This book helps administrators and professionals to develop and structure early intervention and ongoing services so that professionals work collaboratively in partnership with parents to promote the health, well being, and development of children with special needs. Parent involvement is a central feature of service planning and implementation.
The authors start from the basics -understanding the statutory and regulatory requirements for service coordination with a family focus. In successive chapters they deal with such topics as: identifying and prioritizing the variables influencing implementation of service coordination, who can serve as service coordinators, the functions of these persons, the competencies they should exhibit, and the training they require. They conclude by addressing approaches to developing and strengthening parent/professional partnerships and developing a consensus about the essential elements and competencies required for service coordination.
This monograph is intended to assist professionals, parents, programs, localities and states build effective systems for service coordination in early intervention