Hope is defined as "to want or expect something to happen or be true." As we enter our third year of the COVID pandemic, we are hoping for an end to lockdowns, quarantines, isolation, masking, and life-threatening illness. Unfortunately, in the United States, we experienced the Omicron variant of COVID which resulted in a high number of infections, especially among infants and children. This resulted in increased anxiety for all, especially for those with special health care needs. The health care, education, and early childhood intervention (ECI) systems were overwhelmed, as the variant spread. While the COVID vaccine prevented severe illness, infants and young children were unable to receive it, adding apprehension discouragement, and stress to families.

ECI has provided hope to families for as long as the field has been in existence. Receiving news about challenges to a child's development can create many concerns for families, including a feeling of hopelessness. The ECI system is designed to encourage families by providing interventions and services to promote both family and child strengths. Further, ECI staff create positive visions for families about their children's developmental potential. ECI creates hope in families for a positive future. Our collective challenge is to remember that hope should guide us all as we look toward a future that is not dominated by a life-threatening worldwide virus.

CURRENT ISSUE

Our first article by Gail Joseph, Janet Soderberg, Robert Abbott, Roxanne Garzon, and Crista Scott describes a study focused on improving providers' interactions with infants and toddlers in state-supported childcare settings. The childcare providers were divided into a control group (N = 44) and a training group (N = 42). The training group participated in a 10-week learning program, Filming Interactions to Nurture Development (FIND), which used video-based reflective practice to improve childcare providers' language. A digital language processor, the Language Environment Analysis (LENA), was worn by the providers and measured their language practices both prior to, and after training. The results suggested that childcare providers who received training increased their word count and conversational turns with children, compared to the control group. Recommendations included increasing training to childcare providers on practices that improve child development and using technology to ease the burden of data collection.

Next, an article by Pau Garcia-Grau, Robin McWilliam, Kerry Bull, and John Foster presents an evaluation of goals from individualized intervention plans developed with parents of young children with disabilities enrolled in an ECI program in Australia. A routines-based interview was implemented with the parents prior to the goal setting. One hundred three goals from 40 children were assessed for the presence of the following components: participation, functionality, observability, meaningfulness; having criteria for acquisition, generalization, and maintenance; and addressing parents' needs and priorities. Parents' perceptions of their child's performance, and their satisfaction with the performance were also measured. The analysis suggested that the intervention goals met functional criteria, and after 6 months of intervention, parents reported positive changes in their perception and satisfaction with their child's performance. Of importance, the presence of family goals on the intervention plans resulted in stronger family perceptions and satisfaction with their child's performance. Recommendations addressed the need for training of service providers to develop measurable and family-related goals for children's intervention plans.

Next, Gozde Tomris, Secil Celik, Ibrahim Halil Diken, and Yusuf Akemoglu describe a study conducted in Turkey with 893 parents of young children with Down Syndrome receiving early intervention. Using a cross sectional research design with an online survey, parents' views on their children's medical and educational evaluation, and diagnostic process were assessed. Parents reported that their infants with Down syndrome were diagnosed on average age at 2.3 months, and on average began early intervention at 10.5 months. The majority of the parents reported the diagnostic process was slow, and the education services presented to their children were not sufficient. The authors concluded that both the absence of an early intervention system, and a shortage of expert staff contributed to these findings.

Thelma Uzonyi, Jessica Page, Michaela DuBay, and Elizabeth Crais present our next study which used qualitative methodology with directors, teachers, and parents at 12 childcare programs. Interviews with the participants explored their knowledge and perceptions about early screening for developmental disabilities and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Upon analysis, most directors and teachers reported being supportive of screening programs but wanted additional training about ASD and communicating concerns to parents. The majority of parents reported that they wanted childcare professionals to communicate with them if they had concerns about their child's development. Recommendations included providing specialized training for childcare professionals about screening and identifying signs of developmental disabilities, communicating developmental concerns to families, and clarifying their role in referral.

Lastly, Jamie Mahurin-Smith describes a qualitative study with eight mothers whose children were exiting early intervention to enter early childhood special education. Semi structured interviews were conducted with the mothers, and four mothers completed additional post-transition interviews. Parents reported anxiety about the transition process but felt that the early intervention staff were knowledgeable and supportive, and a structured transition class for their children assisted in the process. The author provided recommendations to facilitate the transition process and concludes that transition practices implemented by early intervention providers can promote children's success and families' well-being.

I would like to thank the authors for submitting their work to IYC, and the reviewers who assisted the editorial process by offering suggestions to bring these manuscripts to publication.

I hope the summer of 2022 brings a reduction of COVID across the world for us all.

-Mary Beth Bruder, PhD

Editor