This final report describes the activities and outcomes of a federally funded project designed to develop, implement, and evaluate a systemically oriented process model for improving the coordination of education and human services for young children with identified disabilities and their families at the local level. The project developed and used…

This report discusses home visiting, identifies six key elements common to programs for infants and toddlers that make effective use of home visiting strategies, and profiles successful home visiting programs. It begins by discussing home visiting services and outcomes of home visiting programs. The six key elements of effective home visiting are…

This Digest summarizes what is known about the successful transition of children with disabilities from infant/toddler services to preschool education. The ideal transition process is defined and characteristics of an ideal process such as meeting individual needs and providing uninterrupted services are listed. Also noted are issues in the…

Reviews the major substantive amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act being proposed by the U.S. Senate, including changes in state and local educational agency eligibility; least restrictive environment; private school placement; evaluations, reevaluations, and Individualized Education Programs; discipline procedures;…

Describes a continuing medical education program designed to provide physicians with the information and skills necessary for early intervention. The model provides competency-based training through an introductory seminar and a program of independent study in the areas of child-find, assessment, Individualized Family Service Plan development, and…

Designed to help parents make informed decisions about child care, preschool, and kindergarten placements, this book answers typical questions other parents ask about schooling decisions. Chapter 1 is a resource section based on current research and educational theory, and provides a brief summary of the best and most recent thought on early…

This booklet for parents of young children with special needs provides a variety of child-rearing suggestions as well as a listing of resources. After an introduction which defines special needs and summarizes basic principles, the following chapters address: (1) the family as the child's most important support; (2) the evaluation process; (3)…

This parent's guide (presented in both English and Spanish) is intended to help families access services for young children with special needs. It is presented in the form of questions and answers arranged in three parts. Part I presents 12 questions and answers about early intervention services for infants and toddlers (ages birth through 2…

The Carolina Policy Studies Program (CPSP) was established in October 1987 to track the implementation of Public Law 99-457, Part H (the law is now known as IDEA--Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), which aids states in providing comprehensive services to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. Since its establishment,…

This final report describes objectives, activities, and outcomes of a project to provide training to infant specialists employed within a total of 16 infant intervention programs in New York State. The project focused on the acquisition of skills necessary to provide services under Public Law 99-457. Training content and procedures were derived…

This curriculum is for an intensive 5-day institute in team assessment of young children with disabilities. Each of the eight chapters includes text, training activities, and an annotated bibliography. Sample forms and evaluation guides are appended to relevant chapters. The introductory chapter presents an assessment philosophy and notes…

In Part H of Public Law 99-457, the Federal Government agrees to provide modest financial resources to aid the states in planning and developing comprehensive, multidisciplinary, coordinated services for young children with handicaps and their families, and presents mandates for reforms in the service delivery system. This paper identifies the…

Public Law 99-457, the Education of the Handicapped Amendments of 1986, reauthorizes the discretionary programs of the Education of the Handicapped Act, provides incentives to states to serve an estimated additional 70,000 handicapped 3- to 6-year-olds and creates a new discretionary program to address the special needs of handicapped infants and…

In this report, shifts underway in early intervention (EI) from a professional-centered to a more family-centered model of service delivery are documented. The demographic changes in the past decade of young children and families receiving EI services (e.g., teen parents, children with more complex developmental and medical needs), in addition to…

This report provides a theoretical framework for understanding different approaches to interaction intervention and uses this framework as background for considering how various cultural factors might influence families' (and providers') views of these approaches. Most research in interaction intervention has been conducted without explicit…