Describes a successful effort to develop services for ex-offenders and their children and families that enhance community integration, build social support networks, and assist community institutions in mobilizing services for this population. Considers program components, the development of the program through a school of social work, and…

This article describes recommended practices for the development of family-centered Individualized Family Service Plans and provides a summary of recent research examining their use in Kansas as a component of program review. Suggestions of how speech-language pathologists can apply recommended practices are provided. (Contains references.)…

This article identifies three areas in early childhood special education which need further work: working with families to define social outcomes, expanding our definition of social behaviors and moving toward a framework based on social relationships, and developing interventions that are socially valid, ecologically valid, and sustainable across…

The Family-Centered Behavior Scale assessed perceptions of 443 parents/caregivers of special needs children [126 with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD)] of the importance and frequency of family-centered behaviors of professionals, primarily special education teachers, social workers, and physicians. Parents agreed on the most important…

This article describes three potential levels of accountability for providing certain types of support for families in early intervention and preschool programs for children with disabilities: providing the legally required services for families, providing services that are considered recommended, and achieving certain outcomes as a result of…

This reaction to an article (Bailey, 2001) that describes three potential levels of accountability for providing family support in early intervention and preschool programs, recommends articulating inclusive and functional family support outcomes and developing outcomes that describe growth toward a long-range goal but also allow for individually…

This reaction to an article (Bailey, 2001) that describes three potential levels of accountability for providing family support in early intervention and preschool programs, comments on the role of the families at each level. The need to include parents in the development of procedures and guidelines for evaluation is stressed. (Contains five…

Notes that one of the best investments society can make is in its children's education. Describes how employers across the country are supporting better education through family-friendly policies for learning, particularly through the "Employer's Promise for Learning," an initiative of the "Family Involvement Partnership for…

Factors that make autism a vexing public policy issue are identified, including incidence increases, lack of consensus on etiology and methodology for clinical intervention, coincidence of the age of diagnosis with the upper age limit of early intervention programs, a shift to a family-centered decision-making paradigm, and litigation. (Contains…

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)

Objective: To obtain preliminary evidence of the feasibility and effectiveness of adjunctive family psychoeducation in adolescent major depressive disorder. Method: Participants were from outpatient clinics in Hamilton and London, Ontario. Over 24 months, 41 adolescents ages 13 through 18 years meeting major depressive disorder criteria were…

This guide reports on a project that demonstrated family-based English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) tutoring delivered by volunteer literacy tutors, many of whom were parents with young children. Group members worked together to define the project in terms of the individuals involved in it. Tutors were trained in the context of the project with…

This guide describes a variety of resources that serve young children and their families affected by substance use. It was created to assist state and local program personnel and others to access resources that can assist them in developing comprehensive services for young children and their families who have been affected by alcohol and other…

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 interdisciplinary curriuclum is intended as a framework for teaching a families course. It is designed to be used with graduate students studying early intervention work with families of young children with disabilities. The curriculum attempts to provide students with information related to family theory, research, policy, and law with…