Including Children with Special Needs in Early Childhood Programs. Research Monograph of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, Volume 6

• Main Authors: Wolery, Mark, Ed, Wilbert, Jan S., Ed
• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Published: National Association for the Education of Young Children 1994
• Subjects: Access to Education; Access to Services; Classroom Environment; Developmental Delays; Disabilities; Early Childhood Education; Family Involvement; Inclusive Schools; Intervention; Mainstreaming; Parent Participation; Special Education; Special Needs Students; Teaching Methods; Transitional Programs
• ISBN: 0935989617; 9780935989618

Because all early childhood programs must now be prepared to serve children with special needs, early childhood staffs confront a host of new challenges and opportunities. This research monograph offers early childhood educators a foundational resource of information needed to develop inclusion practices. Chapter 1, "Introduction to the Inclusion of Young Children with Special Needs in Early Childhood Programs" (Mark Wolery, Jan S. Wilbers), presents historic and foundational information about including young children with developmental delays and disabilities. Chapter 2, "Working with Families of Children with Special Needs" (Donald B. Bailey, Jr.), summarizes themes and issues related to implementing family-centered services, and draws implications from the relevant research for practice. Chapter 3, "Working with Members of Other Disciplines: Collaboration for Success" (Mary Beth Bruder), describes issues related to collaborating with members from various disciplines to develop defensible early childhood services. Chapters 4, 5, 6 and 7 by Mark Wolery describe information related to designing and implementing classroom-based services for young children with disabilities. Chapter 4, "Assessing Children with Special Needs" focuses on assessment issues, chapters 5 and 6 "Designing Inclusive Environments for Young Children with Special Needs" and "Instructional Strategies for Teaching Young Children with Special Needs" focus on intervention practices, and chapter 7, "Implementing Instruction for Young Children with Special Needs in Early Childhood Classrooms" focuses on implementing those practices in the classrooms. Chapter 8, "Completing the Circle: Planning and Implementing Transition to Other Programs" (Jane B. Atwater, and others), describes issues related to planning and implementing services for helping children with disabilities and their families make the transition from one program to another. Chapter 9, "Conclusions and Future Directions" (Mark Wolery), provides summary statements and identifies issues for future research. Contains over 400 references. (TJQ)