美国个别化家庭服务计划及对我国的启示

个别化家庭服务计划(Individualized Family Service Plan,简称IFSP)是在美国1986年《障碍者教育法修正案》(The Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1986,PL99-457,1986)中提出来的。此计划旨在为0-3岁障碍婴幼儿提供早期干预服务,以促进婴幼儿的发展和成长。本文通过对IFSP的提出、法律规定及内容、实施要求等方面的介绍,为我国制订与实施障碍儿童早期干预服务提供法律制定、政府支持、人员培训、家长参与及转衔等方面的借鉴。     

Engaging mothers with substance use issues and their children in early intervention: Understanding use of service and outcomes

Mothers who use substances need integrated, multi-sectoral intervention services to support substance use discontinuation. We explored mothers’ service use at Breaking the Cycle, an early intervention and prevention program for pregnant and parenting women and their young children in Toronto, Canada. We conducted retrospective analyses of families’ service records and client charts (N = 160). Aims were to 1) describe women’s use of service, 2) examine how early engagement of pregnant women related to postnatal service use, and 3) examine the circumstances in which women ended their service relationship with Breaking the Cycle. Specifically, we examined circumstances at service ending relating to women’s service goals; custody status with children; and global substance-use, parent-child relationship, and child development outcomes. We found that these vulnerable women were actively engaged in many services and for a long duration, early engagement was associated with greater service use, and greater service use was associated with more positive circumstances upon ending service. Results provide support for a relational approach to service that promotes not only the relationship between mother and child, and mother and service provider, but also highlights relationships among staff, between staff and management, and between community partners as integral to effective service delivery. Integrating positive relationships at all levels is critical to support vulnerable families with complex needs.     

Implementing early childhood inclusion: Barrier and support factors

This study examined the underlying factor structure of a rating scale designed to assess perceived barriers and supports associated with early childhood inclusion. Participants were 201 administrators and direct service providers from the early intervention, early childhood, and special education fields and 287 parents (primarily mothers) of young children with disabilities (birth through 5 years) who received early intervention services. A four-factor solution for barriers that accounted for 41% of the total variance emerged from an exploratory factor analysis. Because one of the factors was found to have low internal consistency, a three-factor solution was used in subsequent analyses. The three factors consisted of barriers associated with early childhood program quality, community resources, and coordinating and integrating services for children with disabilities and their families. Items reflecting supports for early childhood inclusion produced a single supports factor. A confirmatory factor analysis revealed a barriers factor structure for parents that was consistent with that obtained for professionals. Background variables contributed to explaining ratings of barriers and supports among parents who differed with respect to race, education, employment status, and experience with inclusion, lending further support for the validity of the factor structure.     

Family‐Centred Early Intervention in Singapore

This paper describes the pilot project (Project ASSIST) on early intervention of 40 disabled infants between the ages of 2 and 5 years. Its main objective was to look into the feasibility of integrating children with mild disabilities into mainstream preschool centres in Singapore. The intervention goals were related to the problems encountered by the children, their families and teachers. Professional staff such as occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech therapists and psychologists intervened through providing consultations to parents and teachers who were taught the intervention follow‐up. An evaluation conducted after 9 months of the program (a) showed high levels of peer and school personnel acceptance, (b) indicated that Project ASSIST was an important service to both children and their families, and (c) demonstrated the feasibility of integrating children with disabilities into mainstream preschool centres.     

Teacher and principal stage of concern regarding implementation of benchmark testing: a longitudinal study

The four-year study reported here investigated factors associated with Stage of Concern and change in Stage of Concern of teachers when implementing a benchmark testing program in a large mid-western school district in the United States. The results of the study revealed the Stage of Concern was associated with (1) degree of involvement; (2) role (teacher or principal); (3) grade level taught; (4) gender; (5) nature of staff development program. Factors associated with change of Stage of Concern were (1) role; (2) grade level taught/administered; (3) gender; (4) nature of staff development program; (5) “top-down” decision-making; (6) lack of principal involvement in implementation.     

