Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Social Welfare Department Clinical Psychological Service Branch Central Psychological Support Service Staff Training for ICCC Topic: Introduction of Preschool Special Education

Content of Series 1. Basic concepts of Preschool Special Education 2. Training Strategies for Disabled Children 3. Behavioral Management – Positive Behavior Support 4. Training of Children with Autistic Features 5. Parent Work

After completing the series, you can 1. distinguish children with need for special education from other children 2. know how to facilitate learning and development of disabled children with mild developmental problems 3. Know how to apply positive strategies in behavior management 4. Know know to train and handle children with autistic features 5. Know how to work with parents with different background and needs

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Content Outline Concepts of Children with Special Needs (CSN) Concepts of Early Intervention and Preschool Special Education Policies and Practices of Service in HK Future Development

Concepts of Children with Special Needs (CSN)

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Concepts of CSN distinct subset of children from birth to 8 have special needs because their well being, development and learning are compromised if special and expertly designed attention is not given to their early education

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Concepts of CSN IDEA defined children with disabilities as those with: Mental retardation (MR) Hearing impairment Speech or language impairment Visual impairment Serious emotional disturbance Orthopedic impairments Autism Traumatic brain injury or other health impairment Specific learning disabilities (SLD) Multiple disabilities

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Concepts of CSN CSN includes children 1. at risk for school and learning failure Environmental risk – potentially harmful environment such as poverty, parents with serious psychological and mental problems, other high-risk families. Biological risk – physical problem at birth that can be remediated, such as low birth weight. Established risk – identifiable disability such as neurological problems and those who are mentally retarded 2. having disabilities that are recognized under special education law

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Concepts of CSN Classification U.S.A. Categorical Clear definition of each category Hong Kong Non-categorical except for visual and hearing impairments Assess by professionals (MO, CP and EP)

Concepts of Early Intervention & Preschool Special Education Why? What? Who? How?

Concepts of Early Intervention & Preschool Special Education Why?

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Importance The earlier disability is identified, the greater the likelihood that the child will benefit from intervention Families need and benefit from support Schools and communities benefit from decrease in cost because more children come to school ready to learn

Concepts of Early Intervention & Preschool Special Education What?

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Concepts of Early Intervention & Preschool Special Education Early Intervention “ To provide services for infants and toddlers (0-3 years) and their families to address the special needs of very young children who have disabilities, have developmental children, or are at risk of developmental delays. ” Preschool Special Education “ To provide services for preschoolers (3 to 5 years) with disabilities, and in some states, developmental delays. ”

Comparison of infants-toddlers and preschoolers DomainInfants-toddlersPreschoolers Goals for intervention Beh. & motor, response to environ., cause & effect, pre-language, attachment Cog., self-help, social, motor, communication, beh., play skills Schedule regularity Low – almost entirely determined by infant Moderate – some adult determination, requires flexibility depending on child ’ s interest & needs EnduranceShort – interaction less than 2-3 minutes Moderate – interaction may last 5 – 15 minutes MotivationCome from inherent attraction of material & activity Begin to follow adult expectation, preferably interested toys & act.

Comparison of infants-toddlers and preschoolers DomainInfants-toddlersPreschoolers Context of teaching Parent-child interaction, feeding, dressing routines, object play Object play, peer & adult-child interaction, routine Sites for services Home, cr è che, day care centre, hospital ward Kintergarten, day care center, home, hospital setting Team functioning Professionals from diff. agencies, role overlap, req. good coordination Moderate blending of roles, work in isolation is possible Family roleEssential & family- focused, provision of family service, case mgt. Very important, IEP provisions pertain, parent training

Concepts of Early Intervention & Preschool Special Education Who?

