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The Infant Toddler Temperament Tool includes a short online survey that allows parents and caregivers of infants and toddlers to recognize and explore their own temperament traits and those of a child for which they provide care. The IT3 generates results which support parents and caregivers in understanding how adult and child similarities and differences in temperament traits may affect “goodness of fit.” Along with these results, the IT3 generates simple best practice tips adults can use to foster the unique temperament of each child within their care.

A New Approach to Early Intervention: Virtual Home Visits Some bicoastal residents call it “flyover country.” Earlier generations called the huge expanses of America’s West “the Great American Desert.” But for the families of infants and toddlers with disabilities who reside there, often in remote and sometimes harsh circumstances far from the care their children require, it is home. Reaching those families for regular required home visits is often a monumental or downright impossible task for administrators of early intervention programs and their service providers who must drive for hours each way in weather conditions that are often severe and dangerous in an era in which fuel prices promise to remain prohibitively high. Until now, hard choices had to be made. Home visits to families in remote areas had to be postponed or canceled due to weather or cost. For families, their children’s needs went unmet. For federally funded statewide programs charged with seeking out and serving all infants and toddlers needing early intervention services, charters went unfulfilled. Today, however, technology provides the hope that virtual home visits can effectively and efficiently supplement, but not replace, traditional in-person visits.

Click here for more information!What:The 2012 OSEP Leadership Conference (previously named the OSEP Mega Leadership Conference) will support better outcomes for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities and their families by providing opportunities for key leaders and partners to interact with Department staff and OSEP-funded technical assistance providers. State Part B Directors, Part C Coordinators, Parent Center leaders, and State Part B and Part C Data Managers will enhance their leadership roles through opportunities to hear from experts in the field and to learn about evidence-based practices that will support participants’ ability to improve results for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities and their families.The conference is designed for:PTIs, CPRCs, and PTACs; State Part B Directors of Special Education and staff; State Part C and Section 619 Coordinators and staff; State ICC Chairs; and Parts B and C IDEA Data Managers responsible for submitting 618 Data. Others are welcome to attend.When:July 30 - August 1, 2012Where:Washington, DCContact:Tamara InfanteEmail: tinfante@fhi360.org

Click here to register for this event What: The purpose of this conference is to provide information and support to State staff and other interested parties in the implementation of the Part C regulations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).   On September 6, 2011, the U.S. Department of Education announced the final regulations for the early intervention program under Part C of the IDEA.  These final regulations will help improve services and outcomes for America's infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. The final Part C regulations incorporate provisions in the 2004 amendments to Part C of the IDEA.  Additionally, the final regulations provide States with flexibility in some areas, while ensuring State accountability to improve results and providing needed services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families.  The regulations focus on measuring and improving outcomes for the approximately 350,000 children served by the Part C program with the goal of ensuring that such children are ready for preschool and kindergarten. Please join staff from the U. S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services in this interactive training session! When: November 16, 2011 Where: Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center 201 Waterfront Street National Harbor, MD Questions: Please contact Tamara Infante at tinfante@fhi360.org.

Practice Guides Especially for Parents

Infants        Toddlers        Preschoolers

Literacy Learning Experiences

What: Ron Hager from the National Disability Rights Network will present information on the variety of funding sources available to preschool students needing AT.  One of the most important is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).  Part C of the IDEA, the early intervention program for infants and toddlers, covers children with disabilities from birth through age two.  The school-age provisions of the IDEA, Part B, cover students beginning at age three. This session will look at meeting the AT needs of infants and toddlers under Part C, as well as selected issues for preschoolers under Part B.  To connect to the webinar visit: http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rs0e572c05aff0 .  When: 1:00-2:15 pm Mountain

The purpose of this tutorial is to provide early childhood mental health consultants with a detailed understanding of the behaviors related to social and emotional health in infants and young children as well as strategies that adult's (parent's and other caregivers) can use to support these behaviors within every day routines in the home and within early care and education settings.

Every parent wants their child to have opportunities for lifelong success – and that starts with getting kids off to a strong start. All of our nation’s students deserve a chance to compete on a level playing field, but too many children – especially those from disadvantaged communities – start kindergarten already behind. We know expanding high-quality early learning opportunities is simply one of the best investments we can make as a country, and President Obama has proposed to dramatically increase access to high-quality preschool and expand early learning and support services for infants, toddlers and families. Today, the White House released state-by-state fact sheets, outlining what states could expect to receive in federal funding to expand these early learning initiatives in their states.

Whether or not a child with developmental delays qualifies for early intervention varies dramatically from one state to the next, but often researchers say far more kids are eligible than can be served. The finding comes from a new study analyzing early intervention services across the nation. Researchers from the University of Colorado School of Medicine examined each state’s eligibility requirements for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, Part C program, which serves infants and toddlers with disabilities. Then they used data from a long-term government study tracking nearly 11,000 children to identify how many kids were likely to qualify or receive services in each state.

The U.S. Congress enacted the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, Public Law (P.L.) 94 142, in 1975. This landmark law—together with subsequent amendments as currently reflected in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA; P.L. 108-446)—supports states and localities in protecting the rights of, meeting the individual needs of, and improving results for infants, toddlers, children, and youths with disabilities and their families.

This is the 29th Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2007. Section 664(d) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as reauthorized in 2004, requires that the Department of Education report annually on the progress made toward the provision of a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to all children with disabilities and the provision of early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities.

The Tots 'n Tech Research Institute (TnT) is an inter-university collaboration between Thomas Jefferson University (TJU), Philadelphia and Arizona State University (ASU), Tempe. TnT’s mission is to provide up-to-date information and resources about adaptations, including assistive technology, to use with infants and toddlers for states, Early Intervention providers of all disciplines, and families across the country.

f you are involved in the well-being of an infant, toddler, child, or youth with disabilities, you’ll find reading the exact language of IDEA both illuminating and important. In addition to being able to read it here online, you may also wish to download a full copy, print it out, and keep it handy.