Early Childhood Education Dr. Bill Bauer William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

The Importance of Early Intervention Research has documented that early intervention can provide both intermediate and long-term benefits for young children with disabilities and those at risk for developmental delay IDEA and Early Childhood Special Education Mandatory preschool for children with disabilities ages 3-5 and voluntary early intervention services for infants and toddlers 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-risk William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Individualized Family Services Plan 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 William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Screening, Identification, and Assessment Assessment in early childhood special education is conducted for at least four different purposes: –Screening –Diagnosis –Program planning –Evaluation Tests measure performance in 5 major areas: –Motor development –Cognitive development –Communication and language development –Social and emotional development –Adaptive development William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

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 generalization 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 William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Curriculum and Instruction in Early Childhood Special Education Selecting IFSP/IEP Goals and Objectives Goals and objectives should be evaluated according to the following five quality indicators: –Functionality –Generality –Instructional context –Measurability –Relation between long-range goals and short-term objectives William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

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 Teachers should look and plan for ways to embed brief, systematic instructional interactions that focus on a child’s IEP objectives in the context of naturally occurring activities 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. William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

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 –Center-based programs –Combined home-center programs William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Current Issues and Future Trends Early childhood special education will benefit from: –Research investigating which programs are most effective for exceptional and at-risk young children –Studies analyzing the cost-benefit of early intervention Parents are the most important people in an early intervention program –They can act as advocates –Participate in educational planning –Observe their children’s behavior –Help set realistic goals –Work in the classroom –Teach their children at home William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.