Maternal and professional perspectives on the developmental, behavioral, and ecological status of children with disabilities and their families were compared, specifically examining the degree of congruence between maternal and professional estimates on various measures designed to assess child and family status. A review of 37 studies helped…

In order to suggest policies aimed at preventing underutilization of early intervention services by typically underserved populations, this study reviewed the literature on utilization of health and social services, devised a generic model of service utilization, and examined the national distribution of several of the model's factors. The model…

This analysis reports on the plans for special education personnel development by those states submitting fourth year applications under Part H of Public Law 99-457, the Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments (1986). The eight states--Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Maryland, Montana, North Carolina, and Texas--used a variety of approaches…

A study evaluated the Early Literacy program that served 1,773 underachieving pupils in grades one and two who appeared unlikely to learn to read successfully without additional reading instruction. The Early Literacy program teacher and each small group of pupils worked together each day for 40-45 minutes on reading and writing activities. A…

In order to increase statistical power, this study combined the data of three previous studies on the role of parent involvement in early intervention for children with disabilities. Each of the studies found a mixed pattern of positive results on child outcomes and, in two of the studies, on family outcomes. The combined subjects (n=181) had mild…

The Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) Preschool Programs is a comprehensive early childhood educational delivery system that provides developmentally appropriate practices to children, integrated services to families, and interdisciplinary and interagency collaboration among organizations serving young children in Kentucky. This report…

This study attempted to describe and explain the different approaches taken by policymakers in a diverse group of states, as they seek to implement Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which provides federal mandates and aid to assist states in planning and developing comprehensive multidisciplinary, interagency, coordinated…

Services for immigrant students in the Houston Independent School District (Texas) are provided under provisions of the Emergency Immigrant Education Assistance Act. The implementation of these services was evaluated for the 1996-97 school year. A total of 20,558 eligible immigrant students were identified in the school district's database for…

Intended for use by parents of infants, toddlers and preschoolers, this guide presents, in question and answer format, basic information about early intervention and special education services. Questions about services for the period from birth through 2 years include the following: "What are early intervention services?""What is an…

This paper describes Project TRAIN (Training Rural Area Interventionists to meet Needs), a federally-funded competency-based program that provides graduate-level preservice training for early intervention professionals interested in working with special-need infants, toddlers, and their families. In the third year of the program 19 trainees have…

This publication presents a system of proactive classroom management for use in elementary school, grades K-6. Characteristics of the proactive concept are described as: (1) planning for prevention rather than reaction to behavior problems; (2) considering the classroom as a total process of facilitating achievement as well as appropriate…

Intended for parents of young children with disabilities in Texas, this booklet describes the Texas early childhood intervention (ECI) program and identifies parent rights. An introductory chart summarizes five steps of family centered services (from assessment and evaluation to the annual Individualized Family Service Plan meeting) in terms of…

This paper describes an experimental early intervention program called the Kindergarten and Elementary Intervention Program, which provides support for at-risk students, their parents, and teachers. It aims at the improvement of early school adjustment through approaches designed to accommodate a wide range of individual differences; improve and…

The purpose of this study of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Chapter 1 Preschool Program was to document the program's effects and to make a start at determining whether the program prevents later school problems. It was hypothesized: (1) that former preschool program members would have significantly better language development than eligible students…

One of nine competency-based training modules for personnel preparation in early childhood special education, this guide focuses on the importance of play and learning in preschool programs. All modules are adaptable for use with a general audience, direct service personnel, or administrators and are based on the following principles of the Ohio…