Home, School, and the IEP. ESEA Title IV Part C Project Report, Final Evaluation Report, 1981-82.

The "Home, School and the IEP (Individualized Education Program)" program was developed in order to provide counseling and training to the parents of autistic children in public schools in Brooklyn, New York, and to improve the behavior and achievement of the children themselves. This report briefly describes and evaluates the program in its third year of operation (1981-82). The program's two major activities consisted of home visits conducted by educational interns and parent workshops. Objectives were (1) that 70 percent of participating parents would implement instruction at least 4 out of 5 days per week, following each home visit; and (2) that 80 percent of participating students would master at least 5 new skills, as determined by their performance on designated strands of the Vort Behavioral Characteristics Progression (BCP). Two problems were encountered which hampered program effectiveness. First was the use of unpaid educational interns, which resulted in high turnover and extensive time expenditure for training. Second was the difficulty of recruiting interns to visit families in neighborhoods that were perceived to be unsafe. Nonetheless, program objectives were either met or surpassed. (GC)