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Identifying family strengths is central to early childhood practices. Moving beyond identification to exploring and explicitly applying those strengths can evolve strengths-based and family capacity-building practices. Assessment and planning processes that focus on the strategies families use to help their child learn can give agency to families in this parenting role. This exploratory study examined the perspectives of seven families who participated in an early intervention assessment-to-planning approach that sought to uncover, understand, and utilize the strategies families used to help their child learn and their appraisals of those strategies. Family responses during qualitative interviews were analyzed into three themes: (1) naturalistic observations yield naturalistic understandings, (2) practices that honor family strengths and family fit, and (3) self-discovery and self-affirmation. Implications for evolving family capacity-building approaches are discussed.

Factors associated with Head Start staff participation in a classroom-based professional development project to promote their use of evidence-based child learning opportunity practices and evidence-based responsive teaching procedures were examined in a study of 36 teachers and teacher assistants in 19 different classrooms. The factors constituting the focus of investigation included work climate, staff belief appraisals (career aspirations, personal motivation, Developmentally Appropriate Practices beliefs), staff receptiveness to the professional development training, staff judgments of the social validity of the practices constituting the focus of training, and staff background characteristics (age, education, years of experience). Results showed that Head Start staff members' personal beliefs, receptiveness to the training, and their judgments of the social validity of the classroom practices constituting the focus of training were related to staff judgments of their participation in the training which in turn were related to their active engagement in learning to use the classroom practices. The implications of the findings for practice are described in terms of the need to use methods and procedures that actively engage staff in professional development opportunities.

Early childhood practitioners, including speech-language pathologists (SLPs), frequently provide home practice to children and families. For children with speech sound disorder (SSD), who comprise a large proportion of SLPs' caseloads worldwide, completing home practice can increase the amount of intervention received and improve outcomes. However, little is known about parents' experiences of completing this home practice. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore parents' experiences of completing home practice for children with SSD. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six parents. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze data and identify four themes: "evolution over time," "different roles," "importance," and "managing the practicalities of home practice." The findings speak to the complexities of this experience for families and the need for practitioners to collaborate with families when providing home practice. These findings have implications for the home practice that early intervention practitioners provide to children and families.

Background: When planning evidence-based intervention services for children with phonology-based speech sound disorders (SSD), speech and language therapists (SLTs) need to integrate research evidence regarding service delivery and intervention intensity within their clinical practice. However, relatively little is known about the optimal intensity of phonological interventions and whether SLTs' services align with the research evidence. Aims: The aims are twofold. First, to review external evidence (i.e., empirical research evidence external to day-to-day clinical practice) regarding service delivery and intervention intensity for phonological interventions. Second, to investigate SLTs' clinical practice with children with phonology-based SSD in Australia, focusing on service delivery and intensity. By considering these complementary sources of evidence, SLTs and researchers will be better placed to understand the state of the external evidence regarding the delivery of phonological interventions and appreciate the challenges facing SLTs in providing evidence-based services. Methods & Procedures: Two studies are presented. The first is a review of phonological intervention research published between 1979 and 2016. Details regarding service delivery and intervention intensity were extracted from the 199 papers that met inclusion criteria identified through a systematic search. The second study was an online survey of 288 SLTs working in Australia, focused on the service delivery and intensity of intervention provided in clinical practice. Main Contributions: There is a gap between the external evidence regarding service delivery and intervention intensity and the internal evidence from clinical practice. Most published intervention research has reported to provide intervention two to three times per week in individual sessions delivered by an SLT in a university clinic, in sessions lasting 30-60 min comprising 100 production trials. SLTs reported providing services at intensities below that found in the literature. Further, they reported workplace, client and clinician factors that influenced the intensity of intervention they were able to provide to children with phonology-based SSD. Conclusions & Implications: Insufficient detail in the reporting of intervention intensity within published research coupled with service delivery constraints may affect the implementation of empirical evidence into everyday clinical practice. Research investigating innovative solutions to service delivery challenges is needed to provide SLTs with evidence that is relevant and feasible for clinical practice.

Findings from a study investigating the conditions under which contingency learning games were associated with optimal child and adult concomitant and social--emotional behavior benefits are reported. Participants were 41 preschool children with multiple disabilities and profound developmental delays and their parents or teachers. Results showed that social learning games that resulted in larger percentages of reinforcing consequences were associated with optimal child and adult extended benefits. Implications for practice are described. (Contains 3 tables and 2 figures.)

Findings from two studies of 42 children with profound developmental delays (26 males and 15 females) using systematic and intense response-contingent learning opportunities interventions are reported. Response-contingent learning games were used to promote the participants' use of behavior that either produced environmental consequences or elicited reinforcing stimuli. The focus of analysis was the social--emotional benefits of the learning opportunities on both the children and adults (parents and teachers). Results showed that child production of behavior producing reinforcing consequences was associated with heightened positive social--emotional benefits in both the children and adults. (Contains 2 tables.)

