Ethics and evidence in consultation

The evidence-based practice movement in the early childhood field has stimulated efforts to synthesize and disseminate research findings related to direct services, such as child interventions and classroom teaching practices. This article describes the need to use an evidence-based process to make decisions about indirect services, specifically consultation, that include not only the best available scientific research but also professional and family wisdom and values as sources of evidence. Three scenarios are presented that illustrate various ethical issues related to early childhood consultation. Among four concluding recommendations for the early childhood field is the need to amend codes of ethics in general and special early childhood education to reflect values and practices related to indirect service delivery models involving collaborative relationships with other adults.