This book is designed to provide a broad range of information on family structure and function in an increasingly multicultural society, family system characteristics and the implications for intervention, communication development in the family context, the nature and delivery of family centered-services, specific requirements of Public Law 99-457, and the competencies that such services require, as well as ways to approach planning, assessment, and treatment that involve families in practical ways. Part I considers the role that family plays as a context for communication development for both normally developing and communication disordered children. Part II provides a general overview of family-centered intervention, information on the impact of the Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1986, and skills needed by clinicians working with families. The final section provides ideas for evaluating the family in general and as a context for communication development, for evaluating the child as a communicator, and strategies for planning and carrying out effective interventions with young children and their families. Many chapters contain exercises designed to help readers process and absorb the information, and these exercises are also designed for use as classroom activities. Illustrative case studies and sample forms are also provided throughout the text. (PB)