An Interdisciplinary Early Intervention Learning Community for Undergraduate Students

There is currently a nationwide shortage of early intervention (EI) providers in the United States, and the number of families in need of EI services is much greater than the available service providers (CEC, 2019; Barton et al., 2012). One way to increase the number of qualified service providers is to offer better and earlier preservice training in EI at the university level. To meet this need, we designed and implemented the Early Intervention Learning Community (EILC), an extracurricular experience that focused on introducing students to EI and interprofessional practice. The primary components of the EILC included self-guided learning modules, guest speakers, and community-based observations with practicing EI providers. A total of 26 undergraduate students in the Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) and Special Education (SED) departments participated in the EILC across 4 semesters. Student artifacts, including surveys and written reflections, were used to examine the impact of the EILC on students’ learning, confidence, and interest in pursuing EI careers. We also collected data on the students’ recommendations for improving the EILC. The EILC was a positive experience for all student participants, and students provided various suggestions for improvement. In this paper, we discuss the design of the EILC, specific examples of how students benefited from the EILC experience, and plans for improving the EILC for new cohorts of students.