The study examined how 620 children, identified as handicapped while in preschool or kindergarten, had progressed 3 to 9 years later. The study addressed questions of effectiveness of identification procedures, outcomes of early intervention, handicapping condition and placement level, and educational history. Among results were: Identification procedures (in Montgomery County, Maryland) were generally effective in identifying the more seriously impaired children at younger ages; Identification procedures were less effective in identifying black handicapped children or handicapped children of lower socioeconomic status before the age of four; Consistent with the severity of the impairments of preschool-identified children, many still required special education in elementary school; Although fewer of the children identified in kindergarten continued to require special education services (reflecting their milder handicaps), the majority of those still being served required services as intensive or more intensive than those received in kindergarten. The report provides separate chapters on the study methodology and on special education placement and outcomes for children identified at either the preschool level or the kindergarten level. Five appendixes include a comparison of preschool and kindergarten sample characteristics, the derivation of the socioeconomic status variable, the continuum of special education services offered by Montgomery County, definitions of levels of service, and definitions of handicapping conditions. (DB)