Service coordinators (SCs) in Part C early intervention (EI) programs fulfill critical supportive roles assisting families in accessing and successfully navigating services needed for their infants/toddlers identified with delays or disabilities. However, evidence of effective training for SCs is limited. One state scaled up training in the…

The IFSP is both a document and process for developing, implementing, and evaluating the supports and services delivered to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families eligible under Part C of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA; 2004). Recently, researchers have defined IFSP quality based on five…

Strong mental and behavioral health supports on campus can improve the academic performance of students and increase their resilience and ability to handle stress, with reduced suicide rates, substance abuse, and eating disorders, but this study reveals that students with mental health disabilities continue to face barriers to accessing counseling…

Visits were made to selected respite care and crisis nursery programs in order to describe the programs and services they offered to families of young children with special needs and to learn more about the families who used the services and the staff who provided them. The visits to 10 crisis nurseries and 24 respite care programs resulted in…

A study examined the degree to which families with disabled children in remote areas of the Navajo Reservation were aware of and used family support services. Twenty-five undergraduate students enrolled in special education teacher training courses designed, implemented, and assisted in data analysis. Interviews and surveys were completed by 89…

A study of nine families and three service coordinators examined whether a family's level of satisfaction improves when the service coordination they receive adheres to a family-centered model. Results indicate a high degree of family satisfaction and a low degree of dissatisfaction when the model was adequately implemented. (Author/CR)

This final report describes, Project Trans/Team, a 3-year infant inservice training project designed to provide training and technical assistance to programs that serve children from birth to 3 years of age who have disabilities, are developmentally delayed, or are at risk. The project provided training to 20 programs and 282 professionals in six…

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 report describes results of an evaluation of respite care programs and crisis nursery programs for children with disabilities, based on survey forms received from 81 programs and site visits to selected programs across the United States. The survey of crisis nursery programs and the survey of respite care programs gathered data on amount of…

This volume presents a comprehensive plan for transition of children with special needs and their families between infant or early intervention services and preschool services, and between preschool services and kindergarten. It aims to help in bridging these services to minimize the stress and increase the promise of early childhood transitions.…

A series of self-study questions is presented to examine policy and practice issues important in developing culturally competent programs for children with special needs and their families. Cultural competence refers to a program's ability to honor and respect the beliefs, interpersonal styles, attitudes, and behaviors both of families who are…

This final report describes the activities and accomplishments of the Consultation and Administration Specialists in Early Intervention Project (CASEI). This federally funded project was developed to provide cross-disciplinary preservice training for early intervention (EI) specialists in Illinois. Students were recruited from a broad range of…

This study explored current University of Nebraska graduate course offerings which address content relative to infants, families, and/or the professional teamwork associated with services to handicapped or at-risk infants, toddlers, and their families. Faculty from 12 departments were surveyed as to their interest in interdisciplinary,…

Over the 3 years of funding, 1983-1986, the Volunteers in Partnership with Parents Project (VIPP), a Handicapped Children's Early Education Program (HCEEP) Model Demonstration Program funded by the U.S. Department of Education, designed and implemented a program model for parents in rural North Carolina who had significantly handicapped preschool…

This final report describes the activities and outcomes of a project designed to prepare early interventionists and preschool teachers to serve children with vision and hearing impairments. The purpose of the project was to build upon existing early childhood special education and sensory impairment programs across two universities, the University…