The key concept in our definition of collaboration is the interactive team process which develops over time among key partners on education and early intervention teams. Children/youth and their families are the heart of every team which also includes, as appropriate, therapists, educators, nurses, social workers, administrators, volunteers, peers, and child care providers. Collaboration is an umbrella term, not a new service model, and includes team interactions within coaching, collaborative consultation, coteaching, family professional partnerships, and integrated therapy. We have heard occupational therapists describe collaboration as a monthly team meeting, informal conversation focused on how to help a child achieve his or her goals or outcomes, talking to a teacher in their classroom, or coordinating a therapy schedule with another therapist. However, working in the same space as another team member or attending a staff meeting is not necessarily a collaborative interaction unless these variables are embraced by teams and incorporated within their operations (Friend, 2000; Friend & Cook, 2009; Thousand & Villa, 2000):

Coaching in early childhood is an interactive process of observation and reflection in which the coach promotes a parent's or other care provider's ability to support a child's participation in everyday experiences and interactions with family members and peers across settings. Focusing on collaborative relationships, coaching provides a supportive structure for promoting conversations between family members, childcare providers, and early interventionists to select and implement meaningful strategies to achieve functional outcomes that focus on the child's participation in natural settings. This article provides guidelines for early childhood professionals serving young children with disabilities and their families regarding whom and when to coach, and includes examples to illustrate the five phases of the coaching process: initiation, observation or action, reflection, evaluation, and continuation or resolution.

Professional development is one of the key provisions that state education and early intervention administrators must address for occupational therapists and other early childhood professionals who provide early intervention and preschool services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This article discusses issues in developing effective professional development programs for pediatric occupational therapists who work with very young children and their families, focusing on: 1) clinical and contextual trends affecting occupational therapy practice; 2) professional preparation ac the university level; 3) continuing competency of therapists in the field; and 4) recommendations for ensuring that occupational therapists are both prepared and supported to provide quality early childhood services.

Collaboration between therapists and caregivers within natural environments such as homes, child care setting, and neighborhood recreation centers is the key to providing quality, family-centered care. How therapy is provided in these natural environments is just as important as where it is provided. Discussion is focused on rehabilitation specialists with roots in the medical model (i.e., physical and occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists) to acknowledge the benefits for children and families when therapists work in natural environments. The authors explore how working in natural environments reinforces family centered care; discuss the benefits for all parties when therapy is provided within daily routines and settings; describe a decision-making process for embedding natural environments within intervention and conclude by identifying challenges and guidelines to providing therapy in natural environments.

Developmental assessment is more than ascertaining a child's eligibility for services as the family begins a journey into a service system that holds multiple opportunities for a caring touch and possibilities for disappointment The most important factor in a positive assessment experience is a strong alliance between specialists and families. Discussed is the importance of nurturing alliances within the context of developmental assessments. Five axioms with family stories illustrate how specialists and families can collaborate during assessments to ensure that services include families and promote acquisition of knowledge in natural settings. Specific strategies before, during, and after the assessment are discussed.

Clinicians of all disciplines and in all settings must reexamine the philosophical basis for determining the frequency and intensity of early intervention services. A shift to a flexible, outcomes-driven model featuring a family-centered, ecological approach ensures the likelihood that the recommendations for services flow from a thorough analysis of child and family priorities rather than from a traditional emphasis on static and predetermined assumptions centered exclusively on improving children's developmental skills. This article discusses the importance of addressing the question of the frequency and intensity of early intervention services within a family context, while emphasizing that complex issues cannot always be resolved with a one-size-fits-all solution. Multidimensional guidelines for selecting early intervention services are proposed, and, finally, the dilemmas inherent in implementing these guidelines are identified.

The enactment of Public Law 99-457 extended the national debate regarding the preparation and availability of early-intervention personnel. This article provides an overview of the general education and training of occupational therapists, one of the providers of developmental services identified in the law. Specific occupational therapy personnel preparation issues related to early-intervention practice are also discussed.

Book Review| Online September 01 1987 Federal Policy Toward Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Federal Policy Toward Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. David Braddock, PhD ( 1986). Paul H. Brookes Publishing, PO Box 10624, Baltimore, MD 21285-0624. 224 pp., $29.95. Barbara E. Hanft Barbara E. Hanft Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Author & Article Information Online Issn: 1943-7676 Print Issn: 0272-9490 Copyright © 1987 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.1987 The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 1987, Vol. 41(9), 613. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.41.9.613a Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Barbara E. Hanft; Federal Policy Toward Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. Am J Occup Ther September 1987, Vol. 41(9), 613. doi: https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.41.9.613a Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentThe American Journal of Occupational Therapy Search Advanced Search This content is only available via PDF. Copyright © 1987 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.1987 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.