Individualized Family Service Plan Research Articles

International Diversity of Toy Libraries

This survey describes the types of toy libraries found throughout the world. The descriptive study is based on a questionnaire and information material from 37 countries and on personal visits to some countries. The survey shows that there are more than 4,500 toy libraries in the world in 31 countries on all continents. Four major types of toy libraries emerge: (a) community-oriented toy libraries; (b) lekotek for children with special needs and their families; (c) toy libraries as a cultural, social, and recreational center; and (d) toy lending libraries. Twenty-one countries have adopted the ``lekotek'' concept. The lekotek provides services for young children with special needs and their families. The original lekotek concept assumes a model of early intervention where the needs of the child and the family are central. Assessment and intervention are carried out in collaboration with the parents. Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs) fit well into the frame of the lekotek concept. Examples of how programs at lekoteks service families of young children with disabilities are given.

How to examine the individualized family service plan process: Preliminary findings and a procedural guide

Focus groups arc a useful method for exploring research and program evaluation/development issues related to implementation of individualized family service plans (IFSPs). This article describes the methodology and preliminary findings of a study examining the IFSP process with focus groups. A proce

Development of the individualized family service plan Anchor Guide

Development of the individualized family service plan Anchor Guide

Consumer Based Early Intervention Services

This research study investigated consumers' viewpoints of current early intervention services and how they should be changed Parents and professionals were surveyed regarding the family-centered provisions of Public Law 99–457. The survey focused on consumers' perceptions of (a) accessing infant services, (b) delivering infant sewices, (c) identifying family priorities and resources, (d) developing and implementing individual family service plans (IFSPs), and (e) coordinating services. The major concerns of parents and professionals related to accessing services, developing IFSPs, and coordinating sewices.

Understanding the Cultural Characteristics of American Indian Families: Effective Partnerships under the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP)

Public Law 99–457 provides the opportunity to reshape and redirect early intervention services to infants and toddlers and their families. Effective partnerships developed under the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) between families and early intervention professionals require trust, sharing and cooperation. Because a majority of American Indians receive services in rural settings, it is essential that rural early intervention professionals understand the cultural characteristics of American Indian families. Only through such understanding can the effective partnerships that are necessary to assure positive outcomes for American Indian early intervention constituents be developed. This understanding will also serve to eliminate long standing assumptions that American Indian children are deficient in their preparation for school and that their families have given them a bad start in life. Instead, it will foster a more positive view of these children and their families. While recognizing that there may be gaps in the experience of American Indian children and families, respect for their cultural background will allow professionals to build on the experience base of children and families.

The individual family service plan: Unresolved problems

The federal requirement to develop an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) for all infants and toddlers with special needs has a major conceptual difficulty that has, to date, been inadequately addressed in the literature. That problem stems from the linkage of family service to family assessment. Many authorities, attracted to parental “empowerment” theory, advocate that parents should be the authors rather than (or as well as) the objects of assessment, and that professionals and parents should be partners in assessing needs and planning services. When there is disagreement, professionals should defer to parents, who are in the best position to assess their own needs. We question the wisdom of conducting assessments with, or on, families of targeted children. But, if there are to be assessments, we argue that families are better served, and mutual respect better preserved, by a traditional complementary relationship: The professional controls the evaluation process, determines the problems (with the input of the family), and makes recommendations, which parents are then free to reject.

A comparison of the individualized education plan and the individualized family service plan.

The individualized education plan (IEP) and the individualized family service plan (IFSP) are mandated for children with special needs. Occupational therapists participate in the development of both the IEP and the IFSP. This paper summarizes the similarities and the differences in the mandated components. The components addressed are (a) information about the child's status, (b) information about the family, (c) outcomes for the child and family, (d) intervention services, (e) other services, (f) dates and duration of services, (g) selection of a case manager, and (h) transition plans.

