Considers two factors that have influenced the level of parent/family participation in early intervention services: (1) an increased focus on families in both state and federal early intervention legislation and the incorporation of social systems frameworks for better understanding of child, parent, and (2) family functioning. Also summarizes…

The preschool years ages 3 and 4 are extremely important for social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development. The purpose of this article is to discuss the importance of preschool to heighten awareness and inform administrators, educators, families, and policymakers about the value of preschool and in particular preschool literacy…

This guide was developed to introduce families of young children with disabilities to the early intervention system. It describes early intervention services and defines the roles and responsibilities of parents and practitioners. The guide uses a question and answer format to present information on the following topics: (1) what is early…

Two national studies have recently confirmed that specific kinds of educational experiences provided for children by both parents and teachers, from preschool through high school, can make a significant difference in their reading ability as young adults. Both studies analyzed data gathered from 3,959 high school students in 24 school districts…

Part of a volume which explores current issues in service delivery to infants and toddlers (birth to age 3) with handicapping conditions, this chapter addresses the nature and challenges of effective administrative leadership of early intervention programs. Basic administrative tasks are identified, such as: building an early intervention team,…

A 4-year follow-up study of children in the Rural Child Care Project has shown that greatest losses in intellectual functioning for former project children occurred in the first year of public school among those scoring above 80 on their first Binet but who were retained in grade 1. IQ change during grade 1 was negatively related to attendance at…

Standard guidelines are presented by the Oregon Department of Education for a prekindergarten public school program for 4-year-olds. The program emphasizes helping teachers work with parents at home and at school to form an effective team in building a child's self-concept, self-confidence and communicative skills. Each curriculum area is…

This handout addresses the definition of assistive technology, how to assess assistive technology needs, and practical and ethical issues surrounding assistive technology. A functional assessment is urged to consider the following issues: (1) the special needs of the student; (2) the student's current abilities; (3) materials and equipment…

This theme issue focuses on family-centered practices and policies for service delivery. The first article, "Family-Centered Service Delivery," reports on a study of 130 published sources in education, social work, nursing, psychology, occupational therapy, and related disciplines, which found that the key components of family-centered…

Recognizing that a quality preschool program is key to children's high achievement, this videotape presents a U.S. Department of Education teleconference on creating high quality preschool programs and federal funding available for such programs. Panelists from the Department include the director of the Early Childhood Institute in the Office of…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act entitles each family with an eligible infant or toddler to service coordination at no cost to them. This publication sets forth guidelines and describes the vision for how service coordination will be provided to families in Colorado. The publication, in English and Spanish versions, notes that…

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…

The passage of Public Law 99-457 has both quantitative and qualitative implications for assessment. Educators working with infants and young children must become more familiar with assessment strategies and limitations including psychometrically sound assessment of complex and controversial family variables, and health and environmental risk…

This Colorado study of practices in infant and toddler programs (ages 0-4) involved a review of 53 individual family service plans (IFSPs) and perceptions of 44 parents and 51 professionals concerning family-centered practices. IFSPs were found to be primarily child-centered, and urban and rural differences were determined. (Author/SW)

This article highlights the importance of parents as intervention agents for young children with special needs. It describes individualized training in behavioral strategies for parents, explains procedures for helping parents gain skills that foster their children's development, and suggests that parents will maintain the skills and generalize…