Evaluation of the Efficacy of a Center-Based Early Intervention Program

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a center-based early intervention program serving individuals ages 15 to 36 months with developmental delays. Archival data were collected, including intervention goal information and developmental assessment outcomes. The findings support the hypothesis that communication skills were more frequently targeted in goals than social/emotional or cognitive skills, but that a higher percentage of social/emotional goals were mastered. Number of months a participant spent in early intervention was not predictive of the percent of overall goals mastered. Communication and gross motor skills were shown to progress similarly with age across assessments, while cognitive, fine motor, and social/emotional skills increased marginally and self-help skills decreased. Significant decreases were seen in percentage of delay in cognitive, fine motor, social/emotional, and self-help skills, and goal mastery was not predictive of developmental progress made as measured in this early intervention program.