Early intervention for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families has strayed from its conceptual roots and the intent of the original legislation. The author describes the top 10 mistakes commonly made in early intervention, including what happens at intake, assessment, plan development, and delivery of services. He proposes five…

The most common setting for early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families is the home. This article discusses home- and community-based early intervention and how the routines-based interview (RBI) can set the stage for successful home visits. It also addresses what has been learned about home visiting,…

Federal directives require that any child less than 3 years old with a substantiated case of abuse be referred to the early intervention (EI) system. This article details the need and presents a vision for a trauma-informed EI system. The authors describe two exemplary program models which implement this vision and recommend steps which the field…

Early intervention (EI) provides critical services to families with young children who have diagnosed disabilities, developmental delays, or who are at-risk for developmental delays. Very little is known about the experiences of adolescent mothers who have children who qualify for EI services. The authors investigated the perceptions of adolescent…

The State of Missouri has adopted the definitions in 34 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 303.5-303.24 of the Part C regulations and selected terms as defined in 34 CFR 77.1 and 74.3 for use in implementing the State's early intervention program. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is the lead agency responsible for…

Just as the early years of a child's development create the architecture for future brain growth, early implementation of federal Part C legislation laid the groundwork for a system of supports for families of infants and toddlers with disabilities. Some aspects of the current legislation provide a sturdy foundation for sound policies and…

Approximately 228,000 children from birth to age 3 are affected by a disability. Developmental challenges may include severe, chronic disabilities that can begin at birth and last a lifetime. Delayed speech and language are the most common types of developmental delays among infants and toddlers. Many of these children are at risk for later…

"Inclusion" has long been a term used to describe the practice of including a child with special needs in age-appropriate general education classes in their home schools. Increasingly, the term is being used to describe the process of including very young children--infants and toddlers--with special needs in a setting comprised mostly of children…

Since its enactment, the "Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975," Public Law (P.L.) 94-142, requires the secretary of the U.S. Department of Education (secretary) [and predecessor, the commissioner of education at the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare] to transmit to Congress an annual report to inform…

The primary purpose of this guide is to provide families with an overview of the Washington State Department of Early Learning, Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT) program. It provides general and important information about the statewide ESIT program, including a listing of parents' rights under the Individuals with Disabilities…

The Child Development Institute, a nonprofit early intervention program in California, conducted a needs assessment which revealed a community that was receiving little support for infants and toddlers. There was virtually no enrollment in Part C early intervention services despite ranking high on environmental risk factors. This article describes…

This study investigated the relationship between maternal depression and children's access to early intervention services among a sample of children with developmental delay at age two who were determined to be eligible for early intervention services, were full term and of normal birth weight, and were not previously identified with any special…

Consistent findings support how assistive technology (AT) can promote learning and development for young children by allowing them to more effectively participate in activities and routines in their natural environments. Yet the Office of Special Education Programs' annual reports to Congress between 1998 and 2002 indicated that AT was…

A significant population of foster care infants and toddlers access early special education services under the parameters of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)-Part C. A dearth of literature exists about special education interventionists' services for this particular population. In response, we conducted a government-funded…

Despite a Child Find mandate in IDEA, early detection and screening of infants and toddlers with special needs continues to remain an area in need of improvement. The authors sought to better understand existing and proposed outreach initiatives in one state's Part C Early Intervention (EI) program that ranks among the lowest nationally in the…