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Professionals work with CSN and their families Medical officer, Psychiatrist Clinical/Educational Psychologist (CP, EP) Nurse Social worker Speech therapist (ST) Occupational therapist (OT) Physio-therapist (PT) Special child care worker (SCCW)

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Professionals work with CSN and their families Which professional would be involved in service and training of: 1. Children with autistics features 2. Children with language delay 3. Children with global delay 4. Children with Down Syndrome

Different kinds of team approaches 1. Multi-disciplinary Team Made up of members work independently in providing assessment & direct services to a child Little direct co-ordination effort Example of training setting: ICCC 2. Inter-disciplinary Team Conduct assessments and plan goals together Provide direct services on an independent basis Example of training setting: SCCC 3. Trans-disciplinary Team Members share roles and help one another to acquire skills of different expertise Example of training setting: EETC

Concepts of Early Intervention & Preschool Special Education How?

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Implementation of Early Intervention Early Intervention is designed to prevent deficits and further loss of functioning improve functioning build strength by providing therapies (ST, OT, PT) assistive devices (wheelchairs, braces etc.) teaching and learning experiences

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Service provided by Clinic & Child Assessment Centre (CAC) Assessment (for referral to service) Medical services Assistive technology devices & service Parent counselling Parent talk Short-term speech therapy, occupational therapy, physio-therapy Psychological service

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Service provided by Early Education & Training Centre (EETC) Assessment (screening, program planning) Individual and group training for CSN parent training and counselling Home visit Speech therapy, occupational therapy, physio-therapy Psychological service Case management service

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Service provided by Special Child Care Centre (SCCC) Assessment (screening, program planning) Day care service for CSN Individual and group training for CSN parent training and counselling Home visit Speech therapy, occupational therapy, physio-therapy Psychological service Case management service

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Implementation of Early Intervention Family-centered Intervention parents usually do not prepare for challenges they face in parenting CSN Family have ultimate responsibility for caregiving and enhancing quality of life of child Strategies Recognize ongoing stress of parents Identify & recruit support network Change focus from child development to parent- family adaptation

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Implementation of Early Intervention Service and Resource Networking Mutual referrals Collaborative intervention Exchange of information and resources Follow-through support/ services

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Implementation of Preschool Special Education Mainstreaming ( 主流 ) Placing students with disabilities in general education settings only when they meet traditional academic expectations with minimal assistance Integration ( 融合 ) Philosophy that CSN should be integrated into classrooms whether or not they can meet traditional curricular standards. Process of bringing CSN with exceptionalities into the regular classroom Inclusion ( 全納 ) Philosophy that the physical and social environment should be adapted to meet the needs of CSN.

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Service provided by Integrated Child Care Centre (ICCC) Assessment (program planning) Day care service for CSN Individual and group training for CSN parent training and counselling Home visit Visiting service from CP, ST, OT and PT

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Teacher Beliefs & Practice 1. Teachers ’ Beliefs about Inclusion “ All are equal parts of the whole ” Variation of Beliefs Enacted Similar Activities: similar schedule, equal opportunity Participation Supported: teacher support/peer helper Group Instruction: “ take what you can ” approach, choral response from students Instruction Adapted: e.g. array of scissors, different cutting assignment

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Teacher Beliefs & Practice 2. Teachers ’ Beliefs about Identity “ Pluralism vs. Melting Pot ” Variation of Beliefs Enacted Pluralism: Encourage independence, individuality, self- determination & ownership within group, “ Look and see the flowers, now paint your own flowers ”, “ You ‘ ve covered the whole page with paint. Are you finished? ” Melting Pot: Narrow band of acceptable behavior, conformity to group norms set by teachers, “ now it ’ s time to draw ”, “ you already have a pink egg, pick another colour ”

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Teacher Beliefs & Practice 3. Teachers ’ Beliefs about Differences “ The world is not made up of 30 typical children ” Variation of Beliefs Enacted Minimizing: set the standard for accepting unusual behavior, “ he is what he is ” Explaining: “ Matthew talks with his hands ”” it is hard for him to hear and that makes it hard for him to talk ” Explicit Teaching: teacher talk to children about the characteristics of Down Syndrome, students learnt that the indexed child could not express what he needs, some even talk for him when visitor comes

