This article describes three potential levels of accountability for providing certain types of support for families in early intervention and preschool programs for children with disabilities: providing the legally required services for families, providing services that are considered recommended, and achieving certain outcomes as a result of…

This reaction to an article (Bailey, 2001) that describes three potential levels of accountability for providing family support in early intervention and preschool programs, recommends articulating inclusive and functional family support outcomes and developing outcomes that describe growth toward a long-range goal but also allow for individually…

This reaction to an article (Bailey, 2001) that describes three potential levels of accountability for providing family support in early intervention and preschool programs, comments on the role of the families at each level. The need to include parents in the development of procedures and guidelines for evaluation is stressed. (Contains five…

This practicum report describes development of a system of family support services for 56 parents of preschool handicapped children (ages birth to 3) in an early intervention setting. A preliminary survey was administered to determine family needs. A family support group was then developed which met monthly for fellowship, networking, work…

This practicum addresses the problem of limited interaction between physical therapists and families of developmentally delayed/physically impaired preschool-age children. A program was developed in which the physical therapist was videotaped handling and exercising a child, while explaining the purpose of the movements and instructing the parent…

This interdisciplinary curriuclum is intended as a framework for teaching a families course. It is designed to be used with graduate students studying early intervention work with families of young children with disabilities. The curriculum attempts to provide students with information related to family theory, research, policy, and law with…

This book is designed to provide a broad range of information on family structure and function in an increasingly multicultural society, family system characteristics and the implications for intervention, communication development in the family context, the nature and delivery of family centered-services, specific requirements of Public Law…

The Delaware FIRST Program is designed to meet the needs of handicapped infants and toddlers through trained family day care providers. The program is based on a developmental family systems approach. It strives to provide families with ongoing support by offering mainstreamed family day care or respite care, by developing and/or facilitating an…

THE MAJOR PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE IF THERE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT RESPONSES TO CERTAIN ECOLOGICAL, ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY FACTORS BETWEEN PARENTS WHOSE CHILDREN PARTICIPATED IN THE HEAD START PROJECT AND THOSE WHOSE CHILDREN WERE ELIGIBLE BUT DID NOT PARTICIPATE. ALL PARENTS OF PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN, 2 1/2 TO…

This report discusses the transition from early intervention services (EI) to preschool services (ECSE), which presents many challenges to children, families, service providers, and programs. The needs and preferences of families from culturally and linguistically diverse groups pose additional challenges. The report reviews the DEC Recommended…

A case study approach was used to examine how six service providers constructed the meaning of family-centered services in programs providing early intervention services to the families of young children with disabilities. Six professionals from a pool of over 40 service providers were identified as providing highly family-centered services.…

Describes the creation of a flexible and varied family-school partnership for second-language learning at a Montessori preschool. Highlights how the program provided students with an opportunity to participate in second-language learning in an optimal environment while providing parents access to home-based activities that were in concert with…

A study examined patterns and predictors of service use by 85 families of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) graduates, specifically premature infants. Enabling variables (NICU contacts and follow-up services) and parents' perceptions of children's problems were major predictors of service use. No demographic characteristics predicted service…

Early intervention professionals (n=26) reported that they spend more time with families from cultural backgrounds other than their own in eliciting concerns, attempting to understand the family's needs and customs, and explaining the Individualized Family Service Plan process. Families from lower socioeconomic and educational backgrounds were…

Data were analyzed from 66 young children with autism served by 25 different early intervention consultants and receiving parent-managed interventions. Parent-managed intensive interventions resulted in progress for 60 children for mental age, adaptive behavior, and language skills. Interventions did not reproduce results from clinic-based…