Principal Gene Bedley of El Camino Real School in Irvine, California, is the 1985 winner of the National PTA Hearst Outstanding Educator of the Year Award. Mr. Bedley believes that education is a shared experience and builds strong relationships with teachers, parents, and children. Some of his techniques are described. (MT)

This paper provides a brief review of the issues regarding families in early intervention programs for handicapped children and proposes the assessment of family needs as a first step in designing family-focused interventions. While traditional approaches to early intervention tend to be exclusively child-focused, professionals are encouraged to…