In order to establish an effective and efficient community-based program of early intervention, a "systems" mentality is essential. Whether considering how all of the components of a system fit together or addressing systems features of one or more components, it is the design of the system itself that can make all the difference for vulnerable children and their families. An organizational mindset with a firm understanding of the importance of integration and coordination as core principles as well as the value of feedback and evaluation mechanisms is central to a systems perspective.

In this issue of Infants & Young Children (IYC), 4 articles address early intervention systems in various ways. Having a medical home is an essential feature of any comprehensive early intervention system. Included in one IYC article is a discussion of the factors affecting access to medical homes for children with special healthcare needs. This information permits systems specialists to focus on those subgroups identified that find it difficult to access a medical home. In a second IYC article, a State Child Find model for following up children graduating from neonatal intensive care units is described. Identifying children with developmental problems and providing services as soon as possible is clearly a systems goal. Of course, it is not only children with established disabilities who are a concern but also those at risk for a variety of reasons who might require prevention-type programs. Accordingly, in a third article on this topic, principles governing the design of prevention programs are discussed. Finally, to ensure that our health professionals are thinking in systems terms, IYC presents a model syllabus intended for healthcare professionals within a public health framework. This model can be useful for a variety of professional disciplines.

Systems perspectives must be joined by conceptually sound frameworks and well-documented and tested practices. These points are addressed in 3 other articles in this issue of IYC. Whatever the early intervention system may be, it must incorporate other smaller-scale systems such as the family system. This family system is discussed in one article within the framework of the accommodations families make to a child with a disability, including how intervention fits their own routines. In another article, the identification of contextual factors relevant to the peer interactions of children with autism spectrum disorders is discussed. Two assessment tools are presented to assist in the identification of those factors. Finally, a qualitative analysis from the parents' perspective of home visiting programs, a staple in early intervention, is presented.

Michael J. Guralnick, PhD

Editor, Infants & Young Children