Expanding the Federal Role in Serving Young Special-Needs Children
- 1 April 1984
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Topics in Early Childhood Special Education
- Vol. 4 (1) , 33-42
- https://doi.org/10.1177/027112148400400106
Abstract
If all special-needs infants, young children, and their families are to receive appropriate early-intervention services, the federal role in supplying such services will have to be expanded. Handicapped infants and young children are not receiving the services that they need to reach their intellectual, physical, and emotional potential. The benefits of early intervention and the state of the art nationwide for services to special-needs children from birth to age six are described. An expanded federal role is recommended to encourage state programs including a phased-in mandate for services. Specific provisions of a federal mandate are recommended and discussed, including extension of P.L. 94–142 to birth, state education agency responsibility, expansion of the definition of “handicapped children” to encompass high-risk and at-risk children from birth to six years, and innovative fiscal and administrative arrangements for services.Keywords
This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit:
- Alternative Administrative Strategies for Young Handicapped Children: A Policy AnalysisJournal of the Division for Early Childhood, 1981