Journal of Early Intervention

This article proposes a conceptual framework for the provision of early intervention services, applying the concept of primary, secondary, or tertiary levels of prevention. This prevention perspective is built on the premise that the manifestation, severity, or extended impact, respectively, of a specified condition, namely developmental delay, can be prevented. This premise has implications for direct intervention with children and linked intervention for families. Representative findings are used to illustrate the preventive and ameliorative functions of early intervention. The implications of this preventive framework for intervention with infants and their families are identified.

Although there is substantial information about the effects of specific environmental variables on individuals with developmental disabilities, there is almost no corresponding information about changes that may occur in the behavior of their teachers/caregivers. The purpose of this study was to document changes in both adults' and children's behavior when two classrooms for children with autism were reorganized. Intervention included the addition of play materials and equipment, changes in room arrangement, and changes in the scheduling of instruction and play periods, implemented in a multiple baseline design across classrooms. Adult smiling and affectionate words increased markedly in the free play area as a function of reorganization and were proportionally much greater than increases in other adult attention. Increases in children's use of play materials and compliance with adult instructions were associated with the intervention and could not be accounted for by systematic changes in adult prompts, concurrent attention, or use of time-out.

This study investigated the influence of social and isolate toys on the social behavior of integrated and nonintegrated groups of preschool children during free play time. Eighteen handicapped and six nonhandicapped children participated. Using a time-sampling technique, data were obtained on the frequency of social behavior. Results showed that under social toy conditions, children engaged in social behavior more often than during any other condition. In addition, the incidence of social play was higher in integrated groups than in nonintegrated groups. Based on the results of this study, toys are conceptualized as a setting event for the social behavior of preschool children. Selection of toys is presented as a viable and nonintrusive method of promoting social interaction between handicapped and nonhandicapped preschool children.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of developmental questionnaires with a sample of at-risk mothers. Thirty-six mothers with infants between 4 and 30 months were randomly assigned to experimental or control condition. Mothers in the experimental group each completed one Infant Monitoring Questionnaire (IMQ) on their infants. Infants in both groups were assessed with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, and all mothers completed the Bayley Interview, an interview in which items from the Bayley Scales of Infant Development have been modified into a parent interview format. Mothers in the experimental group had scores on the Bayley Interview more in agreement with the professional-completed Bayley assessment of the infant than mothers who had not completed an IMQ (t = -1.81, p < .04). Correlations between scaled scores from the mother-completed Bayley Interview and the professional-completed Bayley assessment were high for the experimental group (r = .80) and were significantly different from the correlations for the contol group (r = .25). Validity, measured by the percentage of agreement between the infant's classification (i.e., normal or abnormal) based on the questionnaires completed by at-risk mothers and the classification based on the professionally administered standardized assessments of the infants, was also high (89%).

Although the efficacy of parent training has been demonstrated for many young children with autism, it is clear that not all participants derive similar benefits from this type of service. Pursuant to suggestions in the parent training literature, this study was conducted to explore aspects of family functioning as they relate to the progress of young children in a family-oriented training program. A number of child and family variables, including mother-reported stress, were assessed at intake, and child progress was measured over a year-long period. Correlational analyses were conducted to determine which variables were related to child outcome. The clearest finding to emerge from the analyses was a strong relationship between mother-reported stress on the Parenting Stress Index and child progress on the Learning Accomplishment Profile (LAP) or the Early-LAP. The results are related to findings with other child populations and implications for individualized support for young children with autism and their families are discussed.

In single-subject research, multi-element designs often are recommended to compare the effectiveness of two or more independent variables. This article describes the multi-element design and discusses its advantages and disadvantages for research in early intervention. A list of resources for further information is provided.

Using a set of hypothetical data, four approaches to the estimation of interrater reliability are illustrated and compared: correlation, comparison of means, percentage of agreement, and generalizability (G) theory techniques. For these data—composed of ratings for 10 subjects on 6 items by 2 raters—the reliability estimates varied widely. The highest estimate was .90 (the simple correlation between the two raters' total scores), and the lowest was a percentage of agreement between the two raters of 26.67% (when “agreement" meant exact match). The G theory techniques allow the researcher to estimate the amount of variance attributable to multiple sources of error within one study. Although more complex than the other methods illustrated here, the G theory procedures yield very beneficial information in many reliability-estimation situations in early childhood special education.