The most vital and critical period for early intervention is in the first 3 years of life. The school nurse working in an early childhood program plays a pivotal role in assessing and meeting the health and developmental needs of very young children and their families. This article discusses early intervention, as defined by federal law, as an age-related service delivered within a family-focused, multidisciplinary, interagency, and collaborative model. An assessment framework for school nurses working with this population is described, which includes physical, social, and emotional domains. Identifying children early and then providing needed interventions and services will assist at-risk children in realizing their developmental potential.
American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
2.
BarnardK. (1978). NCAST: Nursing child assessment satellite training: Learning resource manual.Seattle: University of Washington.
3.
BagnatoS. J., NeisworthJ. T., SalviaJ. J., & HuntF. M. (1999). Temperment and Atypical Behavior Scale (TABS): Early childhood Indicators of Developmental Dysfunction.Baltimore: Brookes.
4.
BaileyD., & SimeonssonR. (1990). Family needs survey.Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center.
5.
BidderR. T., BryantG., & GrayO. (1975). Benefits to Down's syndrome children through training their mothers. Archives of Disability in Children, 50, 383–386.
6.
Brooks-GunnJ., & LewisM. (1984). Maternal responsivity in interacting with handicapped infants. Child Development, 55, 782–793.
7.
BreslawN., StaruchK., & MortimerE. (1982). Psychological distress in mothers of disabled children. American Journal of Disabilities in Children, 136, 682–686.
8.
CaldwellB. (1972). HOME Inventory.Little Rock: University of Arkansas.
9.
California Nurses’ Association. (1990). Nursing standards for early intervention services for children and families at risk.San Francisco: Author.
10.
CareyW., & McDevittD. (1978) Revision of the Infant Temperament Questionnaire. Pediatrics, 61, 735–739.
11.
ChamberlinR. (1987). Developmental assessment and early intervention programs for young children: Lessons learned from longitudinal research. Pediatric Review, 8, 237–247.
12.
ChenD., HarrellL., SalcedoP., SwansonL., & ThomasC. (1998). First look.Sacramento, CA: Department of Education, Early Education Unit.
13.
Department of Developmental Services. (1999). Changes in the population of persons with autism and PDD in California's developmental services system 1987 to 1998; A report to the legislature on March 1,1999.Sacramento, CA: California Health and Human Services Agencies.
14.
DiamondM., & HopsonJ. (1998). Magic tress of the mind.New York: Dutton.
FullardW., McDevittS., & CareyW. (1984). Assessing temperament in one to three year old children. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 9, 205–217.
17.
GahaganS., & HolmesR. (1998). A stepwise approach to evaluation of undernutrition and failure to thrive. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 45, 169–187.
18.
GibbsE. D., & TetiD., (Eds.). (1990). Assessment for early intervention professionals.Baltimore: Brookes.
19.
GreenspanS. (1992). Reconsidering the diagnosis and treatment of very young children with autistic spectrum or pervasive development disorder. Zero to Three, 13(2), 1–10.
20.
GuralnickM. J. (1998). Effectiveness of early intervention for vulnerable children: A developmental perspective. American Journal of Mental Retardation, 102, 319–45.
21.
HarmsT., & CliffordR. (1989). Family day care rating scale.New York: Teachers College Press.
22.
HebbelerK. (1999). National early intervention longitudinal study: A national study of infants, toddlers, and their families receiving early intervention services. Paper presented at the California Interagency Coordinating Council meeting, July 1999, Sacramento, CA.
23.
HubelD. H., & WieselT. N. (1979). Brain mechanisms of vision. Scientific America, 241(3), 150–162.
KilbornN., & RawiszerS. (1998). Ear-resistible.Sacramento, CA: California Dept of Education, Early Education Unit.
26.
KotulakR. (1996). Inside the brain: Revolutionary discoveries of how the mind works.Kansas City, MO: Andrews and McMeel.
27.
KronenbergerW., & MeyerR. (1996). The child clinician's handbook.Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
28.
LewisK. D. (1998). Prenatal drug exposure: Assessing risk. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of California at San Francisco.
29.
LewisK. D., & BearB. (1995). Nursing interventions and the at-risk infant and child with prenatal alcohol and drug exposure. In LewisK., (Ed.), Infants and children with prenatal alcohol and drug exposure: A guide to identification and intervention (pp. 147–165). North Branch, MN: Sunrise River Press.
30.
LewisK. D., & BearB. (in press). Manual of school health (2nd ed.). Philadelphia: Saunders.
31.
LewisK. D., & ThomsonH. B. (1986). Manual of school health.Menlo Park, CA: Addison-Wesley.
32.
LovaasO., & KoegelR. (1972). Behavior therapy with autistic children. National Society for the Study of Education Yearbook, 1, 230–258.
33.
MacyD., SolomonG., SchoenM. (1983). The DEBT project: Early intervention for handicapped children and their parents. Exceptional Children, 49, 447–448.
34.
McCormickM., McCartonC., TonasciaJ., & Brooks-GunnJ. (1993). Early educational intervention for very low birth weight infants: Results from the infant health and development program. Journal of Pediatrics, 124, 527–533.
35.
PalmerF., ShapiroB., WachtelR., AllenM. C., HillerJ. E., HarrymanS. E., MosherB. S., MeinertC. L., CaputeA. J. (1988). The effects of physical therapy on cerebral palsy: A controlled trial in infants with spastic diplegia. New England Journal of Medicine, 318, 803–808.
36.
RameyC., BryantD., WasikB., SparingJ., FendtK., & La-VangeL. (1992). The infant health and development program for low birth weight, premature infants: Program elements, family participation, and child intelligence. Pediatrics, 89, 454–466.
37.
RameyC. T., & RameyS. L. (1994). Which children benefit the most from early intervention?Pediatrics, 94, 1064–1066.
38.
RameyC. T., & RameyS. L. (1998). Early intervention and early experience. American Psychology, 53, 109–20.
39.
School Health. (1998). School Nurse Catalog.Hanover Park, IL: Author.
40.
ShonkoffJ., & Hauser-CramP. (1987). Early intervention for disabled infants and their families: A quantitative analysis. Pediatrics, 80, 650–658.
41.
UnrahJ. F. (1994). Down syndrome: Successful parenting of children with Down syndrome.Eugene, OR: Fern Ridge Press.
42.
U.S. Department of Education. (1997a). Part C—Infants and toddlers with disabilities of the individuals with disabilities education act amendments of 1997 (Department of Education, 20 U.S.C Chapter 33, Sections 1431–1445, As amended by PL 105–17. Federal Register).
43.
U.S. Department of Education. (1997b). To assure the free appropriate public education of all children with disabilities. Nineteenth Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Washington, DC: National Library of Congress.
