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In the United States (US), early intervention (EI) programs under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act have demonstrated a commitment to teaming and collaboration through multidisciplinary assessment and coordinated service delivery. However, there continues to be broad variability as to the EI service delivery model described on public-facing EI program websites and in state-level documents. In this study, we performed a review of the websites of EI programs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, five US territories, and two federal departments responsible for providing EI services to specific constituencies. Using a qualitative content analysis approach to analyze the data from all 58 entities led to three primary findings: (1) the challenge of finding information on public-facing websites and related documents about teaming practices within each state, (2) the inconsistency in the types of documents, dates, and ages of posted information, and (3) the variability across states, including the language used to describe and discuss teaming models and practices. These results lead to a call for action to improve the consistency of information on teaming models and the implementation of practices that better support all children and families served under Part C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to describe interagency collaboration in Part C Early Intervention (EI) programs. Methods: Between 18 April and 9 May 2022, 48 EI service coordinators (SCs) from 14 programs in one state completed adapted versions of the Interagency Collaboration Activities Scale (IACAS) and Relational Coordination Survey (RCS). Assessing perceptions of shared structures (IACAS) and coordination quality (RCS), these combined measures summarized interagency collaboration with 11 organizations. Mean (SD) survey responses were estimated and ranked. Results: Sample SCs represent a breadth of professional disciples and vary substantially in their current and desired collaborations. The quantity of SCs collaborating with organizations ranged from 0% to 98%. Nearly all (98%) reported collaborating with the school districts, few (15%) reported collaborating with insurance, and none reported collaborating with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. The majority of SCs expressed desire to increase their collaborations with most of the listed organizations. The perceived quality of collaborations varied substantially at both individual and organizational levels. When comparing SC perceptions of shared structures and coordination quality, SCs reported more favourable collaborations with school districts (IACAS rank: first and RCS rank: first) and less favourable collaborations with insurance (IACAS rank: ninth and RCS rank: seventh). Some organizations rankings varied across both scales, including pediatric primary care (IACAS rank: third and RCS rank: eighth) and hospitals (IACAS rank: sixth and RCS rank: second). Overall, SCs reported low perceived existence of shared structures while coordination quality varied by organization. Opportunities for collaborative growth were identified. Discussion: Despite its importance and required implementation in EI, perceptions of interagency collaboration varied substantially within and between EI programs. There is a suggested need to increase the quantity of SCs that collaborate and identified opportunities to increase the quality of collaborations that already exist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]