The Early Intervention Teaming Handbook

“With this new edition, Shelden and Rush continue to take the lead with providing current, evidence-based information about teaming that is grounded in the real world of early intervention practice. Practitioners, teams, and program leaders can use the many toolsâ “checklists, worksheets, fact sheets, case studies, scripts, scenarios and moreâ “to reflect on their own teaming practices, overcome challenges, and move the bar forward toward a primary service provider approach.” –Dana Childress, Ph.D.

MâLisa L. Shelden, PT, Ph.D., has a doctoral degree in special education from the University of Oklahoma. She also has a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and a master’s degree in early childhood special education from the University of Oklahoma (Norman Campus). Dr. Shelden currently serves as the Chair and Program Director of the Department of Physical Therapy at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas. Prior to joining the faculty at WSU, she served as Director/Researcher of the Family, Infant and Preschool Program (FIPP) in Morganton, North Carolina where she worked alongside Dr. Rush providing ongoing technical assistance to several statewide early intervention programs to implement evidence‐based early intervention practices in natural settings from 2002-2018.

Dr. Shelden has over 30 years of experience as a physical therapist and special educator. In addition, she received a 2000 National Institute on Disabilities and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) Mary E. Switzer Merit Fellowship. She is a graduate Fellow of the ZERO TO THREE National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. Dr. Shelden has co‐authored several articles related to early intervention teamwork, writing individualized family service plans (IFSPs), coaching, and supporting young children with disabilities and their families in natural learning environments. She has also written a chapter related to physical therapy personnel preparation and service delivery and co‐authored a book titled Physical Therapy under IDEA (McEwen, Arnold, Jones, & Shelden, 2000; American Physical Therapy Association, Section on Pediatrics). Dr. Shelden has co‐authored a previous text Coaching Families and Colleagues in Early Childhood (with Barbara E. Hanft & Dathan D. Rush; 2004, Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.) as well as a chapter on using a primary coach approach to teaming in Working with Families of Young Children with Special Needs (McWilliam, 2010; Guilford Press). She and Dr. Rush are co‐authors of The Early Intervention Teaming Handbook: The Primary Service Provider Approach (Shelden & Rush, 2013). Dr. Shelden has made numerous presentations nationally on topics related to IFSP development and implementation, transition, inclusion, evaluation and assessment, coaching, primary service provider approach to teaming, and provision of supporting children with disabilities and their families in natural learning environments.

Dathan D. Rush, Ed.D., CCC‐SLP, has a doctoral degree in child and family studies from Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and a master’s degree in speech‐language pathology from Oklahoma State University. Dr. Rush is currently the Director of the Family, Infant and Preschool Program (FIPP) in Morganton, North Carolina. He provides ongoing technical assistance to several statewide early intervention programs to implement evidence‐based early intervention practices in natural settings. Dr. Rush previously served as Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, teaching early childhood intervention in the graduate program. He has more than 30 years of experience as a practitioner and early intervention program director and has managed a number of training contracts with various state agencies and organizations. He served as an editorial board member of Infants and Young Children until 2002 and has published articles in the area of coaching families in early intervention, in‐service training, and teaming in early intervention. He is also a past president and former executive council member of the Oklahoma Speech‐Language‐Hearing Association. Dr. Rush has presented numerous workshops nationally on topics related to writing and implementing individualized family service plans, team building, using a primary service provider approach to teaming, coaching, and supporting young children with disabilities and their families in natural learning environments. Dr. Rush has also co‐authored a previous book on coaching in early childhood intervention as well as a chapter on using a primary coach approach to teaming in Working with Families of Young Children with Special Needs (McWilliam, 2010; Guilford Press). He and Dr. Shelden are co‐authors of The Early Intervention Teaming Handbook: The Primary Service Provider Approach (Shelden & Rush, 2013).