The "Parents Interacting with Infants" program was developed as an interdisciplinary early intervention human services practicum with a family orientation. The practicum's philosophy functions as a framework to support self-reflection with regard to each student's emerging professional orientation toward the delivery of family-centered,…

This training guide is a product of the Family-Centered Interdisciplinary Training Project in Early Intervention (Wisconsin), a project that is addressing the need for preservice training of professionals to serve infants, toddlers, and preschool children with disabilities and their families. The project is focused on students from the disciplines…

This article describes a graduate program that uses an interdisciplinary approach to prepare early intervention practitioners to work with young children with autism, severe physical impairments, and other low incidence disabilities. The program features joint course work across the Schools of Medicine and Education and seminars on collaboration…

This study explored current University of Nebraska graduate course offerings which address content relative to infants, families, and/or the professional teamwork associated with services to handicapped or at-risk infants, toddlers, and their families. Faculty from 12 departments were surveyed as to their interest in interdisciplinary,…

The Family-Centered Interdisciplinary Preservice Training Program in Early Intervention at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is providing training to professionals that fully integrates parent involvement. Student activities include a curricular focus on family-centered early intervention, hands-on activities building interdisciplinary team…

This paper presents a summary of best practices for communication assessment and intervention with individuals who are deaf/blind and have a severe intellectual impairment. Focus is on individuals who have difficulty both receiving and understanding auditory, visual, and tactual information. The impact of sensory losses on communicative…

This final report describes the activities and outcomes of a project designed to develop, implement, and evaluate a new three-year longitudinal competency based curriculum for pediatric residents on their role in early intervention and special education. The curriculum consisted of four half-days per month for every resident in an ambulatory…

This booklet describes a framework for helping preservice teachers learn and implement behavioral intervention strategies in inclusive classrooms. A partnership of Human Services Consultants and Bloomsburg University taught 19 preservice early childhood and elementary teachers behavioral intervention strategies for mainstreamed students with…

A survey about inclusion of children with disabilities in early-childhood settings was responded to by 172 parents, practicing professionals in early-childhood programs, university-based trainers, and preservice students. Professional competence and importance of skills were rated for five domains: (1) working with families, (2) performance-based…

This set of nine self-study manuals was developed as part of a project to enhance Connecticut pediatricians, pediatric residents, and medical students' understanding of and involvement with early intervention and the special education system. The training manuals cover the broad areas of philosophy, service delivery models, and collaborative…

The purpose of this resource guide is to identify and describe teaching, training, and staff development materials that meet three basic criteria: they are good, they are readily available, and they are inexpensive. These resources may assist educators, trainers, supervisors, and other personnel preparation decisionmakers in designing quality…

The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) has developed recommended practices for the ECSE field in the area of personnel preparation. This book provides guidance to higher education faculty and professional development specialists on how these recommended practices can be implemented in preservice and…

This resource guide identifies and describes early childhood education teaching, training, and staff development materials that meet three basic criteria: good, readily available, and inexpensive. It is designed to provide educators, trainers, supervisors, and other personnel preparation decision makers with resources for designing quality…

The 21 papers in this collection address changes and reforms in the preparation of teachers and other personnel concerned with early intervention with children having or at risk for disabilities. The papers are: (1) "Ecological Perspectives on Personnel Preparation: Rationale, Framework, and Guidelines for Change" (Pamela J. Winton,…