From the Editor

Abstract

After 37 years as Director, Michael Guralnick, PhD, has retired from the Institute on Human Development and Disability (IHDD) at the University of Washington. Mike led the growth of the IHDD into one of the largest interdisciplinary research, training, and service centers focused on disability in the United States. Currently employing more than 600 faculty, staff, and doctoral and postdoctoral students, the IHDD administers the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, the Leadership Education on Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities Program, and many other centers. The IHDD originates basic and translational research, provides clinical services to individuals and their families, provides interdisciplinary clinical and research training, and provides technical assistance and outreach training to practitioners and community agencies. Mike has also stepped down as founding Chair of the International Society of Early Intervention (ISEI), which he began more than 20 years ago. The goal of the ISEI is to enhance the ability of early intervention professionals throughout the world to work together to advance early intervention concepts and practices. The ISEI has grown to 3,000 members from more than 100 countries, and it has sponsored seven international conferences. In addition to Mike's academic career, which began before he took the helm of the IHDD, his most influential contribution to early childhood intervention (ECI) has been scientific. He has authored eight books and published more than 160 articles and book chapters spanning a range of topics and disciplines. His book on the Developmental Systems Approach (Guralnick, 2019) integrated developmental, intervention, and implementation science. This approach, first conceptualized more than 25 years ago, is the framework used by ECI programs in the United States and around the world. Many of its key elements were designed and tested through Mike's systematic and applied research agenda which began in the early 1970s. This early work formed the foundation of ECI, and helped define the variables that had most impact on infants, young children, and their families. For example, Mike's early and seminal work led to findings that resulted in the elaboration and refinement of key ECI practices in areas such as: research based service delivery to identify effective service elements for model replication (Guralnick, 1973); the conceptualization and implementation of a classroom and curriculum framework addressing individualization, evaluation, teacher training, and accountability (Guralnick, 1975); the effects of inclusion and peer interactions on children's development (Guralnick, 1976,1977,1978); the application of single case designs to evaluate interventions (Guralnick, 1978); the development and evaluation of training programs for pediatric residents on disability (Guralnick, 1981; Guralnick & Richardson, 1980); social competence and friendships (Guralnick, 1980,1981; Guralnick & Groom, 1988); the role of families in ECI (Guralnick, 1989); and the effectiveness of interventions and programs to improve outcomes for infants, young children with disabilities, and their families (Guralnick, 1991,1997; Guralnick & Bennett, 1987). There are many more examples of Mike's scholarly contributions to the field he helped conceptualize and create (see https://depts.washington.edu/chdd/guralnick/publications.html). These only highlight some of his early work to illustrate his dedication, foresight, and perseverance to the development and growth of ECI. Though he has formally retired as center director, I have no doubt that he will continue to challenge the field to create models, programs, and practices to improve outcomes for infants, and young children with disabilities, and their families. Thank you, Mike. CURRENT ISSUE It is our privilege at Infants & Young Children (IYC) to introduce this issue with an article that continues the scholarship and policy influence of Michael Guralnick. The article was derived from a keynote he did at the International Society of Early Intervention conference in collaboration with the Division for Early Childhood, Council for Exceptional Children conference in Chicago in the fall of 2022. The article describes the conditions, variables, and outcomes of a fully inclusive and comprehensive ECI system. Referred to as the Developmental Systems Approach, it is an approach that was proposed by Mike more than 25 years ago. The framework emphasizes a family-centered problem-solving process that utilizes family patterns of interaction to facilitate children's development. The article also discusses how this systems approach is compatible with the principles and practices of a human rights perspective designed to support family and child goals. In addition, the article discusses the transformational potential of this framework to facilitate inclusive community-based early childhood programs. Our second article by Chieh-Yu Chen, Luis Anunciacao, and Sondra Stegenga describes a study that examined agreement between the Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ-3) and the Ages & Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional (ASQ:SE-2). The study also examined the relationship between “parental concerns” reported by families regarding their child's behavior on the ASQ-3, and the results of the ASQ:SE-2. A representative sample of 16,739 children age birth to 6 years old was used for the study. Findings indicated high agreement between “typical” classifications on the ASQ-3 and the ASQ:SE-2, as well as agreement on the “at risk” status. High agreement between parental concerns and social-emotional screening results were also found. The authors discuss the importance of parental input in the early identification process to increase the efficiency of screening. The third article by Rebecca Alper and colleagues describes a preventive, parent implemented early language intervention program developed for children who live with economic adversity. The program, Duet, focuses on improving early interaction quality, language skills, and academic outcomes. Duet was piloted with 23 children under 3 years who received either the Duet program or standard care services from home visitors. The results suggested that those in the Duet program had a greater improvement in outcomes. The authors discuss suggestions for future research. The next article by Shayl Griffith and her colleagues presents a survey conducted with 88 early intervention providers in Miami and Boston. The survey assessed the providers' practices, perceptions of their skills, attitudes toward evidence-based practices, and interest in specific training opportunities. Findings indicated that providers spent more time working directly with children than caregivers, and had high interest in training topics such as managing caregiver distress, supporting preschool readiness, and aligning work with family culture. Negative attitudes about evidence-based interventions and the presence of provider exhaustion were related to less interest in obtaining training. The authors discuss how these findings inform early intervention training opportunities. The last article by Diane Supit, Hartono Gunardi, Bernie Medise, and Jeslyn Tengkawan assessed the validity and internal consistency of the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile (CSBS DP) when translated into the Indonesian language. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Indonesia with 149 children aged 6–24 months. Findings indicated good concurrent validity and good internal consistency of the measure. The concurrent validity of the Indonesian-translated questionnaire showed both high sensitivity and specificity, suggesting the CSBS DP Indonesian-translated questionnaire is a valid and reliable screening test for language delay in infants and young children. The article discusses future use of the CSBS DP in Indonesia. As always, I thank the editorial board members who assisted in bringing the articles in this issue to publication. I also thank the authors of the articles for using IYC as a venue to describe and disseminate their work. I would like to close with a personal thank you to Michael Guralnick for his guidance, generosity, and passion for excellence that has influenced so many of us in the field of ECI. Many, besides myself, have learned so much from him and continue to do so. Suffice to say that his contributions to the field of ECI have benefited so many, most importantly infants and young children with disabilities and their families. —Mary Beth Bruder, PhD Editor