Promoting Use of Effective Early Intervention Programs

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There is now strong scientific support for the widespread implementation of proven, effective early intervention programs for young children with, or at risk for, developmental disability. However, in practice, programs that lack demonstrated effectiveness are often implemented, undermining the impact of early intervention. The long-term goal of the current project is to increase the likelihood that children ages 0-5 years with or at risk for developmental disability receive effective intervention services. To this end, the specific aims of the proposed Phase II work will be to fully develop and make ready for commercial dissemination three products for which prototypes already exist from RandD completed in Phase I and from prior successful Sociometrics products. The central product is the Early Intervention Program Archive to Reduce Developmental Disability (EIPARDD), which will consist of complete replication kits of all necessary materials (e.g., manuals, workbooks) to implement and evaluate an empirically-supported intervention. Interventions included in EIPARDD were identified through a comprehensive scientific literature search and extensive evaluation by an independent Expert Panel in Phase I. Access to 12 empirically-supported intervention programs was secured in Phase I, and a prototype kit for one EIPARDD program was constructed and favorably evaluated by consumers. The specific aim for Phase II is to make all materials for each program in EIPARDD ready for commercial distribution by the end of the grant period. The other two products enhance the use of EIPARDD by (1) facilitating the selection of the appropriate empirically-supported intervention program for a given need (including those not available as replication kits), through an online Early Intervention Program Selection Resource; and (2) promoting program fidelity and evaluation through a set of Early Intervention Program Implementation and Evaluation Tutorials that offer generalized and program- tailored implementation and evaluation information in online and USB flash drive formats. Specific Phase II aims are to make these two ancillary products ready for commercial distribution by the end of the grant period. Technical usability testing and consumer feedback will be used extensively throughout the process to ensure that all final products meet the needs of early intervention professionals. In addition, a mixed-method research study will be conducted to investigate the fidelity of implementing effective early intervention programs in new sites. The replication kits will be marketed to early intervention decision-makers at local, state and regional levels. The commercial market for these products is substantial with over 102,000 professionals working in early intervention under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Parts B and C, serving nearly one million children ages 0-5 years. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The EIPARDD and its associated products will promote public health in two key ways. It will: (1) offer more young children with or at risk of developmental delay and their families efficacious early intervention services, by providing EI decision-makers with an array of efficacious EI programs from which to easily and affordably select, implement, adapt, and evaluate their efforts as they deliver EI services, and (2) prepare current and aspiring EI specialists about effective EI programs for children with or at risk of developmental delays by offering early childhood faculty and trainers accessible and interactive research-based information for use in pre-service preparation, staff orientation, staff training. More widespread use, adaptation, and evaluation of efficacious EI programs for children with or at risk for developmental delay, and more highly skilled EI professionals, should be the result.