A Review of Scales to Assess Family Needs

Public Law 99-457 requires an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) rather than an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for families with children (birth to 2 years) who have developmental delays or who are at-risk for developmental delays. The importance of a family focus, however, extends beyond the infant and toddler population into the preschool and school-age population as well. One of the components that is specified as part of IFSP development is the assessment of family needs and priorities. This article presents a review and evaluation of published and unpublished assessment instruments that are currently available for assessing family needs. Fifteen scales that have been mentioned in the literature as possible instruments to use in assessing family needs were reviewed in terms of administration format, content validity, and psychometric characteristics.

Pediatrician's Role in the Development and Implementation of an Individual Education Plan (IEP) and/or an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP)

Approximately 10% of young persons between the ages of 6 and 17 years receive special education and related services.1 An additional 750 000 neonates each year may have or be at risk for having developmental disabilities.2 Therefore, pediatricians have many patients who have disabling conditions or are at risk for them. Federal legislation requires each child identified as having a disability to have a written plan of service: an Individual Education Plan (IEP) for children aged 3 through 21 years or an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) for children aged birth through 2 years. The pediatrician is in a unique position to be involved in planning and providing care for both groups of children. BACKGROUND The Individual Education Plan In 1975 Congress passed Public Law 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, as an educational bill of rights to guarantee handicapped children a free and appropriate education. The law required that identification, diagnosis, education, and related services be provided for children 5 to 18 years of age. In 1977, the age range was extended to include children aged 3 to 21 years, with services for children aged 3 to 5 years remaining optional. Not only were these services to be provided, but states also were encouraged to seek out children who had not been served previously. Conditions eligible under Public Law 94-142 include mental retardation, hearing deficiencies, speech and language impairments, specific learning disabilities, visual handicaps, emotional disturbances, orthopedic impairments, and a variety of other medical conditions categorized as "other health impaired."

Enhancing Parent Participation in the Individualized Family Service Plan

Twenty parents whose children were receiving early intervention services were provided with opportunities to participate in formal education and training in individualized family service planning. All parents received written information about the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) and personally selected whether to participate in workshops or small discussion groups led by other parents of children with disabilities. The extent of participation in training activities varied dependent on parents' preferences. Parents who viewed parent support and education as beneficial and whose children had definitive diagnoses were more likely to select participation in a variety of formal training than were parents of children with developmental delays; however, no significant differences between the groups were found in comparisons of child characteristics. IFSPs of the 20 families and children were reviewed and analyzed to determine differences in the use of parent language in written statements of children's present levels of development and in desired outcomes. A significantly greater number of present level of development statements were written on the IFSP documents of children whose parents had participated in formal training. No significant differences were found in the numbers of outcome statements written in parent language. Both groups showed an increase in the number of outcomes written in parent language with a trend that favored the children whose parents had received training.

Parent-Professional Partnership in Evaluation and Development of Individualized Family Service Plans

PL 99–457 and its reauthorization PL 102–119, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Amendments of 1991 have been instrumental in shifting the emphasis of early intervention programs from a child-centered to a family-centered approach. The child is to receive a multidisciplinary evaluation using observational and standardized instruments to determine eligibility for early intervention services. The physical therapist has the expertise necessary to evaluate physical development, including gross and fine motor and several areas of adaptive development in order to formulate functional outcomes. Parents are included in the evaluation process as interactive and collaborative members on the multidisciplinary team. Strengths and priorities of the family as related to enhancing development of the child are assessed. Major areas of strengths and needs of the family are identified which are translated into outcomes in the individualized family service plan. Family-centered intervention assists families in choosing their desired level of involvement in the intervention of their child. The individualized family service plan is based on the comprehensive evaluation of the child and family and outlines the services to be provided.

Family-Guided Assessment for IFSP Development

The assessment of family strengths and needs for Individual Family Service Plan development has engendered considerable anxiety among early intervention practitioners. In the search for appropriate family assessment instruments and models, interventionists are faced with a confusing array of resources, materials, and procedural recommendations. This article expresses concern with prevailing family assessment models that suggest comprehensive assessment across all areas of family functioning. Issues of instrument development and use, the types and nature of early intervention services provided, and the role of interventionists are discussed in light of feedback from practitioners.