Parents (N=3283) of infants and young children with or at-risk for developmental delays completed one of two surveys of learning opportunities, either in the home or in the community. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that both family and community life were each made up of 11 different categories of learning opportunities. Results support the use of natural learning environments. (Contains references.) (Author/DB)

The language intervention model developed and evaluated at the Center on Everyday Child Language Learning (CECLL) is described. The model includes 4 components: interest-based child learning opportunities, the everyday family and community activities that are sources of interest-based child learning, the methods for increasing child participation in the everyday learning activities, and the use of responsive teaching for promoting child communication and language learning while children are engaged in the activities. Results from the evaluation of the relationship between fidelity of practitioners' use of an evidence-based coaching practice and the fidelity of parents' use of the CECLL intervention practices are presented. Implications for considering factors that influence the use of the CECLL intervention practices with fidelity are described.

An implementation science framework is used to differentiate between two types of practices (implementation and intervention) and to describe how the fidelity of the two practices are related and would be expected to influence outcomes of interest. The two practices are the methods and procedures used by implementation agents (e.g., a coach) to promote adoption of early childhood intervention practices and the methods and procedures used by intervention agents (e.g., early childhood practitioners) to influence changes or improvements in individual or group outcomes. Data from a study using an evidence-based adult learning practice to promote Head Start staff use of an evidence-based naturalistic instructional practice are used to illustrate the applicability of the fidelity framework.

An evidence-based approach to professional development used to promote Head Start teacher adoption of evidence-based early childhood intervention practices is described. The article, includes a summary of findings from a meta-analysis of adult learning methods, a description of an approach to professional development informed by the meta-analysis results, and a description of how the approach was used to provide training to teachers in 18 Head Start classrooms. An evaluation of the professional development approach in the Head Start classrooms found that it was associated with differences in teacher adoption and use of the child learning opportunities and teacher instructional practices constituting the focus of training. Implications for professional development in early childhood programs are described. (Contains 4 figures and 6 tables.)

This article discusses the implications of utilizing coaching-mentoring strategies with Head Start teachers identified from the results of a study which used an evidence-based approach to professional development. Early childhood and coaching practices that formed the basis of the study are explained. Implications from the study results regarding important characteristics of the coaching-mentoring process are illustrated. A performance checklist found to be useful for promoting practitioners' understanding and adoption of evidence-based early childhood practices is provided. (Contains 2 figures and 1 table.)

The influences of child participation in interest-based learning activities on the development of 17 preschoolers with autism was the focus of this brief report. The children's mothers identified their children's interests and the everyday family and community activities that provided opportunities for interest-based learning. Parents then implemented intervention procedures for 14 to 16 weeks to increase child participation in the selected activities. Based on an investigator-administered interestingness scale, the children were divided into high and low interest-based learning groups. The children's language, cognitive, social, and motor development quotients obtained at the beginning, the middle, and the end of the intervention were the dependent measures. Results showed that the high interest-based group made considerably more developmental progress compared to the low interest-based group. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

The effectiveness of three types of in-service training designed to improve early intervention practitioners' abilities to use family-systems intervention practices was evaluated in the study of 473 participants. Participants attended either conference presentations or one of two types of workshops (half day/full day or multi-day), or received one of two types of on-site, field-based training (basic and enhanced). Study participants made self-ratings of the usefulness of the training content and the extent to which the trainings improved their abilities to work with families. The ratings were made either one month or six months after the trainings were completed. Results showed that both types of on-site, field-based training were associated with greater benefits compared with the other types of training, and that the enhanced field-based training was associated with optimal participant benefits. The key features of in-service training associated with positive learner benefits included active practitioner involvement in the learning opportunities (application, reflection, self-assessment, etc.), which occurred on multiple occasions over time. (Contains 3 tables and 3 figures.)

Findings from 2 studies of the relationship between response-contingent child behavior and child, caregiver-child, and caregiver behavior not directly associated with child contingency learning are described. The participants were 19 children with significant developmental delays and their mothers in 1 study and 22 children with significant developmental delays and their teachers in the second study. Caregivers engaged the children in learning games characterized by behavior-based contingencies for 15 weeks. Research staff observed the children and their caregivers in everyday routines and activities and rated child and caregiver behavior while the children and caregivers were not playing the games. Results from both studies showed that the degree of response-contingent responding during the games was related to child and caregiver behavior, not the focus of the contingency learning opportunities afforded the children. Implications for practice are described.

The extent to which the influences of family-systems intervention practices could be traced to variations in parent-child interactions and child development was investigated by meta-analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM). MASEM is a procedure for producing a weighted pooled correlation matrix and fitting a structural equation model to the patterns of relationships in the data. The main practices constituting the focus of analysis were capacity-building help-giving practices, social supports and resources, family needs (concerns and priorities), and family strengths. Eight studies were included in the meta-analysis. The participants were 910 infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with and without developmental delays or disabilities and their parents or other primary caregivers involved in different kinds of help-giving programs. Results showed that capacity-building help-giving and family-systems intervention practices had direct effects on both parent self-efficacy beliefs and well-being and indirect effects on parent-child interactions and child development mediated by self-efficacy beliefs and parent well-being. Implications for practice and further research are discussed. (Contains 4 tables and 4 figures.)

