Accountability: A Dilemma in Infant Intervention

Enthusiasm for early intervention with handicapped youngsters has resulted in a variety of programs for varying handicaps which are difficult to evaluate, compare, or replicate by a common standard. Attention to accountability in early intervention has increased by demands of funding realities, parent investment, and professional responsibility. Two parameters of accountability, effectiveness and efficiency, are explored, and specific methods proposed to implement these parameters in intervention. The need for commitment and collaboration on a national level is stressed.