This information sheet summarizes findings from two reports: "Staffing Patterns and Team Models in Infancy Programs" by Jeanette McCollum and Mary-alayne Hughes, and "Early Intervention Team Approaches: The Transdisciplinary Model" by Geneva Woodruff and Mary McGonigel. The digest outlines the provisions of the Education of the…

A rationale for and components of a development systems model are presented to guide early intervention programs. Core principles emphasizing a developmental framework, integration, and inclusion are expressed in the context of a multicomponent interactive system. The model's focus on maximizing family patterns of interaction by addressing…

This text is on transdisciplinary team assessment of infants and toddlers at developmental risk and emphasizes both the dynamics (interpersonal strategies) and the mechanics (team assessment strategies) of teamwork. Emphasis is on assessment for the development of Individualized Family Service Plans. Chapter 1 reviews major developmental…

Caring for infants and toddlers has long been conceptualized in Western society as mothers' work, and consequently devalued. Alternative care for infants and toddlers has lacked a knowledge base like that undergirding preschool education. Factors impeding research on infant/toddler care include strong ideological opposition to nonmaternal care,…

In an attempt to provide a model of language intervention tailored to toddler needs, this poster session gives an overview of a playgroup program implemented by a speech-language pathologist and an early intervention specialist. The program's aim is to improve communicative abilities while maintaining the integrity of the child-caregiver…

This article describes the role of family members in early intervention personnel preparation efforts, provides a rationale for family involvement, and offers guidelines and strategies for facilitating the participation of families of special-needs young children in personnel preparation, in ways that model collaborative family-professional…

This guide describes the Model of Interdisciplinary Training for Children with Handicaps (MITCH) program and suggests ways to implement this training program for Florida caregivers of infants and toddlers with disabilities on a local level. It includes guidelines for conducting training sessions and for training instructors. Specifically, the…

The purpose of this document is to suggest guidelines for the identification and assessment of children who should participate in programs related to the infant-toddler (Part H) and the preschool (Part B, Section 619) components of Public Law 99-457, the Education of the Handicapped Amendments of 1986. The guidelines integrate information from the…

This book describes an intervention framework to help young children (birth to 36 months) who have or are at risk of having a disability, to cope more effectively. The book is written for an interdisciplinary audience including service providers, administrators, researchers, and policymakers. Emphasis is on enhancing the adaptive behavior and…

For children with disabilities, children at risk, and even for healthy infants and toddlers born into well-functioning families, support and early intervention can foster optimal growth and development. Based upon the underlying principle that the most effective interventions incorporate flexible, client-centered approaches with the client-service…

This newsletter presents five articles focusing on the social development of infants and very young children. The first article, "Sympathetic Behavior in Very Young Children," by Lois Barclay Murphy, gives examples of early sympathetic behavior, traces the development of sympathy, identifies individual patterns of sympathetic response,…

Using the mythical creature of the Himalayas, the Yeti, as a symbol for the prejudices and assumptions that people prematurely make about each other, this book discusses bringing up children to accept and cherish diversity and helping them to thrive in an increasingly diverse world. Directed to educators and caregivers of toddlers and…

This resource for parents and other caretakers to use with infants from 8 to 18 months provides a synthesis of research on early brain development and objective-oriented instruction as the basis for activities that promote intellectual development. Part 1 of the book provides an overview of early development, discusses general ways of enhancing…

This book provides an introduction to early intervention programs, focusing on programs that reflect a transactional model of family-centered services employing collaborative and interdisciplinary techniques. Chapter 1 presents the historical context of early intervention services. Chapter 2 defines the various disabilities and risk conditions.…