National Early Intervention Longitudinal Study (NEILS)

• Conducted by
  • SRI International
  • Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute
  • Research Triangle Institute
  • American Institutes for Research
• Funded by Office of Special Education Programs

Study Questions

• Who are the children and families receiving early intervention services?
• What early intervention services do participating children and families receive, and how are they delivered?
• What are the costs of these services?
• What outcomes do participating children and families experience?
• How do outcomes relate to variations in child and family characteristics and services provided?

Study Design

• Longitudinal. NEILS is following a nationally representative sample of children and families from the time they enter Part C early intervention through kindergarten.
• Families were recruited when they enrolled in early intervention for the first time.
• Families were recruited from September 1997 to November 1998 (N= 3,338).</li>< /li>

NEILS Findings Presented Today

• Family telephone interviews conducted:
  • At entry to early intervention services (N=3,200)
  • When the child was 36 months of age (N= 2,584)</li>< /li>
• Data are weighted to represent the nation.

Who Is Served in Part C Programs?

Compared to the general population of children 0 to 3, in early intervention, there are

• Slightly fewer white children (53% in EI to 61%)
• Slightly more African America children (21% in EI to 14%)
• Slightly more children from household making less than $15,000 per year (27% in EI to 21%)

Percentage of Early Intervention (EI) Entrants Who Begin Services at Each Age Month*

* Age at development of the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP).

Entering Early Intervention

• The process of beginning early intervention is a very positive experience for families.
• The process is a little less positive for minority families, families with limited income and families where the mother has limited education.

Amount of Effort Reported by Families to Find Services and Get Services Started

Families Who Reported it Took a Lot of Effort to Get Services Started by Family Income

Families Who Wanted More Involvement in the Decision-Making at Entry to Early Intervention by Mother’s Education Level

Families Who Were Aware of the IFSP at Entry to Early Intervention by Race/Ethnicity

Conclusions

• Part C early intervention programs need to serve more children with developmental delays, especially communication delays, from families with limited income.
• Early intervention programs are perceived very positively by families
• Early intervention programs need to examine how they are serving minority families, families with limited income and families where the mother has limited education.

Where to find more information

• NEILS Web site: www.sri.com/neils
• Who is served in early intervention
  • Demographic Characteristics of Children and Families Entering Early Intervention
  • Also to be published in Summer 2004 in Exceptional Children
• Families experiences at entry
  • Family First Experiences with Early Intervention
  • Also to be published in April 2004 in Pediatrics
• Families experiences at 36 months
  • Not yet published

See also:
      Early Intervention as Experienced by Families with Limited Resources: Findings from the National Early Intervention Longitudinal Study (NEILS) [PPT]