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,…

This review traces the evolution from 1971 to the present of a national technical assistance (TA) program to support the creation, expansion, and improvement of services for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with special needs. From its beginning as a TA resource for demonstration projects, to linking outreach projects' expertise with state…

The paper reviews factors affecting development of early intervention programs for all handicapped infants including changing political and economic conditions and programmatic issues (setting, staffing, identification). Finally, the provisions of P.L. 99-457 creating a discretionary infant intervention program are outlined. (Author/DB)

The article discusses problems inherent in using the developmental model in the implementation of programs for young children with disabilities, and proposes a reconceptualization based upon M. Lewis and M. Starr's salient responses model. The primary components of this model are presented, along with their implications for early intervention…

Judgment based assessment (JBA) in early childhood special education is discussed in its theoretical context and noted are three trends: (1) the widening of JBA to include emotional characteristics and developmental processes; (2) inclusion of such informants as peers and persons with disabilities; and (3) development of new methods for eliciting…

Judgment based assessment (JBA) allows the collection and quantification of the perceptions and impressions of individuals appraising a child's status and environment. This article addresses the purposes, features, and appropriate uses of JBA of young children with disabilities. Current research relevant to JBA is discussed. (Author/DB)

This paper argues that behaviorism has utility in the design and implementation of early childhood special education services. It explores criticisms of behaviorism, describes critical features of the behavioral approach, and provides examples of the influence and application of the behavioral perspective in early childhood special education.…

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)

The development of comprehensive, coordinated, multidisciplinary services for young handicapped children is required by Public Law 99-457. The article presents a definition of technical assistance, a description of developmental levels in service provision, suggestions for designing such services, and a discussion of major needs of states…

This study compared two methods for evaluating ecological and developmental factors in Individualized Family Service Plans for families of young children with disabilities. The two methods were (1) goals and objectives written from a curriculum-based assessment, and (2) a computerized list of goals and objectives based on professional judgment.…

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)

Professional roles in early childhood special education (ECSE) are expanding beyond traditional frameworks of direct service, to include consultation services, program planning and evaluating, and marketing. Potential dangers of role conflict and role overload are noted. (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…