This report provides background information and summarizes a 1990 seminar on the parent/professional partnership in the implementation of Public Law 99-457. Topics considered in the seminar included eligibility under Part H of the law, early intervention prior to P.L. 99-457, the process of the legislation, future of the legislation, timing of…

This paper examines the role that public policy and practice play in supporting the efforts of natural, adoptive, and foster families who have children and youth with disabilities in keeping their families intact. Obstacles and barriers to implementing the philosophy of permanence planning, especially for children and youth with disabilities, are…

This annual report describes Illinois activities in the implementation of a statewide, comprehensive, coordinated system of early intervention services for eligible infants and toddlers and their families, as called for under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The report provides: (1) discussion of progress in each of the 14…

This special issue of a periodical focuses on building support and resources for families of children with special needs. It contains 13 articles in addition to descriptions of 10 programs serving special needs families at the local level, a list of 15 resource organizations and 10 publications/audiovisual aids, and a message from the coalition's…

The purpose of this report is to review the existing literature on the use of interpreters, and to make recommendations that will promote effective communication among family members, professionals, and untrained interpreters during IEP/IFSP meetings and family conferences. Effective communication between professionals and families is crucial in…

This chapter from a North Dakota guide for early childhood special education personnel focuses on program planning for young children with special needs. Following an introduction, the first section presents the North Dakota program guidelines, including eligibility of students, an explanation of the approval of services process, a description of…

This report presents the findings of a study that investigated the scope and nature of early childhood service delivery systems in three states (Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Colorado). The study followed 75 children with disabilities for 18 months and surveyed 170 service providers of infants and toddlers and 186 service providers of…

In 1992, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) funded four projects for a three-year period to increase the participation of higher education faculty in inservice training for personnel in early intervention. These projects included: the Southeastern Institute for Faculty Training (SIFT), the Northeastern Early Intervention Faculty…

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of the Carolina Model Inservice Training Project, a federally supported program in North Carolina to develop an effective and replicable inservice training model for assisting early intervention programs to apply a family-centered approach in their work with young children (birth to 8…

This final report summarizes the activities and evaluation of Project Outcomes, a program developed at the University of Kentucky to prepare personnel to work with young children and their families in inclusive settings. The program was built around three unique components: (1) individual program plans were developed for each student; (2) each…

The Kentucky Family Resource Centers developed under the Kentucky Educational Reform Act are described as examples of the school-linked service movement. The lessons learned in the development of the centers and policy issues that need to be addressed by both education and social services to assure continued development of this movement are…

This article begins by defining family-centeredness and then reviews and integrates available evidence about family-centered practices in early intervention, preschool, and elementary and secondary schools. For each educational level, findings from studies that investigated program models, practitioner behaviors, family-oriented practices rating…

This paper describes (1) common misconceptions about developmentally appropriate practices; (2) areas in which convergence between general and special early childhood education can be achieved; and (3) current collaborative efforts between the two disciplines (e.g., individually appropriate practices, emphasis on early intervention,…

Fifty-four county mental health authorities in Michigan were surveyed before and after implementation of new policies and funding for support services for disabled individuals and families. Case management assessment, respite care, in-home services, and advisory committees showed significant increases in availability. Length of time that families…

This commentary on "The Effects of Family-Centered Service Coordination: A Social Validity Study" (Romer), discusses the challenges of implementing family-centered service coordination and variables such as caseload size, models of service coordination, and models of staff development that might have an impact on these challenges. (CR)