Two groups of students were compared to determine the impact of early intervention at the Early Childhood School on academic outcomes in later elementary school years for both math and reading. Students who were determined to be disadvantaged in some way, either by income, limited English proficiency, or having been identified as needing specialized instruction and who attended an early intervention program, prior to kindergarten, were compared to a similar group who did not attend the intervention program. Scores on district level assessments in math and reading were tracked for both groups of students through the third grade. Scores on high stakes standardized testing of the students in third grade were also analyzed. Results indicated that students in the control group outperformed students in the treatment group on the majority of district level assessments. However, the opposite was true for high stakes testing where the treatment group outperformed the control group on a consistent basis. These results were consistent, regardless of the nature of the disadvantage. Students who attended the prekindergarten program at the Early Childhood School had higher scores on the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) exam than disadvantaged students who did not attend. Since this was not the case for district level assessments, it is recommended that the district revisit their local assessments and testing administration practices. It is also recommended that this cohort of students continue to be studied to see of the outcomes last beyond the third grade.

Assessing self-efficacy in families of children with hearing concerns through an audiological early intervention training. Abigail Lesley, B.S., Karee Diem, B.S., and Marcy Hite, Au.D., Ph.D., Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN. For children with hearing loss, spoken language outcomes are best when children have optimal auditory access through the consistent use of appropriately fitted hearing devices and are exposed to a rich linguistic environment. Parents can play a large role in facilitating their children’s use of hearing devices and supporting their language development. The purpose of this study was to improve of parent self-efficacy, increase family knowledge on language outcomes, and increase consistent use of amplification by providing an educational workshop to families with children identified with hearing loss and/or hearing concerns. The hypothesis of this study was to see an enhancement of self-efficacy skills within parent participants to empower and grow confidence in their ability to optimize their child’s amplification use and linguistic exposure. Participants were educated on the impact of hearing loss and/or hearing concerns on language development, importance of language exposure, use and care of amplification for families that utilize hearing technology, and empowerment to establish consistent device use. Assessment of self-efficacy skills in parents were measured through a pre- and post-survey distributed to participants. Survey and study were modeled after Ambrose et al., 2020 using the Scale of Parent Involvement and Self-Efficacy-Revised (SPISE-R). It queries parents about their child’s hearing device use and their perceptions of their own beliefs, knowledge, confidence, and actions pertaining to supporting their child’s auditory access and spoken language development. Ambrose et al., 2020 found the SPISE-R to be a promising tool for use in early intervention to better understand parents’ strengths and needs pertaining to supporting their young child’s auditory access and spoken language development. A total of nine parents were in attendance of the educational workshop conducted with only three participants completing both the pre- and post-survey. An analysis using a paired samples t-test revealed no statistically significant difference between the pre- and post-survey across all categories assessed within the SPISE-R apart from one question within the ‘Confidence’ category. Parents were found to have a significantly worse score between pre- and post-survey responses in the ‘Confidence’ category for the following question “If applicable, Put and keep my child’s hearing device(s) on him/her”. The overall mean significantly decreased between the pre- and post-survey, indicating less confidence with this skill. It should be noted, limited parent responses impacted the statistical analysis performed. Although the overall findings were not statistically significant, moving forward, data findings will be used to appropriately adjust the audiological early intervention training to improve self-efficacy skills of parents.

In the 12 years since the passage of Public Law 99-457, early intervention systems have greatly expanded and are now stabilizing. This article examines the resulting entitlements for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers currently extended by all states. Perspectives from the legislative process, federal and state implementation, judicial interpretation, and professional views are included. Distinctions among the key provisions for differing early intervention service systems are presented. Influential Office of Special Education letters and significant legal cases are reviewed. Finally, essential standards for viewing entitlements are presented to assist an interdisciplinary audience to explore the question, "Entitled to what?".

We present an evidence-based review of post-trauma interventions used to prevent posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Literature search of PubMed from 1988 to March 2016 using keywords “Early Intervention AND Prevention of PTSD” yielded 142 articles, of which 52 intervention studies and 6 meta-analyses were included in our review. Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and modified prolonged exposure delivered within weeks of a potentially traumatic event for people showing signs of distress have the most evidence in the treatment of acute stress and early PTSD symptoms, and the prevention of PTSD. Even though several pharmacological agents have been tried, only hydrocortisone prior to high-risk surgery, severe traumatic injury, or during acute sepsis has adequate evidence for effectiveness in the reduction of acute stress symptoms and prevention of PTSD. There is an urgent need to determine the best targets for interventions after trauma to accelerate recovery and prevent PTSD.

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in early intervention (EI) referral and service frequency for children with blindness or visual impairment (BVI) and gather information about the practices and experiences of vision professionals across the United States. The study focused on obtaining data from certified teachers of students with visual impairment (CTVI) and certified orientation and mobility specialists (COMS) in the United States. Information collected included descriptive statistics and professional information about EI for children with BVI, and information about the referral process and service frequency for children with BVI during EI. Thirty-three states were represented in the collected data. Of these states, 26 had responses from four or more professionals, the criteria for inclusion in the analyses. Participants provided information based on a researcher-developed survey requesting information related to the procedures used to provide EI services for children with BVI. Questions were adapted from established instruments where possible. Across states, there were some statistically significant differences in CTVIs and COMS reports of procedures regarding the role of professional collaboration, parent/caregiver participation in IFSP meetings, strengths/resources utilized by vision professionals, and challenges parents/families encountered when accessing EI services for their child with BVI. No statistically significant differences were identified across states for type of referral method, most commonly initiated by health care professionals, or method by which service frequency was determined. Results will be used to inform future research to further examine EI for children with BVI in the United States.

