More IFSP Resources

Bennett, T., Lingerfelt, B.,. Nelson. D. (1990). Developing Individualized Family Support Plans: A Training Manual. Brookline Books: Cambridge, MA. (232 pages).

Cash, J. A. (1990). Understanding the Individualized Family Service Plan: A resource for families. Norge, VA: Child Development Resources. A workbook for familiarizing families with all aspects of the IFSP process. Cost: $18.00. 150 Point O'Woods Road, PO Box 280, Norge, VA 23127-1280 (757) 566-8977

Cripe, J.J.W. (1995). >A family's guide to the Individualized Family Service Plan. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. Very straightforward information about the IFSP provided through videotape of families working with professionals with voiceover narration and family remarks about the process. The videotape presents informative content, but doesn't address IFSP process issues. Could easily be paired with discussion questions about local /state variations in process, models of service delivery (direct, consultative), and financing. Cost: $44.00. (800) 638-3775

Dunst, C., Trivette, C., & Deal, A. (Eds.)(1994). Supporting & Strengthening Families. Cambridge, MA: Brookline Books.

Dunst, C., Trivette, C., & Deal, A. (1988). Enabling & empowering families: Principles & guidelines for practice. Cambridge, MA: Brookline Books.

First Steps. (1992). Indiana's guide to the Individualized Family Service Plan A guidebook designed to assist families and other team Free. Missouri Dept. of Elem & Sec Education, PO Box 480, Jefferson City, MO 65102 (573) 751-0187

Hunt, M., Cornelius, P., Leventhal, P., Miller, P., Murray, T., & Stoner, G. (1991). Into our lives. Tallmadge, OH: Family Child Learning Center. This guidebook was written by families of children withdisabilities as a way to help families and professionals better understand and navigate the IFSP process. Cost: $7.00. Family Child Learning Center, 143 Northwest Ave. Bldg A, Tallmadge, OH 44278 (330) 633-2055

McGonigel, M., Kaufmann, R., & Johnson, B. (Eds.) (1991). Guidelines and Recommended Practices for the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) (2nd Edition) (220 pgs.). Available from: ERIC , ERIC No: ED 336 907

The Community Inclusion Project. (1996). The steps to creating a better IFSP A serialized story of the Canaletto family weaves together the sections of this resource which offers content, activities, vignettes and checklists for creating better IFSPs. The sections on promoting participation in natural environments, assigning [transdisciplinary] intervention responsibilities, and evaluating early intervention are particularly strong. Cost: $20.00. Attn: Mary Beth Bruder, Division of Child and Family Studies, Department of Pediatrics, University of Connecticut Health Center.University.of Conneticut, Dowling North, MC 6222, 263 Farmington Ave., Farmington, CT, 06030-6222 (860) 679-4632

Turbiville, V., Turnbull, A., & Garland, C. (1996). Development and implementation of IFSPs and IEPs: Opportunities for empowerment. In S. Odom and M. McLean (Eds.) Early Intervention/Early childhood Special Education: Recommended Practices (pp. 77-100).Austin, TX: PRO-ED, Inc.

McWilliam, R. (1993). The family-centered intervention plan: A routines-based approach Tucson, AZ: Communication Skill Builders This book guides classroom-based team members and parents through five stages of planning interventions: 1) preparation, 2) assessment, 3) outcome selection, 4) outcome writing, and 5) review. It provides a sequential model through which families are the primary decision makers for their children's interventions, with input from professionals. An extensive selection of forms and checklists are pro-vided and material could easily be adapted for preservice or inservice application. Level of Impact: Awareness/Knowledge. Source: Communication Skill Builders. P.O. Box 42050 Tucson, AZ 85733. Phone (602) 323-7500. Cost: $33.00 plus 10% shipping & handling

Turbiville, V., Lee, I., Turnbull, A. & Murphy, D. (1992). Handbook for the development of a family-friendly Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) Lawrence, KS: Beach Center on Families and Disability This handbook captures the process of IFSP development used at the Beach Center on Families and Disability. The first ("A Holistic View of the Individualized Family Service Plan") section contains general information on the IFSP process. Four additional sections correspond roughly to the stages of development of the IFSP: "The Initial Meeting with the Family," "The Evaluation of the Child," "The Planning of the IFSP," and "The Actual IFSP Meeting." Sections contain key principles or guidelines, activities, forms and additional resources. Format: Print. Program rating scales are available in Spanish. Level of Impact: Awareness/ Knowledge to Skill. Source: Order Department Beach Center on Families and Disability 3111 Haworth Hall, University of Kansas Lawrence, KS 66045-7516 Phone-(913) 864-7600 FAX-(913) 864-5323 Cost: $7.00. Parent versions are also available in English ($15), Spanish ($6.50), and Chinese ($6.50). Stock No. 31.

Miller, J., & Petersen, S. (1998). Colorado guidelines for the IFSP process. Denver, CO: Colorado Department of Education This thoughtful booklet delineates a process full of possibilities and illustrates them with many suggestions, checklists and family stories. Instructionally, the examples could be used to compare/contrast with policies and procedures of other states and the stories could be used as mini cases. Cost: Single copies are free from Sandy Petersen atthe Colorado Department of Education, 201 East Colfax Ave., Denver, CO 80203-1704 (303) 866-6942

Bennett, T., Hojnar, L. & Zhang, C. (1998). Facilitating the Full Participation of Culturally Diverse Families in the IFSP/IEP Process. Infant-Toddler Intervention: The Transdisciplinary Journal, 8(3), 227-49.

Boone, H. & Crais, E. (1999). Strategies for achieving family-driven assessment and intervention planning. Young Exceptional Children, 3(1), 2-11.

