Family and service coordinator agreements in the development and implementation of the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP)

Part C of Public Law 105-17 (originally Part H of Public Laws 99-457, 101-476, and 102-119), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1997, strengthened incentives to states to provide services for infants and toddlers, from birth to age three, who have disabilities or are at-risk for developmental delays. The law and its regulations require that the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) is a written plan for services to be developed and implemented for the child and family. Inclusion of family members as full participants in the design and implementation of services is emphasized.;This study was designed to determine if families and their service coordinators agree on IFSP goal/outcome appropriateness, services provided, the family's priorities and concerns, and the effectiveness of services as well as whether or not the IFSP helps to create the family-centered services. The results were used to test four major assumptions in the law and literature related to the factors above.;A survey instrument was used to obtain the level of agreement and other information on the topics above from families and service coordinators. The questionnaire also had six open-ended questions and provided respondents with comment sections for response elaboration. The ratings were analyzed using frequency counts, Chi-square test of Independence, and correlations to determine agreements and differences between the family and their service coordinator.;Results of this study suggest that the basic assumptions made about families and service coordinators in the law appear to have been met. Most family and service coordinator responses generally showed the IFSP process to be effective and supported its continued use.