This study investigated 10 mothers' perceptions on the transition process, for their children with disabilities, from early intervention to early childhood special education. The issues of related stressors, supports, and coping skills were further explored. This research was guided by the ecological or systems theory. The issue of transition between the two service programs (early intervention to early childhood special education) is addressed specifically in the legislation (Part C, Section 619, IDEA 1997). Federal law defines several elements that must be included in the transition planning. Each state must ensure a smooth transition for toddlers receiving early intervention services to preschool and other appropriate services. Since transition is such a critical time for young children with disabilities and their families, stress will presumably occur. The parents need to learn new terminology and procedures because each program is unique in which services are provided. Families are to receive information and training during the transition period. This study was guided by the following research questions: (1) What are the mother's perceptions of the transition process? (2) What factors facilitate or inhibit their satisfaction and involvement with the process? (3) What types of stressors and supports do these mothers experience during this process? Qualitative methods were used to secure data. In-depth interviews provided the most information, but document analysis was also utilized. Each participant was interviewed two times. Participants were found from a variety of resources in the local communities. The criterion for this study included mothers whose children had a diagnosed disability or developmental delay, had been in an early intervention program, and had transitioned within the last two years. The mothers from this study had positive transitions for their children. They were involved in this process and became better advocates. They were supported by family members and friends. Much support was provided by the professionals working within the early intervention system. The individuals who work with families of children with disabilities need to be aware of the whole family system. By knowing the family system, professionals will be able to provide services based on the individual needs of the family. Specific recommendations for policy makers in rural areas include the availability, location and cost of services. The medical model versus the education model was also discussed as an issue for these families when transitioning their children from one program to another. / Ed. D.

Depression represents a serious mental health problem that affects the lives of many children. Depression is frequently cited as the most recurrent emotional problem facing younger populations. Left untreated, depression can have several negative ramifications on later adjustment, including suicide, substance use, academic and social difficulties, low self-esteem, and an increased risk for other mental health problems. The search for effective treatments for depression has extended into several arenas. Schools play an important role in the lives of children and provide an ideal setting for early detection and remediation of depression at every stage. Schools are increasingly being encouraged to offer preventative mental health services to deal with emotional issues that may often go unnoticed until a crisis situation. However, there remain a small number of studies that have investigated the impact of school-based preventative interventions for depression. For this reason, a school-based, primary prevention study was conducted. The current study utilized an interpersonal and cognitive-behavioral model that was incorporated into the health education curriculum of the school. The sample included four fifth-grade classes in a rural school district. The study was conducted using a quasi-experimental design similar to a Solomon four-group design with two intervention and two control classes. The intervention was a total of eight 50-minute sessions. The subjects were assessed using a variety of self-report, sociometric, and rating-scale instruments. The results of the study suggest that social skills were statistically significantly impacted by the intervention, and moderate standardized mean difference effect sizes (ES) of .51 and .48 were found. Depressive symptom reduction was less pronounced. Additional findings indicate that the children did in fact learn the principles conveyed throughout the intervention, including methods of alleviating depressive symptomatology and social skills relevant for fifth-grade children. The results are discussed in the context of primary prevention models in other areas of mental health.

Early intervention programs for handicapped preschool children may have long-term implications for the children and their families. Economic eva luations of these programs have been conducted to measure costs and bene fit s, but parental wi l lingness-to-pay has been overlooked in these analyses. Parental willingness-to-pay, as a measure of consumer surplus, could complete the measure of benefits and provide both policymakers and practitioners with useful information for decisionmaking. In this study, the impli cations of eliciting willingness-to-pay responses for an early intervention program for handicapped preschoolers are discussed. A survey technique, known as the contingent valuation method (CVM) , is applied to program to empirically estimate wil lin gness-to-pay for the total program and for particular components of the program. Also investigated are the implications of using a rationality test in the survey to determine if consumer responses are in accordance with assumptions for rational consumer behavior. Results indicate relatively high willingness-to-pay for the program as whole, but low value is associated with program components. This implies that parents may value these programs more for the respite rather than specialized services offered. Results of the rationality test support the hypothesis that such a measure is necessary in survey designs of this nature.

The current study examined the level of participation by families who have Vlll been involved between 1 and 3 years with the Community-Family Partnership (CFP) project. The CFP project is 1 of 34 Comprehensive Child Development Projects funded by the Administration for Children, Youth, and Families through the Head Start Bureau. The CFP makes available comprehensive, on-going services to enrolled families. Twenty-six families were identified as the Low Participation Group . Twenty-three families were identified as the High Participation Group. Children from each group were tested using the Battelle Developmental Inventory on a yearly basis. Results of a repeated measures ANOV A indicated that children of families with high participation had better child BDI scores than children of families with low participation. No difference was found in the economic status of these families. Multiple regression analyses were conducted using family demographic characteristics and other measures to create a profile of an actively participating family.

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