An exploratory case study was undertaken to examine child and caregiver outcomes in a diverse sample of 21 infants/toddlers with severe disabilities who received services from an urban, Part C program where caregiver-focused intervention was emphasized. Purposive sampling and mixed methods were used to collect data on child developmental change,…

Surveying 15 states and 39,837 students, this study examined the extent to which students who took an alternate assessment based on alternate achievement standards in the 2010--2011 school year had access to regular education settings and the extent to which that access correlated with expressive communication, use of an augmentative or…

Home based respite care for severely retarded and severely disabled persons was evaluated through questionnaires completed by 91 respite care units over a six month period. Ratings of clients' level of disability were compared to those of clients served in the same region in previous years. Disability levels of clients denied services by the pilot…

Language training for severely developmentally delayed children in the home should be as undisruptive as possible and should use natural training contexts, emphasize functional responses, and provide natural reinforcers or consequences. After identifying the communicative contexts, teaching the response is accomplished through reinforcement,…

Two severely handicapped elementary-aged children who participated in a home-based domestic skills program became more independent in performing the domestic tasks involved in their daily routine. Besides generalization to their home environment, the program also featured such advantages as the involvement of significant others and facilitated…

Findings of an evaluation of a pilot home-based respite care program designed to serve 35 severely mentally retarded and disabled persons were reported. Results indicated that respite care services had never been previously received by 51.8% of the families. (Author/SB)

A home-based respite care program for children and young adults with severe and multiple disabilities was conceived and developed by a group of parents and community members. A needs assessment revealed the scarcity of respite care in the Cambridge, Massachusetts area. A pilot program was begun to test the model on a limited basis. Evaluation of…

Findings are presented from a site visit to a Raleigh, North Carolina, program that provides in-home support to children and adults with severe disabilities and their families. The program, the Wake County Community Alternatives Program for Persons with Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities, is administered by the North Carolina Department…

Parents of 16 severely handicapped preschoolers were trained to use the Individualized Curriculum Sequencing (ICS) model--an approach to increase functioning skills. Training and consultation took place in the home. The ICS format incorporates features of skill clusters; concurrent task sequencing; training in functional settings; functional,…

The paper describes the Iowa Plan, a network approach to providing home care services for children with handicaps and chronic diseases who require medical technology services. The Iowa Regional Child Health Center Network is reviewed. The centers are based on shared responsibility between major state agencies and the community and serve as focal…

This report focuses on positive practices in providing support services to families of children with severe disabilities and chronic illnesses, based on visits to three sites in Maryland: the Family Support Program at the Kennedy Institute in Baltimore, the Coordinating Center for Home and Community Care, and Sick Kids Need Involved People (SKIP).…

This report is based on a site visit to a private, for-profit agency that provides community support services to people with severe disabilities in six counties in Minnesota. The organization supports 25 families in its in-home program and 35 people in supportive and semi-independent living services. Services offered include minor physical…

This document is part of a series of monographs on community-based services for children and adolescents who are severely emotionally disturbed. The series is the product of a national study of community-based service approaches, which identified over 200 programs serving emotionally disturbed children and included visits to several programs…

Presents a model for the care of multiply handicapped children (from infancy to about age eight). TEMPO (Training, Evaluation, Home Management, and Parent Orientation) is a program designed to increase understanding of the multiply handicapped child and to develop a combined family-community support system to ensure the child a quality life. (PHR)

This report highlights the major issues discussed during a 2-day workshop on Medicaid funding for community-based mental health services for children and youth with severe emotional disturbances. The report opens with a brief description of the service needs of children and youth with severe emotional disturbances and the system of care that can…