An Intervention to Increase Early Childhood Staff Capacity for Promoting Children’s Social-Emotional Development in Preschool Settings

This article describes the development, implementation, and outcomes of a pilot intervention designed to enhance preschool programs’ ability to support children’s social-emotional development. Working with two Head Start programs, the intervention included (1) restructuring existing early childhood mental health consultation services; (2) engaging programs in a mental health-specific strategic planning; (3) providing training to program staff in early childhood mental health best practices; and (4) implementing staff wellness activities to promote a healthy organizational culture. Research Findings: Results from quantitative staff surveys found significant improvement over time in terms of reduced staff stress, increased levels of understanding of best practices in early childhood mental health, and more evidence of a shared understanding of how best to meet children’s mental health needs. Results were strongest for management and teaching staff, compared to other staff types. Practice Implications: Head Start and preschool programs may benefit from institutionalizing strategies to ensure that continued attention is paid to their program’s mental health services through ongoing strategic planning, supporting staff wellness, and by effective use of mental health consultants. Mental health consultants may be most valuable when they focus on capacity-building activities such as staff coaching and training, and working with management teams to ensure a collective “mental health perspective”.     

Meeting Needs of Young Children at Risk for or Having a Disability

Poverty-related factors place children at higher risk for disabilities and also serve as barriers to families accessing services for their children and themselves. Early childhood practitioners can play a critical role in supporting families by providing services to overcome these obstacles and by working in partnership with specialized early intervention programs to assure the families and children receive those services. Families (N = 3,001) enrolled in the Early Head Start (EHS) Research and Evaluation Project were randomly assigned to the program group (who received EHS services) or the control group in a rigorous, experimental design study in order to evaluate program impacts. All participating families were living in poverty, included a pregnant woman or a child below age 1, and were eligible for EHS. The majority of children enrolled in the EHS Research and Evaluation Project was identified as having at least one of a great variety of disability indicators (e.g., family received Part C services, child has been diagnosed as having asthma). There was a very small number of families, however, actually enrolled in Part C services. Enrollment in EHS was associated with children being less likely to have cognitive or language delays and their families being more likely to receive early intervention (Part C) services and have Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs) when they needed them.     

Facilitators and Barriers to the Implementation of EMOTION: An Indicated Intervention for Young Schoolchildren

ABSTRACT

Research on implementation of school-based transdiagnostic interventions, conducted by personnel from the municipal services is limited. We investigated facilitators and barriers regarding implementation of EMOTION, an intervention targeting symptoms of anxiety and depression in children 8–12 years. Trained health- and childcare professionals completed one questionnaire before (N?=?63) and a separate questionnaire after running an EMOTION group (N?=?66). Twelve of the group leaders were interviewed to provide additional information regarding implementation. Results indicated that factors such as a perceived need for the intervention and positive attitudes from the group leaders facilitated implementation. Hindering factors were related to time constraints, workload, unsupportive leaders, and lack of cooperation from the schools. Allocating resources to implementation specifically could promote future use of the program.     

Implementing an integrated pest management (IPM) program in child care centers: A qualitative study

Pesticide use in and around child care centers is a potential health threat to children and staff. The implementation of integrated pest management (IPM) can reduce these risks yet child care providers receive minimal, if any, education concerning pest management. The objectives of this qualitative study are to: (a) develop a model to describe the process of implementing an IPM program in child care centers, (b) identify the facilitators and barriers to implementing an IPM program in child care centers, and (c) examine congruence between IPM practices identified on an IPM checklist with practices reported in qualitative interviews with child care managers. Interviews and IPM checklist observations were conducted with nine child care center managers in California before and after the introduction of a pilot IPM education intervention program. The qualitative analysis of the interviews revealed a four-stage IPM implementation process, from awareness of IPM, recognizing the importance of IPM and learning how to practice it, motivation and the decision to adopt IPM, to the implementation of IPM. A wide range of facilitators and barriers were identified. There was general congruence between the manager interviews and IPM checklist findings on IPM policies, practices, and management. Understanding the process of how an IPM program was implemented in these child care centers and the facilitators and barriers involved in the process can inform planning efforts for future health interventions in child care.     

Inclusion of children living with disability in early childhood development and education: construction of a stakeholder-informed framework

School-level data shows that a large number of Children living with Disability (ClwD) are not accessing Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) services in Nepal (Department of Education, 2020). This research explores the factors affecting the inclusion of ClwD in ECDE programs aiming at informing policy, plans and strategies about existing barriers to early intervention and education services for ClwD. Through interviews, focus group discussions with key stakeholders and document reviews, the research identified the interconnection of several organisational and contextual factors created multiple barriers to successful inclusion. Organisational factors were: policy, attitudes, teacher efficacy, resources, coordination, communication processes and parental engagement. Contextual factors were: spirituality, caste, ethnicity, language, economic status, and geographic location. The very interactive nature of organisational and contextual factors resulted in the development of an inclusive education framework to inform future policies.     

