Early Intervention Services Assessment Scale (EISAS) - Conceptualization and development of a program quality self-assessment instrument

Quality practices in early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families are presently the focus of considerable attention in the field. This article details the conceptualization and development of the Early Intervention Services Assessment Scale (EISAS), a comprehensive self-assessment instrument designed for use by early intervention programs to assess the quality of services provided to Wants and young children with disabilities and their families. The EISAS consists of 2 conceptually congruent components: the program self-assessment and the parent survey The instrument is developed to reflect core values and principles of early intervention practice, it is strongly informed by the DEC Recommended Practices, and benefited from broad-based constituent input. Potential strengths and limitations of the EISAS are discussed as well as next steps in exploring the feasibility and utility of this measure as an assessment of early intervention program quality.