Social work early intervention for young children with developmental disabilities

Social workers' awareness of and formal involvement in family-centered earl y intervention for infants and toddlers who are at risk of or who have deve lopmental disabilities has increased considerably during the past 15 years. The functional role that social workers can play on early intervention tea ms and as coordinators of early intervention services is underscored by the formal recognition of the discipline in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Despite the relevance of social work to early intervention, personnel often enter early intervention practice without the benefit of fo rmal preparation related to very young children with developmental disabili ties. This article provides an overview of the definition and identificatio n of developmental disabilities, and discusses the role of and challenges t o social work in early intervention.