early childhood sped

Title, EditionISBN

© 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.All rights reserved.

Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 9th EditionISBN 013514454X

© 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.All rights reserved.

Chapter 14Early Childhood Special Education

© 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.All Rights Reserved.2

Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 9th EditionHewardISBN 013514454X


Focus QuestionsWhy is it so difficult to measure the impact of early intervention?How can we provide early intervention for a child whose disability is not yet present?How are the four different purposes of assessment and evaluation in early childhood special education related to one another?Which do you think are the most important goals of early childhood special education?How can a play activity or an everyday routine become a specially designed learning opportunity for a preschooler with disabilities?

KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTSIFSP (what does acronym stand for, who is it for, ages, what does the law say) Early intervention (what is it, when should it occur, ages) Pros and cons of various types of early interventionsTypes of early interventions (center-based, home-based, etc.). Developmental domains (what are they) Adaptive development (what is it, examples)Who is involved in early intervention? (roles, who is most important)Developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) – what is it, examplesConsiderations when designing a supportive physical environmentNational Lekotek Center (what is it, philosophy)




The Importance of Early Intervention

The earlier intervention begins the betterWhat is early intervention?

A comprehensive system of therapies, educational, nutritional, child care, and family supports, all designed to reduce the effects of disabilities or prevent the occurrence of learning and developmental problems

Does early intervention work? Research evidence shows that comprehensive, experientially

based early intervention enhances the development of young children who exhibit delays and helps children at risk

Skeels and Dye The Milwaukee Project The Abecedarian Project The Infant Health and Development Program




IDEA and Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education

P.L. 99-457: Mandated preschool services for children with disabilities ages 3 to 5 and provided a voluntary incentive grant program for early intervention services to infants and toddlers

IDEA: Mandates early intervention services for any child under 3 years of age who has developmental delays (birth to 3 years old)

Mandates preschool for children with disabilities ages 3–5 States that receive IDEA funds for early intervention must

serve all infants and toddlers with developmental delays or established risk conditions

States may also serve infants and toddlers who are identified as at biological or environmental risk




Definitions Developmental Delay- significant delay

or atypical pattern of development that make children eligible for early intervention

Established risk conditions- diagnosed physical or medical conditions that almost always result in developmental delay or disability (Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, brain or spinal cord damage, sensory impairment, maternal acquired AIDS)




Definitions Biological risk conditions- pediatric

history of current biological conditions (significantly premature, low birth weight) that result in a greater than usual probability of developmental delay

Environmental Risk Conditions- extreme poverty, prenatal substance abuse, homelessness, abuse or neglect and parental intellectual impairment which are associated with higher-than normal probability of developmental delay




Qualifying for Early Intervention

IDEA mandates EI services if: Child needs early intervention services

because of developmental delays, as measured by appropriate diagnostic instruments or procedures, in 1 or more of the areas of cognitive development, physical development, communication development, social or emotional development, or adaptive development

Child has a diagnosed physical or medical condition that has a high probability of resulting in developmental delay




Early Intervention Comprehensive system of therapies,

educational, nutritional, childcare, and family supports, all designed to reduce the effects of disabilities or prevent the occurrence of learning and developmental problems later in life for children presumed to be at risk for such problems




National Lekotek Center Believes that children learn best through

playing Provide information to parents of children with

disabilities, about how to select toys for their children

Nationwide, non-profit network of play centers, toy lending libraries, and computer loan programs dedicated to making play accessible for children with disabilities and those living in poverty.

www.lekotek.org Page 498 Tips to toy selection Produces Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids in conjunction with

Toys “R” Us

http://www.lekotek.org/




Effectiveness of Early Intervention Research tells us that…

The earlier the intervention the better off the student will be later in life.




Individualized Family Services Plan (IFSP) An IFSP is a plan that addresses the needs of the child and

family and is developed by a multidisciplinary team

An IFSP defines the family as being the recipient of early intervention services

The IFSP must be evaluated once a year and reviewed at six-month intervals

Special education for preschoolers Preschool children do not have to be identified under

existing categories to receive services Local education agencies may elect to use a variety of

service options




Individualized Family Services Plan (IFSP) Parts

Statement of present levels of development (physical, cognitive, communication, social, emotional, adaptive)

Statement of family resources, priorities and concerns relating to enhancing the child’s abilities

Statement of measureable, developmentally appropriate results, or expected outcomes to be achieved (pre-literacy, language skills), criteria, procedures, timelines used to determine if progress is being made, or if different services/outcomes are necessary

Statement of specific early intervention services necessary to meet the needs of the child including, frequency, intensity and method of delivering services




Individualized Family Services Plan (IFSP)

Parts Continued Statement of natural environments in which

EI will be provided, including a justification of the extent to which services will not be provided in the natural environment

Projected dates which services will start and end, length, duration and frequency of services

Identification of the service coordinator who will be responsible for implementing the plan

Steps taken to support the transition of the toddler with a disability to preschool




Selecting IFSP/IEP Goals and Objectives

Functionality: Increases the child’s ability to interact with the people and objects in his/her daily environment.

