Three papers and four task force reports from a 1979 conference on the state of the art in early intervention for developmental disabilities are presented. J. Gliedman, in "Social, Psychological, and Ethical Foundations for Early Intervention for the Developmentally Disabled," applies a minority group model to the education of handicapped children. In "Current Status in Research Relating to Model Development and Early Intervention for Young Handicapped Children," N. Anastasiow considers findings on types of models, age of intervention, and agent and environment of stimulation, and suggests that to be effective, early intervention must focus on the caregiver, be continuous over time, and consider the child's social environment. E. Jackson ("Current Status of Personnel Training for Early Intervention Programs") describes four major training efforts: the National Diffusion Network, the Bureau of Education for the Handicapped, Project Head Start, and Parent-Child Development Centers. The task force reports emphasize four aspects of future services: community mobilization, program implementation, personnel preparation, and evaluation and dissemination. (CL)