Factors related to the scope of early intervention service coordinator practices

Results from a study investigating the factors associated with variations in the reported use of service coordinator practices are presented. The study participants were parents and other primary caregivers of infants and toddlers with identified disabilities or developmental delays in Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Part C early intervention programs. Finding showed that different service coordination structural and process variables, but not child, parent, or family background variables, accounted for differences in the reported use of service coordinator practices. Among 3 sets of service coordination measures, the use of family-centered helpgiving practices accounted for the largest percentage of variance in the dependent measures. Key words: early intervention, infants and toddlers, service coordination SERVICE COORDINATION is a mandatedservice that must be provided to infants and toddlers and their families as part of their participation in Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C early interven-tion programs. The practice encompasses “ac-tivities carried out by a service coordinator to assist and enable a child eligible under [IDEA] and the child’s family to receive the rights, procedural safeguards, and services au-thorized by the State’s early intervention pro-gram ” (34 C.F.R. § 303.22 (A) (1)). According to Bruder (2005), this includes “coordinatin