The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #70019

Sangeeta Mallik, PhD¹, Rune J. Simeonsson, PhD², Kathryn morrison, MS¹, and Anita A. Scarborough, PhD³. (1) Center for Education and Human Services, SRI International, 333 Ravenswood Avenue, Menlo Park, CA 94025, 650-859-2184, sangeeta.mallik@sri.com, (2) Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, CB #8185, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8185, (3) Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina, CB 8185, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8185

In the past two decades, tremendous progress has been made in the availability and provision of early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. With the enactment of P.L. 99-457 in 1986, federal legislation has sought to ensure that children birth to three in this population receive the services and supports that are essential for maximizing their growth and development. Prior to enactment of this legislation, now entitled Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), many children with disabilities in this age group either did not receive any services or received services that were less than adequate. Today, every state in the country has a program in place for providing this group with services. Nevertheless, considerable variation exists in how states have designated their early intervention systems and in the services and supports being provided to children and their families. To date, there have been no nationally representative data about the services received by infants and toddlers participating in the Part C early intervention program.

In this paper, we address the following questions: (1) what services do children and families receive through early intervention? (2) where are early intervention services provided? (3) what is the amount of services that children and families are scheduled to receive? (4) how much scheduled service is missed and why? NEILS findings will serve as the first national frame of reference about the different characteristics of early intervention services received by infants and toddlers and their families

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the characteristics of services for children and families in early intervention (types, locations, amount).
• Identify the quantity and cause of missed services.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.