first service delivery model practiced, and training attendance. Months of experience and training attendance had the strongest…

Describes a model of comprehensive individualized support for young children (ages 24 to 48 months) with severe developmental disabilities, including autism, based on a triad of essential elements: (1) development of functional communication skills; (2) supported participation in socially inclusive environments; and (3) multifaceted family…