Twenty-one early intervention projects, which have been approved by the Joint Dissemination Review Panel for national dissemination, were analyzed to determine their characteristics and the strengths and weaknesses of their research designs, as well as to draw conclusions about the efficacy of early intervention. It was found that early intervention projects approved by the Joint Dissemination Review Panel are consistent with prevailing notions that intervention programs should involve parents, should start as early as possible, and should utilize structured intervention programs. It was also concluded that these intervention programs had made substantial contributions to the field in terms of demonstrating the feasibility of early intervention, developing and disseminating curriculum materials and assessment instruments, and providing methods of intervention. Due to the frequency of serious methodological weaknesses, however, one can conclude little about the efficacy of early intervention from these project reports. Suggestions are made for improving future early intervention efficacy research.
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