This study examines the health care community's perspective on the delivery of services to young children with special needs and to their families. Focus group discussions were held with 87 health care practitioners in 5 states to identify extant trends and patterns of current practices, problems, and concerns. In the discussions, health care…

This manual on development of transition planning programs/services for high school youth with disabilities and their families is based on the premises that both youth and family members need to be actively involved in every step of the transition planning process, that empowered families can access necessary transition and adult services needed…

Public policies towards special needs persons in advanced countries have improved tremendously over the last 20 to 30 years, whether the concept is described as mainstreaming, integration, or normalization. Both educational and family policies are changing, with educational policies emphasizing free and appropriate education in the least…

This final report describes a 16-state project designed to enhance the coping effectiveness of young children with special needs and to support their families through training and technical assistance. The project had validated models, products, and training procedures to expand the adaptive behavior and resilience of children with limited coping…

This paper examines the legal mandates as well as the definitions and indicators for a family-centered early childhood system of care for children with special needs. Legislation discussed includes the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant (Title V of the Social Security Act). Various definitions…

The primary purpose of this document is to help Iowa's parents of young children with special needs find financial resources and services. It is expected that the document will also serve as a resource guide for professionals who provide services to children with special needs and their families. Contents are organized in four sections concerning,…

This paper highlights specific issues surrounding implementation of Titles I and II of Public Law 99-457, and illuminates how federal rules and regulations and the states' positions on the law should reflect the needs of rural and remote communities. The issues include: legislative planning and appropriations to meet the needs of rural handicapped…

This report identifies key issues for providing early childhood special education services to young children who are visually impaired and for working with families of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. First, it discusses the incidence of visual impairment and associated disabilities among young children, the process of early…

This report provides an overview of the family information gathering process in early intervention. Family information gathering is an important element in the provision of early intervention services to families with children from birth to age 3 who have disabilities or who are at risk for developmental delays. A family's socioeconomic status,…

Educational reform presents a number of challenges for elders, tribal educational leaders, American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) teachers and administrators, and families across the United States, including the pressing need to address parent or caregiver and community involvement in education. This study was conducted to (a) summarize major…

Since the first toy libraries opened in the 1960s and 1970s to support families of children with special educational needs, they have expanded to serve broader communities. Toy libraries do more than lend toys: they can provide family support services and specialist support to families with children with special educational needs, benefit…

This text presents 12 chapters on the development of coordinated systems of service delivery to infants and toddlers who have disabilities or are at risk for disabilities and their families, as mandated by Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). An introductory chapter by Lawrence J. Johnson presents a general overview of…

This speech reports on data collected by the Early Intervention Collaborative Study (EICS), which is a longitudinal study following the development of 190 young children with disabilities (and their families) who entered 29 publicly funded early intervention programs in Massachusetts and New Hampshire in the period from 1985 to 1987. The…

This book presents strategies for building strong partnerships between service providers and the families of individuals with disabilities. Papers have the following titles and authors: "Contributing to Resilience in Families: An Overview" (George H. S. Singer and Laurie E. Powers); "Parent to Parent Programs: A Unique Form of…

This document identifies resources that serve young children and their families affected by alcohol and other drug use. The resources are organized into three sections: National Training and Information Resources, State Programs and Agencies, and Federal Funding Sources. Information on locating grant funds from federal agencies, private…