Early Head Start and Access to Early Intervention Services

Abstract

A Qualitative Investigation T his qualitative study of 32 low-income families with infants or toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities (a) examines whether participation in one Early Head Start (EHS) program increased the likelihood that the families would pursue early intervention services, (b) identifies the phases through which the EHS families progressed in accessing such services, and (c) describes how EHS helped the families obtain access. The study analyzes data from interviews, program records, and research measures. The authors found that the EHS families obtained early intervention services at higher rates than the control families. Case studies illustrate how EHS staff developed individualized strategies to help the families obtain early intervention services.

Developmental screening: predictors of follow-up adherence in primary health care

“…The risk factors were chosen based on factors that other studies have investigated or recommended for future studies with regards to follow-up adherence. The risk factors were the age 16 and gender 15,16,18,19,[33][34][35] of the child, maternal and caregiver age [15][16][17]19,21,23,35,36 , who the primary caregiver is, marital status of caregivers 19,20,37 , educational qualifications [15][16][17][18][19][20]23,35,36 , employment 18,20,35 , average household income [16][17][18][19][20]33,35,36 , type of housing 18 and number of people living in the household 35 . In addition, the effect of text message reminders on follow-up adherence was investigated 22,38 .…”

“…The positive effect of repeated reminders to follow-up on referrals has been demonstrated [22][23][24] . One study found that people who received text message reminders were 50% less likely to default on appointments 22 .…”

Best Practices and Considerations: Including Young Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Settings

“…Children from CLD backgrounds who live in low-income homes often face barriers that delay their development. These barriers include a lack of access to quality healthcare and social services, lack of exposure to experiences that promote early literacy, and the challenges of acquiring two languages concurrently (Iruka, 2009;Wall et al, 2005). Additionally, barriers faced by low income and CLD families often translate into significant stressors that overpower ethnic differences in family structural characteristics and parenting practices (Iruka, 2009).…”

Supporting Families of Children With Disabilities

“…Children with disabilities require early intervention programs for physical, developmental, and emotional rehabilitation (Wall et al., ). The IDEA necessitates that states have Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) programs that provide services to children with disabilities and their families.…”

“…Due to the American with Disabilities Act and the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the number of children with disabilities living at home has doubled since 1960. In addition, these changes in governmental policy have affected the number of children with disabilities living at home and attending school (Reichman et al., ; Wall et al., ).…”