Generality: Skill represents a general concept, can be adapted and modified to meet the child’s disability, and can be used across different settings with different materials and people.

Instructional Contest: Skill can be easily integrated into the child’s daily routines and taught in a way that represents naturalistic use of the skill.

Measurability: Can see, feel, or hear the skill. Hierarchical relation between long-range goals and

short-terms objectives: Achievement of short-term goals linked directly to the attainment of long-term goals.

IEP vs. IFSPIEP IFSP

Revolves around school system Revolves around the family system as the most important constant in the child’s life

Child receives the services Family receives the services

Focus on school environment Focus is on naturalistic environment in which the child and family live

Includes interventions and services provided by school based services

Includes interventions and services provided by health and human services

Evaluated every 3 years, reviewed once a year with the family

Evaluated once a year, reviewed with the family at 6-month intervals




NJAC6A:14 Definition of Preschool Disabled

"Preschool child with a disability" corresponds to preschool handicapped and means a child between the ages of three and five experiencing developmental delay, as measured by appropriate diagnostic instruments and procedures, in one or more of the areas in (c)10i through v below, and requires special education and related services. When utilizing a standardized assessment or criterion-referenced measure to determine eligibility, a developmental delay shall mean a 33 percent delay in one developmental area, or a 25 percent delay in two or more developmental areas.

i. Physical, including gross motor, fine motor and sensory (vision and hearing);

ii. Cognitive; iii. Communication; iv. Social and emotional; and v. Adaptive.




Screening, Identification, and Assessment

Assessment in early childhood special education is conducted for at least four different purposes:

Screening- easy to administer tests to identify children who may have a disability and who should receive further testing

Diagnosis- in depth, comprehensive assessment of all major areas of development to determine a child’s eligibility for early intervention or special education services

Program planning- curriculum based, criterion referenced assessments to determine a child’s current skill level, identify IFSP/IEP objectives and plan intervention activities.

Evaluation- curriculum based, criterion referenced measures to determine progress on IFSP/IEP objectives and evaluate program effectiveness




Screening Apgar Scale

Heart rate, respiratory effort, response to catheter stimulation, muscle tone, color

Newborn Blood Test Screening Blood test taken 24-48 hours of birth Helps to prevent against diseases that can lead

to physical, health, sensory, developmental delays.

Developmental Screening Tests Screening to determine overall development in:

gross motor, fine motor-adaptive, language and personal-social




Diagnostic Tools Tests measure performance in 5

developmental domains: Physical/Motor development Cognitive development Communication and language development Social and emotional development Adaptive developmentDetermines a child’s eligibility for early

intervention or special education services




Developmental Domains Motor Development

Ability to move one’s body and manipulate objects within the environment

Involves improving general strength, flexibility, endurance, and eye-hand coordination, gross motor (large muscle) movement and mobility

Ex. Picking up a toy, write, tie a shoe Cognitive Development

Use of cognitive skills when attend to stimuli, perform a pre-academic skill (sorting, counting), recalling things that were done in the past, plan and make decisions about what to do in the future, integrate new information with learned information, problem solving




Developmental Domains Communication/Language

Transmission of messages, information about needs, feelings, knowledge, desires

Child’s ability to respond nonverbally with gestures, smiles or actions

Acquisition of spoken language- sounds, words, phrases, sentences

Social/Emotional Competence in social skills- sharing toys, taking

turns, cooperating, resolving conflicts Feel good about themselves and know how to

express emotions or feelings




Developmental Domains Adaptive Development

Self care and adaptive skills Dressing, undressing, eating, toileting,

tooth brushing, hand washing Ability to function independently across

multiple environments Provides enhanced opportunities for

learning




Program Planning and Evaluation Tools

Curriculum Based Measures Identify child’s current levels of

functioning Select IFSP/IEP goals and objectives Determine the most appropriate

interventions Evaluation child’s progress

Example: Battelle Developmental Inventory, 2nd Edition (BDI-2)




