Research

Currently faculty and staff of the Early Intervention Program are engaged in three major areas of research:

• The Access for Children to Early Services Project (ACES) is model demonstration project for children with disabilities funded by the U.S. Department of Special Education (CFDA 84.324M).
  
• Early Head Start - University Partnerships is four year research project funded by Health and Human Services Head Start Bureau focused on improving mental health in children served by Early Head Start.
  
• The Social and Emotional Development Intervention Project funded by the U.S. Department of Special Education (84.324D) is a three year research project designed to improve mental health in infants and toddlers with disabilities.

The Early Intervention Program is also conducting research to evaluate the psychometric properties and utility of a curriculum-based assessment/evaluation tool, and studying a parent-completed measure that monitors the development of at-risk infants and young children and a parent-completed measure that monitors the social and emotional development of children from birth to 5 years old.

The Assessment, Evaluation and Programming System (AEPS) is composed of two developmental levels: birth to three years and three to six years. Each level has an assessment/evaluation measure and associated curriculum and a set of materials designed for use by parents. The development of the AEPS has taken over 20 years and during this period various parameters of the tests have been studied. Both levels of the AEPS are commercially available. Information on relevant research is listed in the Publications Section of this web page. Individuals interested in technical assistance on the AEPS can contact:

Misti Waddell, M.S.
Early Intervention Program
5253 University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-5253 phone
541- 346-2635/ fax 541- 346-5639 / e-mail: waddemis@uoregon.edu

The Ages & Stages Questionnaires: A Parent-Completed, Child-Monitoring System (ASQ)was also developed at the University of Oregon in the early 1980s. The purpose of the questionnaires, referred to as the ASQ, is to provide a low-cost strategy to monitor the development of infants and young children whose developmental status is in question or at risk. The ASQ is composed of 19 different questionnaires that can be used by most parents to reliably report the developmental status of their infant or young child. The ASQ has been studied extensively over the past 15 years and a list of relevant investigations are contained in the Dissemination Section of this web page. The ASQ is also commercially available.

The Ages & Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional (ASQ:SE) were developed to monitor a child’s development in the behavioral areas of self-regulation, compliance, communication, adaptive, autonomy, affect and interaction with people. ASQ: SE questionnaire intervals correspond with the ASQ system, screening children from 3 months to 5 and 1/2 years of age. Questionnaire intervals are as follows: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 48 and 60 months. In addition, the ASQ: SE provide an inexpensive, culturally versatile tool for states to participate in child-find activities for children at-risk for social-emotional and behavioral delays.