PEDI-Links is committed to improving efforts to:
- Support Families
- Monitor Early Development
- Educate Pediatric Healthcare Providers and Early Interventionists
through a Web-Based Curriculum
- Provide Intervention that is Timely and Appropriate
- Help Children Thrive
PEDI-Links is designed to improve statewide child find efforts by enhancing
the capacity of pediatric healthcare practitioners and early interventionists
to work in partnership with each other and families to identify infants
and toddlers at-risk for or with identified disabilities and link them
to appropriate services. The model has the following key components:
PEDI-Link Liaison. Field-testing of potential roles and responsibilities
for early interventionists in the pediatric healthcare practice.
Web-Based Curriculum for Pediatric Healthcare Providers and Early
Interventionists. This curriculum examinies issues related to child
find, developmental surveillance/screening, and strategies for working
in partnership.
Web Site for Families, Pediatric Healthcare Providers, Early Interventionists,
and Obstetricians. In addition to the web-based curriculum the site
includes materials, strategies, and information related to child find,
child development, developmental guidance, developmental surveillance
and screening, as well as direct links to resources for child find
and related topics.
Target Milestone Research. This research is designed to field test
the effectiveness of a newly developed protocol, the Targeted Milestone
Checks (TMC), (Contompasis, 2001) for conducting developmental surveillance
in the pediatric healthcare practice.
Products and technical support services:
The PEDI-Links project has created a number of information products
for families, early interventionists, pediatric healthcare practitioners,
and obstetrical healthcare practitioners. All products focus on the
issues of child development, screening and early identification, on-line
support for families and providers, and strategies for establishing
partnerships. All products are located at the PEDI-Links web site and
can be printed directly from the site. In addition, project staff are
available to provide technical assistance related to establishing partnerships
between pediatric healthcare providers and early interventionists for
child find. Staff have been involved in field-testing partnerships models
and initial data can provide direction for practitioners interested
in implementing partnership models. Further, project staff are involved
in field testing a new development screening protocol in pediatric
healthcare practices. Staff would be glad to share their experience
and ideas with other programs.
Project staff:
Angela Capone Ph.D., Project Director
Stephen Contompasis M.D., Project Consultant: Developmental Pediatrics
Jennifer Knowles M.Ed., Project Consultant: Early Intervention
Judy Carr Ed.D, Project Consultant: Curriculum Design
Mary Contompasis, OTR, Research Assistant
Deborah Kobus, Webmaster
Chris Spain, Administrative Assistant
Contact information:
The Center on Disability and Community Inclusion
The University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
Education, Research, and Service at the University of Vermont
101 Cherry St
Burlington, VT 05401
Phone: 802-656-4031
web site:
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