The Efficacy of Early Intervention For Severely Handicapped Infants and Young Children

Abstract

This article evaluates the impact of early intervention on severely handicapped infants and young children. On the basis of a specific set of criteria, 13 programs were selected for this analysis. Although these programs differed considerably in terms of population characteristics, intervention approaches, and evaluation methodology, all programs reported some form of positive outcome data. Further, although several of these studies lacked adequate controls, the reported outcomes must be evaluated in light of the methodological limitations imposed by target populations. In addition, early intervention evaluation has been underway little more than ten years. When viewed in the context of such constraints, the outcomes reported here appear to offer promising evidence for the effectiveness of early intervention with severely handicapped infants and children.