Despite an emphasis on family-centered practices in early intervention, the translation of this philosophy into practice is unclear. We, therefore, measured practices of 250 early intervention service providers in Spain, with the Families in Natural Environments Scale of Service Evaluation. We analyzed the "difficulty" of practices,…

In Portugal, the individual intervention plan (IIP) is an essential component of early intervention (EI) services for families with children aged 0-6 who have special needs or are at risk. In this paper, we aim to analyse: (a) the benefits of the IIP for families in EI programmes and (b) the type of barriers and difficulties in the process of…

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) is a framework for delivering effective and efficient services and supports to meet the needs of all young children and their families so they can achieve essential developmental and early academic learning outcomes. With this evidence-based planning book and video set, you'll discover how to design,…

The purpose of this study was to obtain an understanding of the unique experiences of families who have a young child at risk for or identified with an autism spectrum disorder and their experiences with early intervention. Thirty-nine parents of children with or at risk for an autism spectrum disorder receiving Part C services in a state in the…

The field of early childhood intervention for infants and young children with disabilities or delays has a rich history that spans many disciplines of practice. Both legislation and research has provided a foundation for how services are delivered to this population, and there are several recommended practices that govern service delivery to this…

An analysis of transcripts from focus groups of service providers and parents of children diagnosed with autism found convergence in the areas of collaboration, family support, financial issues, equity, early identification, advocacy, training, and inclusion. Divergent themes included access, home programming, the law, best practice, and…

A survey of 25 families of children (ages 3-9) with autism and pervasive developmental disabilities found that families interacted with a host of different agencies and professionals to receive services. Many families reported difficulty accessing needed services and minimal involvement in planning or implementing these interventions. (CR)

This article examines factors associated with underutilization of early intervention services, outlines the prevalence of these factors in the population of families with young children, presents statistics on the sociodemographic characteristics of families with children under five, and suggests policies that may facilitate the participation of…

This monograph represents the collective thinking of parents of children with special health needs, family members, and professionals concerning what is necessary and important in collaborative relationships. Collaboration is viewed as a way to improve quality of life and health of children and their families, by working together to humanize the…

A study explored the perceptions of 397 parents and 26 service coordinators on early intervention program practices that affected collaboration. Factors included program philosophy and climate, service delivery (including options for service delivery), teaming approaches, administrative policies and practices (including quality of program…

Discusses a family-centered assessment and intervention approach that empowers and enables families in the selection and use of assistive technology by young children with disabilities. It considers key characteristics of parent/professional partnerships; child, family, technology, and service-system domains; and the use of culturally sensitive…

This commentary reviews previous articles that discuss major educational approaches for young children with autism from the perspective of a parent with a child with autism. Considerations for parents in selecting an intervention and the need for more intervention information and resources for parents are addressed. (CR)

This report documents the activities and outcomes of the 5-year model demonstration project AHEAD (At Home and At Day Care), a Utah program that is designed to deliver services to infants, toddlers, and young children (ages birth-3) with noncategorical disabilities. The program delivers services to the children and their caregivers in their…

A survey of 989 service providers for handicapped children, age 0-6, examined the degree to which early intervention activities focus on the family. The survey assessed perceptions of the value of working with parents, time devoted to family-focused activities, kinds of services offered, achievement of objectives, and factors impeding services.…

This theme issue focuses on family-centered practices and policies for service delivery. The first article, "Family-Centered Service Delivery," reports on a study of 130 published sources in education, social work, nursing, psychology, occupational therapy, and related disciplines, which found that the key components of family-centered…