The physician under Public Law 99-457

Public Law 99-457, enacted in 1986, reauthorizes P.L. 94-142 (the Education of all Handicapped Children's Act of 1975) and extends the mandate of that earlier legislation to all handicapped children ages 3 to 5. In addition, P.L. 99-457 provides for early intervention services for handicapped children from birth to age 2. While the implementation of P.L. 94-142 has been conducted primarily within a traditional educational framework, the provision of services to younger children, especially to the birth to age 2 handicapped population, will require the active participation of the medical community. This paper reviews the major provisions of P.L. 99-457, discusses how the legislation will likely translate into the provision of services, and outlines some of the more immediate implications of the law for the management of children's developmental disorders by the medical community.