Overview

The provision of early childhood educational and psychological services has been an area of considerable growth over the past 25 years. The field of school psychology has been affected by the burgeoning interest in preschool and early childhood services. The passage of Public Law 99-457, in particular, offered a strong impetus for expanding research, practice, and training in school psychology to incorporate early childhood services. In effect, PL 99-457 mandates the provision of free, appropriate public education to children with handicaps between the ages of 3 and 5 and has initiated the development of service delivery models for young children. As a result of trends in both public policy and clinical practices, school psychologists increasingly are being faced with issues surrounding the provision of comprehensive services to preschool-age children and their families.