Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research and Service

The Research and Training Center on Service Coordination was a five-year project funded by the Office of Special Education Programs, US Department of Education. The Center was a partnership between The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Indiana University, the Federation for Children with Special Needs (MA), Utah State University and the University of Connecticut A.J. Pappanikou Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. The goal of the Center was to examine the status of service coordination for children with disabilities and their families receiving early intervention services under Part C of IDEA. There were three strands of participants: families, service providers and system administrators. Members of these three groups participated in all Center activities.

• Completed four studies on national service coordination models and training.
• Facilitated focus groups from four focal states (Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts, and North Carolina) that yielded outcomes and practices of service coordination.
• Preformed Delphi studies to narrow down the numerous outcomes and practices generated from the focus groups to those most essential for service coordinators.
• Completed two national surveys, one on outcomes of early intervention, service coordination and natural environments and one on service coordinator practices.
• Conducted in-depth interviews with family members of children enrolled in early intervention and their early intervention service coordinators.

• Research and Training Center Brochure

• February 2004
• February 2003
• September 2002
• May 2002
• December 2001
• August 2001
• May 2001
• March 2001
• December 2000

• RTC Briefing Book 2002

• Outcome Interview Data Report 2004
• Practice Interview Data Report 2004
• Annual Report: December 2003
• Annual Report: December 2002
• Annual Report: December 2001
• Delphi Practices Report 2004
• Delphi Study
• Parent ICC Survey Data Report
• Parent Leader Survey Data Report
• Service Coordination Policies and Models Data Report
• Service Coordination Training Data Report
• Service Coordination: Financing Quality Systems

• Bruder, M.B. (2010). Coordinating services with families. In R.A. McWilliam (Ed.), Working with families of young children with special needs. New York: The Guilford Press (pp. 93-126).
• Bruder, M.B., & Dunst, C.J. (2008). Factors related to the scope of early intervention service coordinator practices. Infants and Young Children, 21(3), 176-185.
• Bruder, M.B., & Dunst, C.J. (2007, Fall). Relationship between service coordinator practices and early intervention services. Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals, 3.
• Dunst, C.J., & Bruder, M.B. (2006). Early intervention service coordination models and service coordinator practices. Journal of Early Intervention, 28(3), 155-165.
• Bruder, M.B., & Dunst, C.J. (2006). Advancing the agenda of service coordination. Journal of Early Intervention, 28(3),175-177.
• Bruder, M.B. (2005). Service Coordination and integration in a developmental systems approach to early intervention. In M.J. Guralnick, (Ed.), The developmental systems approach to early intervention. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company (pp. 29-58).
• Bruder, M.B., Harbin, G.L., Whitbread, K., Conn-Powers, M., Roberts, R., Dunst, C.J., Van Buren, M., Mazzarella, C., & Gabbard, G. (2005). Establishing outcomes for service coordination: A step toward evidence-based practice. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 25(3), 177-188.
• Harbin, G., Bruder, M.B., Adams, C., Mazzarella, C., Whitbread, K., Gabbard, G., & Staff, I. (2004). Early intervention service coordination policies: National policy infrastructure. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 24(2), 89-97.
• Dunst, C.J., & Bruder, M B. (2002). Valued outcomes of service coordination, early intervention and natural environments. Exceptional Children, 68(3), 361-375.