Curriculum and Instruction in Early Childhood Special Education

Curriculum and program goals Support families in achieving their own goals Promote child engagement, independence, and

mastery Promote development in all important domains Build and support social competence Facilitate the generalized use of skills Prepare and assist children for normalized life

experiences with their families Help children and their families make smooth

transitions Prevent or minimize the development of future

problems or disabilities




Developmentally Appropriate Practice DAP- a philosophy and guidelines for basing teaching on

what is typically expected of children of different ages and developmental stages

Early Childhood Educators should: Knowledge must inform decision making:

Practitioner must know about child development and learning Know about each child as an individual Know about the social and cultural contexts each child lives in

Goals must be challenging and achievable: Learning and development occurs when new experiences build on what a child

already knows and is able to do and when those experiences also entail the child stretching a reasonable amount in acquiring new skills, abilities or knowledge

Teaching must be intentional to be effective: Intentionally– set up the classroom, plan curriculum, make use of various

teaching strategies, assess, interact with child, work with families





Selecting IFSP/IEP Goals and Objectives Goals and objectives should be evaluated according

to the following five quality indicators: Functionality

increases child’s ability to interact with people and objects Generality

Represents a general concept as opposed to a particular task Can be adapted and modified to meet the child’s disability Used across different settings, with various materials and with

different people





Instructional context Skill should be easily integrated into daily routing Meaningful in child’s natural environment Naturalistic use of skill

Measurability Performance or a product produced by its performance can be

seen, felt or heard Counted or timed and enable objective determination of progress

Relationship between long-range goals and short-term objectives

Short term goals should contribute to the direct attainment of long term goals




Instructional Adaptations and Modifications

Modifications and adaptations to the physical environment, materials, and activities are often sufficient to support successful participation and learning by a child with disabilities Ex. Changing the duration or sequence of

activities, using a child’s preference as a conversation topic while playing, adaptive device, prompt and reward participation




Instructional Adaptations and Modifications Embedded learning opportunities- incorporating

specialized, systematic instruction into typical preschool activities Ex. Mand-prompt-model, physical guidance

Preschool activity schedules should include a balance of child-initiated and planned activities, large- and small-group activities, active and quiet times, and indoor and outdoor activities

Example: Working with OT on throwing and catching and teacher includes ball catch into classroom activities.




Supportive Physical Environment Physical arrangement of the classroom

must support the planned activities.

Ex. Provide an open area for larger group

activities Locate quiet areas together to minimize

distractions




Service Delivery Alternatives for Early Intervention IDEA requires that early intervention services be

provided in natural environments to the greatest extent possible

Service delivery options for early childhood special education include: Hospital-based programs Home-based programs– Pros/Cons: few opportunities

for social interactions, very naturalistic, inexpensive to operate (versus going to a center)

Center-based programs– Advantages: Give support to parents, create opportunities for professionals to collaborate, allows for interaction with typical peers

Combined home-center programs




Hospital Based Programs Services are provided to hospitalized

newborns and their families Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

Neonatologists Nurses Social Workers Psychologists Infant Education Specialist




Home Based Programs Depends on support of families Parents assume primary responsibility

as caregivers and teachers for their child with disabilities

EI specialist visits the home and teaches the parent how to administer the intervention

EI specialist evaluates and monitors progress, works with other professionals to see if program needs to be changed




Home Based Programs Pros/Cons

Usually allow fewer opportunities for social interaction

Usually less costly More likely to be in natural environment




Center Based Programs Provide EI services in a special

education setting outside the home Part of a hospital complex, special day

care center, or special preschool Specially designed developmental

center or training center that offers services




Center Based Programs Encourage social interaction with

typical peers Provide opportunities for professionals

to collaborate Team of specialists can work together PT, OT, SLP, Educators

Provide support for parents from professionals and other parents




Combined Home-Center Programs Combine center based practices along

with home based programs Provide services in a center along with

services in the home as well




Families Parents are the most important people in an

early intervention programo Parents and families are most important in

making early intervention worko Parents are the most frequent and constant

observers of their children’s behavioro Parents know better than anyone else what

their children need and can help educators set realistic goals

o Parents can monitor and report on their children’s progress at home

o Parents can contribute to their children’s progress at every stage




Resources

CDC – Act Early: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/index.html

National Lekotek Center (toys and play for

children with special needs):http://www.lekotek.org/default.asp

early childhood sped

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pearson education

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impact of early intervention

earlier intervention

exceptional children

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