Are dietitians prepared to work with handicapped infants? PL 99-457 offers new opportunities.
PL 99-457 mandates nutrition as one of eight disciplines to be included on the team providing services to handicapped infants (up to age 3) and their families. A case-managed range of services is required to enable the child to benefit from early interventions. Findings from a survey of a sample of entry-level Plan IV/V Programs, Coordinated Programs in Dietetics, and dietetic internships randomly selected from The American Dietetic Association's 1988 Directory of Dietetic Programs indicate that the growth and development of handicapped infants and their nutrition care are underexposed in most didactic and experiential components of the education of entry-level dietitians. A working group of nine nutritionists with expertise in both dietetic education and nutrition care of handicapped children met at a national conference and recommended competencies that they thought would enable entry-level registered dietitians to join interdisciplinary teams working with handicapped infants and their families. Registered dietitians on the team that prepares the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) can strive to ensure that infants are well nourished and therefore more responsive to the other therapies proposed in the plan.
Kaufman
M
M
Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599-7405.
D002671:Child, Exceptional; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004045:Dietary Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D004046:Dietetics / Q000193:education*; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires