Prereferral Intervention to Improve Special Services Delivery

Many special services providers as well as consumers of services have become disillusioned with current approaches to services delivery. As a result, there has been growing interest in the development of alternative methods and procedures for providing services. One area which has received much attention is that of prereferral intervention. Essentially, this term refers to an approach of systematically providing and documenting interventions within the regular classroom setting before a referral for special education evaluation and decision making is made. The major components of the approach are described in the article, prereferral involvement is contrasted with traditional methods of service delivery, and a case illustration demonstrating important aspects is included. Finally, advantages of the approach and several unresolved issues and potential barriers are discussed.