The most common setting for early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families is the home. This article discusses home- and community-based early intervention and how the routines-based interview (RBI) can set the stage for successful home visits. It also addresses what has been learned about home visiting,…

A discussion of the Retrieval and Acceleration of Promising Young Handicapped and Talented program, shows how one group conceptualized, developed, disseminated, and evaluated this model for identifying and programing for young gifted/talented handicapped children. Five model components are discussed: general programing, talent…

To use technology effectively, teachers of severely handicapped young children require technological competencies (especially competency with microcomputers) in the areas of assessment and program planning, program implementation and administration, family involvement, and personal productivity. A list of these competencies is provided, along with…

This article recounts the experiences of a pioneer of the Head Start program, a program developed to provide disadvantaged young children with school readiness skills. Influences in the early development of the program are discussed, along with program challenges. The need for standardized performance measures and program evaluation is urged. (CR)

Camp Fire's Special Sitters Project addresses the need for respite care experienced by parents of disabled children. The project trains teenagers to care for young handicapped children and links the teenagers with parents who call for babysitting service. The project has been successfully replicated in five communities. (Author/JDD)

This article reviews three salient issues faced by the staff of the Peabody College as one of the first early intervention inclusive programs: child recruitment, appropriate service delivery, and relative lack of barriers to inclusion. Program successes are juxtaposed with issues faced by contemporary early intervention approaches to inclusion.…

The article proposes a strategy for the assessment of young children with handicaps in which brief clinical sampling is used to document developmental skills. This information may then be used in designing intervention programs. Principles and techniques of brief clinical sampling are described and application examples are given. (Author/DB)

Project Neighborcare is a comprehensive inservice training program for family day care providers who care for the handicapped preschool children of working parents. The program uses an ecological framework and a consultative approach in an attempt to improve the early intervention skills of the providers. (Author/JDD)

In a program developed at Merrywood School (Bellevue, Washington), four key components were identified as critical to successfully placing disabled children in foster care: identification and recruitment of stable, motivated, and qualified foster parents; preparation of foster parents; support for foster parents' needs; and development of creative…

Parent to Parent provides support and information for parents of children with disabilities and/or health impairments, by matching them with other parents of special needs children. Described are the program's goals and background, training of parent partner volunteers, referral and matching of parents, and participation in a statewide network.…

This paper reviews the need for formalized training of school psychologists in early childhood education and intervention with children who have disabilities. A training model and preservice training grant to prepare school psychologists to work with culturally diverse preschool children are presented. Challenges faced during the first two years…

This paper proposes an expansion of respite care for families of handicapped children to include early intervention services and informal social supports. The experiences of the Delaware FIRST Program are described, focusing on using family day care as a respite service, training for family intervention, and emphasizing family-oriented resources.…

The University of Washington has designed a rural track in its master's level training program in early childhood special education. This paper reports on the components of the training program and the results of the first two years of teacher preparation, including placement of trainees in rural practicum sites. (Author/JDD)

A system of statewide early intervention for children with developmental delays and/or disabilities was established in Bavaria (Germany) in the 1970s. This article discusses current issues, advantages and disadvantages of proximal (homebound) and centralized (center-based) services, the call for a changing model of early intervention, and…

This article describes a demonstration project that utilized 28 community early childhood programs as intervention placements for 30 preschool-age children with disabilities. Results suggested significant developmental gains for all children. Service delivery characteristics identified as necessary for the effective implementation of intervention…