The COVID-19 crisis has made delivering early intervention services much more challenging and could exacerbate racial inequities in health and education. But we can only fix what we can measure--so it is vital that states collect and report better data. A survey of state coordinators of early intervention services in fall 2020 focused on Black and…

Just as schools are working to appropriately address K-12 students' unfinished learning caused by the pandemic, early intervention systems are focusing on addressing the missed opportunities the pandemic created for young children and their families. Young children missing these opportunities for early intervention services are potentially at…

Infancy is a time of extreme opportunity, but it is also a time of extreme vulnerability, particularly for those reared in high-risk environments. Although infant exposure to any risk is important to understand, this brief focuses on the experience and impact of "trauma," defined as witnessing or experiencing an event that poses a real…

Poor language skills can have a negative effect on a developing child if not identified early. Current strategies to identify families with children who may need additional support are limited, and may not detect child language problems before they become entrenched. The present study explores observed indices of parental language as a means of…

Public Law 99-457 extended the landmark Public Law 94-142 legislation to include early intervention for infants and toddlers with or at-risk for development of developmental disabilities. Currently over 300,000 infants and toddlers and their families in the United States receive services through Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities…

The purpose of this synthesis is to present summary information on family-centered practices, and on interventions aimed at promoting positive parenting practices, teaching parenting skills, and influencing parent child interactions that have demonstrated associations with positive social emotional development for children aged 0-3 years. The…

In FY 2009, the Children's Bureau funded the Center for the Study of Social Policy, in partnership with ZERO TO THREE: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families, and the National Alliance of Children's Trust and Prevention Funds, to create a National Quality Improvement Center on Early Childhood (QIC-EC) focused on child maltreatment…

This article reviews the literature on conflict resolution skills and applies it to local interagency coordinating councils attempting to coordinate services to young children with special needs and their families. Six dimensions (climate, people, resources, agency, process, and policies) of the collaborative process are identified. (Author/DB)

This study examined each of Kansas's 40 local interagency coordinating councils, which were established to coordinate services to infants and toddlers with special needs and their families under Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990. The study looked at council scope, productivity, membership, governance, training…

This report provides descriptive information on variations in selected features of state and local early intervention systems. Information was gathered from 20 states as part of the National Early Intervention Longitudinal Study (NEILS). Results indicate a considerable variation along a number of dimensions, including: eligibility criteria; type…

This article describes requirements for developing Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSP) under Part H of the Education of the Handicapped Act. Components of the IFSP document are reviewed and process considerations are discussed. State-level and local-level strategies for implementing family-centered IFSP processes are highlighted. (Author/PB)

This report presents results of a self-study evaluation of the Pediatric and Developmental Services (PEDS) unit, a center-based collaborative interagency program in Guam which provides screening, assessment, referrals, and initial intervention for children birth to 3 years of age with or at risk for developmental delays/disabilities and their…

This annual report examines the implications, for the state of Michigan, of Part H of the 1986 Amendments to the U.S. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and discusses the planning, development, and demonstration activities related to the implementation of the required components of the law. This legislation provides states with funding to…

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…

The Infant Follow Along Program (IFAP) is an interagency effort to improve the identification of infants and toddlers who may experience health or developmental problems because of medical or environmental risk factors. The program also facilitates data collection and referral for services for infants and families. The program is in use in an…