There are concerns about the quantity and quality of personnel in early childhood intervention (ECI) as the numbers of infants and young children with delays and disabilities grow in number, needs, and diversity. The Early Childhood Personnel Center (ECPC) was funded to provide technical assistance (TA) to state systems of ECI and institutions of…

Parents of young children participating in either Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C early intervention or IDEA Part B-619 preschool special education programs were surveyed to obtain a consumer science perspective of the practitioners who were the children's primary service providers. Parents were asked to make judgments of…

This article focuses on early intervention implementation concerns and recommendations for addressing the needs of the wide range of infants and toddlers with disabilities and families to be served. It describes providing services in natural environments, as well as the issues of personnel preparation and models of service delivery. (Contains…

This article discusses why the universal adoption of family-centered values and practice in early intervention is problematic in the context of the current state of early intervention. Recommendations are provided for the new millennium, including participatory research in family-centered early intervention and personnel preparation based on…

Relationships among different person and environment characteristics of everyday natural learning opportunities and changes in child learning, behavior and performance were examined in a study with 63 parents and their infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with disabilities or delays. Findings showed that learning opportunities that were…

Parents (N=3283) of infants and young children with or at-risk for developmental delays completed one of two surveys of learning opportunities, either in the home or in the community. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that both family and community life were each made up of 11 different categories of learning opportunities. Results support…

Discusses original recommendations on the preparation of early interventionists and reviews numerous societal, policy/legislative, and service delivery changes that have occurred over the past 10 years in early-childhood special education. Progress in the development of licensure/certification guidelines is highlighted, and the need for further…

These teacher training materials derive from a personnel preparation special project that developed, implemented, and evaluated a teaching model on collaborations necessary for effective delivery of early intervention. The first module on collaboration provides information on the rationale for collaboration and the benefits and drawbacks of…

A survey of 49 state Part H coordinators was conducted to review standards in place for personnel serving infants, toddlers, and their families. The study analyzed, by state, the standards for all 10 professional disciplines addressed under Part H of the Education of the Handicapped Act. Implications for state practice and policy are discussed.…

This final report describes activities and achievements of the Community Inclusion Project for Young Children with Disabilities, a New York State project which provided outreach training to early intervention staff, community early childhood staff, and families on the inclusion of young children with disabilities in early intervention, special…

Describes a statewide project in Connecticut that attempted to meet the training and support needs of childcare providers as they included greater numbers of children with disabilities into their programs. The Training for Inclusion Project emphasized family-centered practices, transdisciplinary team process delivery, and developmentally…

A survey of 879 early intervention program providers and parents investigated desired outcomes of service coordination, early intervention, and natural environments practices. Results found only two outcome categories (family satisfaction and improved family quality of life) were considered to be valued outcomes of all three services. (Contains…

This final report discusses the activities and outcomes of the Early Intervention Specialist Program, a preservice personnel preparation project designed to develop, implement, and evaluate a new interdisciplinary certificate/credential process for early interventionists providing services within Connecticut's early intervention system. The…

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 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…