Pediatricians' perceptions of the effectiveness of early invention for at-risk and handicapped children.

To evaluate pediatricians' perceptions of the effectiveness of early intervention for handicapped and at-risk children, all board-certified pediatricians in the state of Ohio were surveyed. A detailed questionnaire was developed which included the use of brief but specific cases identifying eight different children with documented handicaps and two cases of children at developmental risk. Overall, the results indicated that pediatricians judged early intervention to produce at least a modest effect on children's general development and function. A more optimistic perspective was held for families in that involvement in early intervention was viewed as improving substantially the ability of families to cope with the problems of a handicapped or at-risk child and to provide a supportive and stimulating environment. However, perceptions of effectiveness did vary for specific disability and at-risk groups. The correspondence between perceived effectiveness and existing research findings also was discussed.