Progress in our field is not only measured by advances in knowledge but also by the changes in practice that hopefully follow. For this to occur, new information, new ideas, new ways of organizing old ideas, and innovative practices must be effectively communicated to our professional community. Moreover, this must be done in a manner that lends itself to application in early intervention settings. Infants & Young Children (IYC) has had a central role in this communication process for over 2 decades.
For the past 6 years, as the editor of IYC, I have had the distinct honor of facilitating this process of communication to our multidisciplinary early intervention professional community. Although this responsibility has been occasionally challenging, given the nature of deadlines and the review process, it has given me great personal satisfaction. The sources of this satisfaction are many and varied. One that stands out is the opportunity I have had to interact with the many contributors and to discuss their interesting ideas, findings, and recommendations to the field and, perhaps to even influence their thinking. To give you an idea of the scope of these interactions, when tallied up, the 6 years of my editorship have resulted in 180 articles, involving more than 500 authors, with 3 special issues.
My responsibilities over these 6 years have been made infinitely easier by having such an expert and active editorial board. Their reviews have been timely, thorough, and, of most importance, highly constructive. The boards' suggestions for including high-priority topics and identifying authors doing creative work have been essential to ensuring the journal's continuing vitality and relevance to the early intervention field. Similarly, the Coordinating Committee of the International Society on Early Intervention has added an important dimension to IYC, and it has been a pleasure both gathering information from and sharing information with the international early intervention community.
From an administrative perspective, the publisher, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, has continued to demonstrate its strong commitment to early intervention and promoting best practices. Beth Guthy, now responsible for the journal's publication, has provided an outstanding level of support at all levels of this complex process. An enormous debt of gratitude is also owed to Carolyn Hamby, who has served as the editorial assistant for IYC during my tenure. The journal has benefited from her extraordinary editorial and organizational skills in so many ways.
Dr Mary Beth Bruder, a close colleague and friend for many years, has agreed to assume the editorship of IYC. Mary Beth has been a major force in the field of early intervention for decades. As Professor of Pediatrics and Educational Psychology and Chief of the Division of Child and Family Studies in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut Health Sciences Center, she fully appreciates the importance of an interdisciplinary perspective. Her contributions to family-centered practices, natural environments, social competence, and service coordination, among others, are well known to anyone in the field. Mary Beth's work on the IYC Editorial Board has been extraordinary, as exemplified by her careful and thoughtful editing of this special issue of the journal on professional training. With her incredible knowledge of the field, her energy, leadership, and vision, the journal will surely move in new and creative directions to influence practices in ways not previously imagined.
-Michael J. Guralnick, PhD
Editor