Comparing the Implementation Context for Early Intervention Services Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic not only led to drastic changes in the implementation context for early intervention and early childhood special education services in 2020, but has had an enduring effect on the organizations, educators, families, and children with developmental delays and disorders. Through secondary data analysis, characteristics of toddlers with autism being served in a publicly funded center-based early intervention program as well as the characteristics of their educators are examined, comparing those who were enrolled in (a) two randomized trials conducted prior to the pandemic and (b) one ongoing randomized trial that launched in return to in-person educational services after the pandemic shutdown. Significant demographic differences are found for toddlers, where the current study includes more girls (p = 0.