Implementing IFSPs in Louisiana

Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs) must be developed for each eligible child and family beginning in the fourth year of a state's participation in the Part H program. In this article we describe one state's approach to developing responsive, family-centered IFSP formats. Four model formats developed by early intervention service providers and families throughout the state of Louisiana are described. Each contains the seven elements specified in Section 677 of the Part H regulations. The formats differ in the ways that these elements are expressed, reflecting the unique characteristics of the communities in which the families and service providers engage in collaborative early intervention service delivery. Considerations for future research and practices in IFSP development and implementation are discussed.

The IFSP and Parents with Special Needs/Mental Retardation

Families can present unique challenges to early interventionists seeking to become more comfortable with the development and implementation of the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). This article examines a sample of IFSPs developed with parents with special needs/mental retardation in a model early intervention program. A majority of family outcomes could be categorized as basic needs, family enrichment, and support/ counseling. All family outcomes involved some degree of application of knowledge or problem solving on the part of the parents. The results suggest that parents with special needs/mental retardation can participate fully in the IFSP process, when that process promotes relationship building, empowerment, interagency collaboration, and program implementation and evaluation.

Best Practices for Writing Child Outcomes

One implication of the family focused philosophy of Part H of Public Law 99--457 is that child Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) goals and objectives reflect functional skills and activities that fit within family daily routines. This study compared two methods employed within an applied setting to develop child IFSPs. A rating instrument covering quality indicators derived from ecological and developmental frameworks was used to evaluate the quality of goals and objectives written from a curriculum-based assessment and a computerized list of goals and objectives based on professional judgment. Implications for best practices are discussed.

Family-Focused Intervention Model

The family-focused intervention model, as conceptualized by Bailey et al. (1986), was implemented with 16 families having infants (birth to 3 years) with moderate or severe disabilities. Each step of the model was performed, resulting in assessment and intervention being applied to each family. Individualized Family Service Plans were formulated through the collaborative efforts of parents and the interventionist. Multiple baselines across targeted, individualized, familial behaviors resulted in progressive skill attainment by each family member. As a result of intervention, positive interactions were noted. Qualitative analyses of familial behaviors confirmed enhancement of their skill repertoire. Evaluation of the effectiveness of the family-focused intervention model resulted in high levels of parental satisfaction, accelerated rates of progress by children with moderate or severe disabilities, and acquisition of functional skills by families. Implications for clinical intervention programs and future research are discussed.

Trends in the Assessment of Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities

Public Law 99-457 requires a multidisciplinary assessment and evaluation of children with disabilities in five domains: cognitive development, physical development, language and speech development, psychological development, and self-help skills; and this assessment must include information required in the Individualized Family Service Plan. A variety of assessment instruments are available, and some of the most notable are surveyed in this article. Traditional tests, as well as more current, naturalistic assessments, are reviewed. The author cautions against using one test for all purposes, or using a test that has an insufficient research base.

Assessing Adolescent Parents and Their Infants: Individualized Family Service Planning

The authors discuss the implications of the Preschool and Early Intervention Act (P.L. 99-457) and the requirement of an individual family service plan (IFSP) for the families of infants and toddlers at risk of developmental delays. The article addresses the needs of adolescent parents and their infants, in particular. Suggestions are made for conducting a comprehensive assessment that emphasizes the involvement of teen parents, their families, and the collaboration of an interdisciplinary team of professionals.

Issues in Developing the IFSP

As professionals and families have worked toward full implementation of P.L. 99--457, a number of issues have emerged concerning the development of the Individualized Family Service Plan. In this paper, four key issues are identified and discussed. These include sensitivity to cultural diversity, family assessment, intrusiveness, and establishing family outcomes. This discussion is followed with a framework for identifying outcomes that takes these issues into consideration.

Moving From "Parent Involvement" to Family-Centered Services

Moving From "Parent Involvement" to Family-Centered Services