This article includes descriptions of a process used to conduct practice-based research syntheses and the manner in which synthesis findings are used to inform and evaluate early childhood intervention practices. The main focus of a practice-based research synthesis is the unbundling of an intervention practice to identify those practice characteristics that are associated with desired outcomes and benefits. Also described are how the characteristics identified as most important are used to develop evidence-based practices and how the characteristics can be used as benchmarks to assess the likelihood that an untested practice will be effective. The article concludes with a discussion of the tension between research and practice and how that tension might be mitigated. (Contains 2 figures.)

This article includes a description of a family-systems model for implementing early childhood and family support assessment and intervention practices. The model includes both conceptual and operational principles that link theory, research, and practice. Lessons learned from more than 20 years of research and practice have been used to revise and update the model, which now includes a major focus on family capacity building as a mediator of the benefits of intervention. Key components of the most recent version of the model are described, and findings from research syntheses showing the relationship between the different components of the family-systems model and parent, family, and child behavior and functioning are summarized. Future directions are described. (Contains 3 figures and 3 tables.)

An evidence-based approach to professional development is described on the basis of the findings from a series of research syntheses and meta-analyses of adult learning methods and strategies. The approach, called PALS (Participatory Adult Learning Strategy), places major emphasis on both active learner involvement in all aspects of training opportunities and instructor/trainer-guided learner experiences. The use of PALS practices has been found to be associated with improved learner knowledge, use, and mastery of different types of intervention practices. Implications for in-service training are described. (Contains 3 figures and 3 tables.)

The types of contingency experiences infants and young children are typically exposed to are examined with a focus on the implications for early childhood intervention with young children who have developmental disabilities and delays. Studies of response-contingent child learning, the manner in which contingencies are not under direct child control, and child/caregiver reciprocal contingencies, are reviewed in terms of how they influence child learning and development. Results indicate that the different types of contingencies all positively influence child behavior. Implications for practice are described in terms of contingency-rich everyday child learning activities, child response-contingent learning in the context of those activities, and caregiver contingent responsiveness as an instructional strategy for supporting child contingency learning. (Contains 1 figure.)

A meta-analysis of 47 studies investigating the relationship between family-centered helpgiving practices and parent, family, and child behavior and functioning is reported. The studies included more than 11,000 participants from seven different countries. Data analysis was guided by a practice-based theory of family-centered helpgiving that hypothesized direct effects of relational and participatory helpgiving practices on self-efficacy beliefs and parent, family, and child outcomes. Results showed that the largest majority of outcomes were related to helpgiving practices with the strongest influences on outcomes most proximal and contextual to help giver/help receiver exchanges. Findings are placed in the context of a broader-based social systems framework of early childhood intervention and family support. (Contains 2 figures.)

Findings from two studies examining the parent and child outcomes associated with different ways of conceptualizing natural learning environment early intervention practices are presented. One sample in each study was asked to indicate the extent to which early intervention practitioners implemented their interventions in everyday family or community activities, and one sample in each study was asked to indicate the extent to which everyday family or community activities were used as sources of child learning opportunities. Results from both studies showed that using everyday activities as sources of children's learning opportunities were associated with positive benefits, whereas practitioners' implementing their interventions in everyday activities showed little or no positive benefits, and in several cases, had negative consequences. Results are discussed in terms of the need to carefully consider how and in what manner natural learning environment practices are operationalized by early intervention practitioners.

Comments from parents such as, "It's nice to work with someone who understands how complicated my life is"; "I know when I make a decision about my child, my home visitor will respect it"; "Now, I feel like I can help my child learn"; and "I enjoy being with my child so much" are great to hear. These types of comments let early interventionists know they are using family-centered practices that result in supporting and enhancing parents' feelings of competence and confidence. While comments like these are certainly gratifying, early intervention programs still must assess parents' perceptions systematically in order to determine whether such sentiments are occurring for all families in the program or for only a few. The Parenting Experiences Scale (Trivette & Dunst, 2003) described in this article allows program administrators to quickly assess parents' perceptions of experiences regarding family-centered practices and of their own parenting competence, confidence, and enjoyment. In addition to describing this scale, this article provides information about why it is important to assess program practices and how a program might use this scale to gather information from families. Further, it provides two examples of how program directors and staff could use the information gathered to improve program practices. (Contains 1 table.)

A three-dimensional model is used to compare various approaches to natural environment interventions. The model distinguishes between practices that are contextually or noncontextually based, adult or child directed, and practitioner or nonpractitioner implemented. One approach (practitioner implemented, adult directed) has increasingly been emphasized to the exclusion of other methods. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Relationships among different person and environment characteristics of everyday natural learning opportunities and changes in child learning, behavior and performance were examined in a study with 63 parents and their infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with disabilities or delays. Findings showed that learning opportunities that were interesting, engaging, competence producing, and mastery-oriented were associated with optimal child behavioral change. (Contains references.) (Author/DB)