Anita A. Scarborough

Thirty-six-month outcomes for families of children who have disabilities and participated in early intervention.

Objective. Infants and toddlers with disabilities in the United States and their families are eligible for early intervention services under Part C of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. The purpose of this study was to assess family outcomes at the end of early intervention (near the child’s third birthday). Methods. A nationally representative sample of 2586 parents in 20 states completed a 40-minute telephone interview on or near their child’s third birthday. This article summarizes data related to perceived family outcomes at the end of early intervention. Results. At the end of early intervention, most parents felt competent in caring for their children, advocating for services, and gaining access to formal and informal supports. They also were generally optimistic about the future. Most (82%) parents believed that their family was better off as a result of early intervention. Parents were somewhat less positive in their perceived ability to deal with their child’s behavior problems or gain access to community resources, and lower family outcome scores were found for parents of minority children, children with health problems, and children who were living with a single adult. Conclusion. Results suggest that Part C early intervention provides important supports for families of young children with disabilities. The findings reinforce the need for experimental research to identify factors that are most likely to lead to successful outcomes for all families. In the meantime, early identification and expeditious referral are important so that maximum benefit can be realized for children with disabilities and their families.

A National Look at Children and Families Entering Early Intervention

The National Early Intervention Longitudinal Study (NEILS) is the first study of Part C of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) early intervention system with a nationally representative sample of infants and toddlers with disabilities. This article presents national estimates of characteristics of infants and toddlers and their families at the time they entered the early intervention (EI) system. The variability in children in EI is marked by high proportions of children from low-income families, ethnic minorities, those in foster care, and males. Nearly one third (32%) are low birth weight, four times the rate in the general population. Infants and toddlers in EI are eight times more likely to be rated as having fair or poor general health. Children enter at all ages across the first 3 years of life, but those eligible because of developmental delays enter as toddlers, in comparison with those eligible because of diagnosed conditions or subject to biological or environmental risk factors, who tend to enter in the first year of life. The variability of the infants and toddlers in EI indicates that there is no typical child in EI.

Maltreated Infants: Reported Eligibility for Part C and Later School-Age Special Education Services.

National estimates of characteristics of maltreated infants and report of an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) and an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) 54 months later are presented. The study was based on 1,196 infants from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being. Measures of neurodevelopment, language, and cognition were collected at baseline. In addition, measures of child behavior and social functioning were collected 54 months later. Caregiver mental health, substance abuse, domestic violence, home environment, and aspects of maltreatment were examined. Nearly one third were reported to have an IFSP. Descriptors of maltreatment were associated with having an IFSP. Approximately 54 months later, 20% were reported to have an IEP. IEP was not related to maltreatment but was related to being male or having a caregiver with cognitive impairment. Having a caregiver with mental illness reduced the likelihood of having an IEP. Findings highlight the need to reconsider criterion for Part C referral.

Using Survival Analysis to Describe Developmental Achievements of Early Intervention Recipients at Kindergarten.

Survival analysis was used to document the developmental achievements of 2298 kindergarten children who participated in the National Early Intervention Longitudinal Study, a study that followed children from entry to Part C early intervention (EI) through kindergarten. Survival functions were produced depicting the percentage of children at kindergarten who attained age-grouped developmental milestones ranging from 1 to 12 months through over 60 months. Survival functions were compared on the basis of disability characteristics at entry to EI and kindergarten disability and special education status. Larger percentages of former EI recipients receiving special education in kindergarten and those entering EI with a diagnosed condition failed to achieve early milestones. The utility of survival analysis in presenting diverse developmental achievements is discussed.

Caregiver Descriptions of the Developmental Skills of Infants and Toddlers Entering Early Intervention Services

The present study was conducted to describe the developmental skills of a national sample of infants and toddlers at entry into early intervention services. Caregivers were asked about their childs skills during a telephone interview. Summary values were derived from descriptions of motor, communication, independence, and cognitive skills. More children were reported with less than age-expected communication skills compared to other domains. Skill acquisition was related to select child and family characteristics. Among those entering early intervention between the ages of 12 and 32 months, 17.5% were reported to have near age-level skill in all domains and 50.3% were reported not to be near age level in any domain.

Adolescents Talking About Thinking: Preliminary Findings of a Self-Report Instrument for the Assessment of Cognition and Learning

The Survey of Teenage Readiness and Neurodevelopmental Status (STRANDS) is a new multidimensional measure designed to obtain a profile of abilities directly reported by the respondent. It is intended for use in clinical settings and schools to assist in the assessment of potential learning problems in high school students ages 15-19 years. It consists of a Questionnaire and Structured Interview, and takes 1 hour to administer. This study provides preliminary findings with respect to reliability and validity of the STRANDS. Subjects included 54 older adolescents who were divided into two groups: Learning Disability (n = 24) and Normal Achieving (n = 30). The two groups did not differ in terms of chronological age, race, gender, socioeconomic status, or Full Scale IQ. The STRANDS Questionnaire and Interview, and a number of benchmark measures were administered. Internal consistency measures for all scales on the STRANDS ranged from.66 to.91. Test-retest reliability of the Interview ranged from.72 to 97. Construct validity was examined for the scales of attention, memory, language, and visual-perceptual function using multi-trait/multi-method correlational analysis. Construct validity was supported by moderate, significant correlations between the latter three scales and a priori related measures. The construct validity for the attention scale was not well supported. Several scales on the Questionnaire and on the Interview significantly discriminated between the groups, with the Learning Disability group reporting significantly greater concerns than the Normal Achieving group. These results suggest the potential utility of such an assessment approach with adolescents, particularly those experiencing learning problems.