Relationship Between Service Coordinator Practices and Early Intervention Services

Service coordination is a required service as part of the provision of early intervention to infants and toddlers in IDEA Part C programs (Bruder, 2005). In most states (Harbin et al., 2004), service coordinators play a central role in orchestrating the development of Individualized Family Services Plans (IFSPs). IFSPs must include, among other things, a description of the early intervention services necessary to meet child and family needs; the dates, intensity, and duration of services; and the major outcomes, criteria, procedures, and timelines for ascertaining the extent to which the outcomes have been achieved. These requirements would lead one to expect a high degree of congruence between the roles and responsibilities of service coordinators and the types and intensity of early intervention services (see e.g., Bailey, 1989; Park & Turnbull, 2003; Zipper, Weil, & Rounds, 1993). Surprisingly, there have been only a few studies examining the relationship between what service coordinators do and what early intervention services Part C program participants receive.