Implementation strategies for educational intranet resources

Recent events in UK Higher Education have caused university schools to look toward alternative means of enhancing and monitoring the quality of the service they provide. One approach utilises networked learning and teaching resources, in particular intranets. Two Schools at the University of Brighton commenced independent implementation of intranets at similar times. The subjects of the case studies are the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences Intranet (SPI) and the Business School Intranet (BSI). This paper describes the two alternative strategies for intranet implementation, demonstrates the differing degrees of staff and student utilisation of these learning and teaching assets, identifies barriers to success within each and proposes solutions to address them. The paper proposes a unified strategy for effective intranet implementation and suggests measures to manage organisational resistance to change.     

Parent involvement in an early childhood special education program: A descriptive analysis of parent demographics and level of involvement

The present study was conducted to evaluate the level of parent involvement in an early childhood special education program in a large midwestern urban school district. Areas surveyed included parents' current input, participation, and desired level of participation in the initial eligibility evaluation, the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) meeting, and the initial Individual Education Plan (1EP). Additional areas assessed included parent-teacher contact, overall satisfaction with the early childhood program, and services the parent might be interested in receiving. Generally, parents were satisfied with their involvement and input in their child's educational program. Differences between parents' level of income, education, race, gender, and marital status and their subsequent level of involvement in their child's education were noted.     

New precedent in family policy: individualized family service plan

By requiring a family focus in the provision of early intervention services, the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) provisions of Public Law 99-457 establish a new precedent in public policies for families of children with disabilities. In this article, the conceptual and procedural mandates of the IFSP are analyzed from two perspectives: as bold, radical steps taken by the federal government and as logical extensions of current service delivery practices that focus on the child but involve parents in planning and implementing programs. The implications of these perspectives for policy and program implementation are discussed.     

Graduate and Undergraduate Internships in Human Services: A National Directory

The authors describe a national, generic directory of bachelor's, master's, and doctoral internships for human service agencies. Internships are listed for the following types of human service agencies: community mental health, mental retardation, corrections, rehabilitation, and others. Each internship listing includes, by degree level, the following information: (a) number of internship positions available, (b) availability of stipends, (c) typical intern roles and functions emphasized and percentage of time spent in each, (d) length of internship, (e) major theoretical orientations of agency staff, and (f) prerequisite training and experiences. By degree level, the number of human services internship positions listed in the directory are as follows: bachelor's, 65; master's, 246; and doctoral, 163.     

The Effect of Early Intervention on Academic Achievement of Hearing-Impaired Children

Objective. This population-based study assessed the relationship between characteristics of early intervention programs for hearing-impaired children and academic achievement. Methodology. The study was conducted on the elementary school-age population of six regions of the province of Quebec. Of the 301 hearing-impaired children registered, 112 met the eligibility criteria and participated in the study. The characteristics of early intervention which had been assessed were: age of initial access, the intensity, target and nature of services, service setting, coordination mechanisms, communication mode and parental compliance. Results. After adjustment for child and family characteristics and the other service variables studied, higher academic achievement was found to be significantly associated with services that (a) were initiated before children reached the age of two, (b) were parent-centered rather than child-centered, and (c) emphasized auditory intervention and an oral mode of communication. The results also showed that the socioeconomic environment in which the children lived significantly influenced the effect of certain characteristics of early intervention programs. The present study identified service characteristics with regard to specialized intervention and service delivery conditions that could lead to more effective early intervention programs.     

The Effect of Early Intervention on Academic Achievement of Hearing-Impaired Children

Objective. This population-based study assessed the relationship between characteristics of early intervention programs for hearing-impaired children and academic achievement. Methodology. The study was conducted on the elementary school-age population of six regions of the province of Quebec. Of the 301 hearing-impaired children registered, 112 met the eligibility criteria and participated in the study. The characteristics of early intervention which had been assessed were: age of initial access, the intensity, target and nature of services, service setting, coordination mechanisms, communication mode and parental compliance. Results. After adjustment for child and family characteristics and the other service variables studied, higher academic achievement was found to be significantly associated with services that (a) were initiated before children reached the age of two, (b) were parent-centered rather than child-centered, and (c) emphasized auditory intervention and an oral mode of communication. The results also showed that the socioeconomic environment in which the children lived significantly influenced the effect of certain characteristics of early intervention programs. The present study identified service characteristics with regard to specialized intervention and service delivery conditions that could lead to more effective early intervention programs.