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Teacher Beliefs & Practice 4. Teachers ’ Beliefs about Prosocial Attitude “ Be kind and don ’ t treat them badly. ” Variation of Beliefs Enacted Emphasizing compassion: “ Peter, please don ’ t grab Eric ’ s legs, you can hurt him. You need to be extra careful, otherwise, he could go to the hospital and his parents would be very sad, do you want his parents … ” Explaining: “ Perhaps Matthew (an autistic child) don ’ t want to play with you. He just wants to walk around. Maybe he wants to be alone. You have already made very good effort to play with him. ”

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Teacher Beliefs & Practice 5. Teachers ’ Beliefs about Mutual Support “ The kids have so much to offer each other. ” Variation of Beliefs Enacted 2 children were working at a computer. Teacher asked the disabled child, “ Did Peter help you play the game? ” Mary, the disabled child, work with the play dough and say “ ball ”, Diana took the ball and smooth it out and hand it back to Mary. The teacher praised Diana. Diana played card games with Mary, held 2 cards & said, “ Which one do you want? ” Teacher prompt Diana, “ What do you say? ” Diana rephrase, “ Pick one Mary. ”

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Teacher Beliefs & Practice 6. Teachers ’ Beliefs about Benefits of Inclusion “ She learns a lot by watching other kids. ” Variation of Beliefs Enacted Proximity: create situation in which disabled children came into proximity with peers Pairing: disabled child pair with socially competent peer Scaffolding: teacher actively involved in facilitating interaction, “ he wants to play with you ”, “ he is asking for your help. ”, “ Let ’ s play a game together ” Explicit Teaching: teaching social skills through instruction and pointing out role models

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Teacher Beliefs & Practice Conclusion Consistency in general beliefs, diversity in meaning and enactment Teacher beliefs reflect their initial training background & the setting they have worked before Differences in instructional practices arise from lack of consensus in curriculum model used Current approach of teaching and learning may not be sufficient to guide teachers to modify their curriculum and instructional strategies to address the needs of individual child with disabilities

Early Intervention and Preschool Special Education in Hong Kong

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Objectives of Service For Disabled Preschoolers in HK Policy Objectives (Reh. Program Plan) “ To provide a comprehensive range of pre-school services for children with disabilities or children at risk of being disabled, that is, from birth to age of six, which enhances their physical, psychological and social development. Early intervention will reduce their developmental delay, increase their opportunities for participating in ordinary schools and daily life activities, and help their families to meet their special needs. ”

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Content of Service For Disabled Preschoolers in HK Care : provide services to ensure emotional well- being and benefit from training and education Training & Education : facilitate and sustain development to the fullest extent Support to Families : strengthen parents ’ capabilities in coping with the special needs and challenges in bringing up their disabled pre- schoolers.

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Type of Services For Disabled Preschoolers in HK care, education and training (EETC, ICCC, IKG, SCCC, preparatory classes at special school, special education services centres, hospital school) allied health services (OT, PT, ST, CP) support services to families (OCC, PRC) identification, assessment and treatment Maternal Child Health Clinic (MCHC), Child Assessment Centre (CAC), clinic, hospital

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Future Development Care Increase diversity of practice to suit children and parents from different culture or sub-culture Strengthen professional collaboration to minimize undesirable effect of fragmented service to families Overcome barriers to integration at both community and centre levels

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Future Development Education & Training Develop practice guidelines which are empirically-based Promote professionalism in preschool education through in-service training and licensing Evaluate current training program and provide consultation for improvement

Intro. of Preschool Sp. Ed. ( ) Future Development Support to Families Advocate family-centred practices Engage parents in the policy making and administration of service Expand the function of PRC to play the role in enhancing collaboration among service providers and receivers

-END-