Brotherson, M. J., Brady, S., & Tagher, M. (1993). Working with families to develop and implement and Individualized Family Service Plan: A rural inservice training model. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 12(1), 47-54.

Deal, A., Dunst, C., & Trivette, C. (1989). A flexible and functional approach to developing Individualized Family Support Plans. Infants and Young Children, 1(4), 32-43.

Gittler, J., & Hurth, J. (1998), Conflict Management in Early Intervention: Problem-Solving Negotiation. Infants and Young Children, 11(1), pp. 28-36. Available from: NECTAS (reprint), $4.00. use of the problem-solving negotiation model to resolve disputes arising under Part C of IDEA. It describes the need in early intervention systems for formal education and training in problem-solving negotiation.

Gittler, J., & Hurth, J. (1998). Conflict Management in Early Intervention: Procedural Safeguards and Mediation. Infants and Young Children, 11(1), pp. 15-27.

McWilliam, R., Ferguson, A., Harbin, G., Porter, P., Munn, D., & Vandiviere, P. (1998). The family-centeredness of Individualized Family Service Plans. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 18(2), 69-82.

Polmanteer, K., Turbiville, V. (2000). Family-Responsive Individualized Family Service Plans for Speech-Language Pathologists. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 31, 4-14.

Summers, J. A., Dell'Oliver, C., Turnbull, A., Benson, H., Santelli, E., Campbell, M., & Siegel-Causey, E. (1990). Examining the individualized family service plan process: What are family and practitioner preferences? Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 10(1), 78-99.

ERIC Documents

Hurth, J. L., & Goff, P. E. (1996) , 29 pp. Assuring the Family's Role on the Early Intervention Team: Explaining Rights and Safeguards. Available from: NECTAS, $6.00; and ERIC , ERIC No.: ED 392 227. Designed to help service providers turn compliance with the law into an opportunity to ensure that families are fully informed about the early intervention system beginning with their first contact with the system. Presents a synthesis of innovative practices and ideas for explaining procedural safeguards to families in ways that are supportive of their role as partners in the early intervention process. It presents a step-by-step model for explaining procedural safeguards that parallels the early intervention process. It discusses ways to explain procedures for complaint resolution and presents strategies for establishing opportunities for family input. Through a review of family friendly materials developed by programs from across the United States, the authors summarize basic principles for creating and using materials to inform families of their rights.

Mediation may be an option when circumstances just aren't going the way you want for your special needs child and you're at your wits-end trying to make a change.

What is Mediation?

Mediation is a process in which trained mediators assist people in conflict to communicate and to make voluntary, informed choices to find a mutually acceptable resolution to their dispute. The mediators strive to be impartial, neutral and unbiased. The Nebraska mediation model is interest-based & facilitative, focusing on the participants' needs in order to find workable, lasting, self-enforcing solutions. Mediation ethics derive from the mediator's respect for each participant's uniqueness, personal & cultural values, dignity, competence & right to self-determination.

When?

Mediation can take place anytime: before or instead of filing a lawsuit; before or after a complaint or petition is filed; or after a case has been heard or dismissed.

A parent who had been through many levels of due process and litigation suggested a checklist which is featured at the Nebraska Special Education Mediation Website. Many people feel it is better to mediate early before situations get polarized and contentious; before relationships are irreparably harmed; before too much negativity, anger, frustration, or despair result. How much is "too much"? That's for you and your colleagues interested in a particular student to decide. Families and educators are equal partners in this process. So, for one it may be "too much" at salary negotiation time and for another it may be "too much" at retesting time. It's O.K. to admit another approach is needed. It's even recommended that families and schools work together - creatively and collaboratively.

How do I get started?

Call an approved mediation center. The Intake Coordinator will answer questions and help you decide if you want to mediate. A map and a list of mediation centers is also at the Nebraska Special Education Mediation Site. There are six mediation sites within Nebraska.

Disability information, online support groups, and much more

Answers4Families

Family and the IFSP process

Project Copernicus, Kennedy Krieger Institute

This instructional package includes a 90-minute training video and a facilitator's guide. The videotape is structured to provide information about and illustrations of key landmarks in the IFSP process (first contacts, development of outcomes, identifying family concerns, priorities and resources, initial IFSP meetings, development of transition plans). The illustrations take the form of vignettes in which practices that are less than family-centered are shown in black and white and family-centered approaches are shown in color. Viewers can easily be cued to watch for specific that may create barriers or that foster positive, collaborative relationships. The accompanying facilitator's guide provides clear suggestions for use of the materials as part of a statewide, local, inservice, preservice, part-day or multi-day training experience, along with activities and handouts. Date: 1993: Print with accompanying 90-minute videotape Level of Impact: Awareness/Knowledge

Source: Publications
Kennedy Krieger Community Resources
The National Training Center
Kennedy Krieger Institute
2911 East Biddle Street
Baltimore, MD 21213

P:(410) 502-9766
F: (410) 502-9766

Cost: $150.00/copy of the video and guide, plus $4.00 shipping & handling

Creating a vision: The Individual Family Service Plan

Colorado Interagency Coordinating Council and Colorado Department of Education. (1990). Denver, CO: Denver Early Childhood Connection. [Videotape].

This 30-minute tape illustrates Colorado's model for developing and implementing the IFSP; including the priority for the IFSP process to be adaptable, flexible, family-centered and supportive of families' values, goals and dreams. Cost: $10.00 plus shipping and handling.

Colorado Department of Education
201 East Colfax Ave.
Denver, CO 80203-170

P: (308) 866-6942