Can paraprofessional home visitation enhance early intervention service delivery?

A 1-yr randomized trial compared intensive case management (ICM) vs basic case management (BCM) in facilitating early intervention service use among children in an urban health system. Of 159 participating families with delayed or at-risk preschool- aged children, 88 received ICM from paraprofessionals vs 71 families who received less comprehensive BCM from a nurse. In the ICM vs BCM group, a shorter interval to assessment but similar assessment rate was observed. The ICM group had more services recommended per child and initiated. There was no difference in median time to early intervention program initiation for ICM vs BCM or initiation and visit compliance rate for early intervention services. It is concluded that specific efforts to improve outcomes (e.g., decrease initiation time and increase use of El services) are still needed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)