In this issue, Infants & Young Children (IYC) brings readers information on a range of important topics including early detection, family-centeredness, interdisciplinary training, meeting the mental health needs of special populations, and augmentative communication. A hallmark of our field continues to be the exploration of new models of services and supports for vulnerable young children and their families. It is the ongoing refinement of our approaches that is so critical. Often these refinements focus on specific subgroups of children who fall into particular diagnostic categories, such as autism or Williams syndrome, or those in neonatal intensive care units. It may include as well those subgroups of children and families with unique needs, such as the substantial number of families living in poverty who also have mental health needs. Refinements related to these topics and subgroups constitute the core of this issue of IYC.
In some instances, the services and supports associated with innovative techniques have been difficult to incorporate into early intervention practices. This is the case for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). This issue of IYC discusses some of the barriers to best practices in this area and what must be considered to make AAC a stable and consistent part of the early intervention system. In other instances, the technology and processes for appropriate services and supports need to be refined, as is the case for early detection and identification of vulnerable children. Early identification, in particular, is a major concern for children with autism, and IYC continues to examine this issue. From a systems perspective, the New York State clinical practice guidelines model has much to offer in this area, and is also considered in this issue.
Two case studies, one focusing on the mental health problems of parents in poverty and one focusing on a child with Williams syndrome, highlight important issues in considerable detail. The case study methodology can be extremely useful in identifying and communicating issues not easily obtained with more global, group-oriented methodologies. IYC hopes to encourage further case study approaches.
Two additional articles in this issue focus on long-standing matters in our field: family-centered practices and interdisciplinary training. Much remains to be accomplished to maximize family-centeredness in the complex and demanding environment of the NICU, but IYC brings important recommendations to our readers. Finally, IYC presents an important interdisciplinary training model for master's-level students.
Michael J. Guralnick, PhD
Editor, Infants & Young Children