Effective comprehensive early intervention programs can result only when communication and coordination among all parties involved occur at a high level. A large number of diverse agencies typically involved in delivering early intervention services and supports, coupled with the many professional disciplines needed to be comprehensive in a meaningful way, make this system's feature a critical one. A number of articles in this issue of Infants & Young Children focus on various aspects of communication and coordination, with a special emphasis on enhancing parent-professional partnerships. One article directly addresses these partnerships involving healthcare professionals with respect to the movement of children who fall on the autism spectrum, through the early intervention system. Another article discusses strategies that promote a reciprocal exchange of information with families when developing an individualized family service plan.

Three additional articles focus more directly on the coordination and decision-making aspects of the early intervention system. One considers the application of clinical judgment as part of the process of determining eligibility for services. The second article focuses on various approaches to early identification, a critical yet inadequately developed aspect of the early intervention system. In the third article, communication across different types of early intervention programs is addressed, specifically how to make cross-referrals between Part C and Early Head Start programs.

In addition to these systems issues, 2 articles address specific early intervention approaches. The first is concerned with a core element of children's social and emotional development, that is, the strengthening of early parent-child bonds. These "first relationships" are explored in the context of early intervention. The second article addresses the difficulty of young children with severe behavior problems, a threat to any type of a relationship. The emphasis here is on noncoercive models that work.

Michael J. Guralnick, PhD

Editor, Infants & Young Children