Early Intervention and Children’s Academic Outcomes—Why Part C Matters

Federally funded early intervention (EI) programs through Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) aim to "enhance the development of infants and toddlers with disabilities and to minimize their potential for developmental delay." 1 The study by Stingone et al 2 provides compelling and timely evidence that EI programming is associated with population-level improvements in later educational outcomes.The investigators evaluated third-grade academic outcomes among children born in New York City between 1994 and 1998, comparing those who received services through the EI program with those who did not.The study population included 214 370 children with available third-grade academic records through 2007.Notably, the study linked EI program data with Department of Education records, systems that are typically administratively separate.The primary exposure was receipt of any EI services before 3 years of age, and primary outcomes were third-grade standardized test scores in mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA).Third grade is a key assessment point as children transition from "learning to read" to "reading to learn," with not meeting literacy benchmarks at this stage being associated with increased risk of not completing high school.3 To reduce confounding and enhance between-group exchangeability, investigators used propensity score matching to compare outcomes between EI recipients and nonrecipients.This quasi-experimental approach was novel and necessary given the ethical and legal constraints precluding randomization of policy-mandated EI services.Results showed that EI recipients had greater likelihood of meeting third-grade test standards in ELA and math relative to nonrecipients.The magnitude of association was greatest among the subgroup that was determined to need special education services after 3 years of age (28% and 17% increased likelihood for ELA and math, respectively).