ABSTRACT
Early intervention with infants and toddlers with disabilities, developmental delays, and those at-risk for poor outcomes due to biological or environmental factors has a rich history (Dunst, 1996). Early intervention as practiced in the United States can be divided into two distinct time periods: Pre-and post-passage of the 1986 Education of the Handicapped Act Part H early intervention legislation. Prior to the Part H legislation, the focus of early intervention was the learning opportunities and experiences afforded infants and toddlers to affect changes in the children’s behavior and development (e.g., Barsch, 1967; Dunst, 1981; Lambie, Bond, & Weikart, 1975). The Part H legislation, and subsequent reauthorization of that legislation, signifi - cantly changed this emphasis by shifting focus away from development-enhancing child learning opportunities and experiences to the provision of professional services. This chapter includes descriptions of both approaches to early intervention with a focus on the manner to which the IDEA Part C Infant and Toddler Program is not consistent with contemporary theory and research about the characteristics and consequences of early intervention most likely to be effective in infl uencing child and parent behavior.
