Comparing the Implementation Context for Early Intervention Services Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Special Education
• Public Health

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted early intervention and early childhood special education services.
• Enduring effects on organizations, educators, families, and children with developmental delays and disorders are evident.
• Understanding changes in service delivery and participant characteristics is crucial for effective support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine demographic and characteristic differences in toddlers with autism and their educators in center-based early intervention programs.
• To compare children and teaching assistants (TAs) enrolled in pre-pandemic randomized trials versus an ongoing post-pandemic trial.
• To identify implications for intervention and implementation strategies in light of observed changes.

Main Methods:

• Secondary data analysis of participants from two pre-pandemic and one ongoing post-pandemic randomized trials.
• Comparison of demographic characteristics of toddlers with autism (e.g., age, gender, language scores).
• Comparison of characteristics of teaching assistants (TAs) (e.g., age, experience, education level).

Main Results:

• Toddlers in the current trial are significantly more likely to be girls and younger, entering with lower receptive and expressive language age-equivalent scores.
• Teaching assistants (TAs) in the current trial are younger, less experienced with autism, have shorter tenure, and are pursuing college degrees.
• Significant demographic differences were observed for both toddlers and TAs between pre- and post-pandemic enrollment periods.

Conclusions:

• The pandemic has reshaped the profile of children receiving early intervention and the qualifications of their support staff.
• Intervention strategies may need adjustment, such as reducing TA-child pairing changes and increasing adult-child interaction time before peer inclusion.
• Implementation strategies should focus on enhanced foundational training and team support for TAs to improve retention and effectiveness.