Lindsay R. Dennis

Right from the Start Universal Design for Preschool

design and implement a new and inclusive preschool program for children with and without disabilities in a local elementary school and has designated a former kindergarten classroom as the new preschool room. Although the room includes some universally designed equipment—such as an accessible bathroom with handrails, lever faucets, low sinks, and childsized cubbies, Ms. Adams must decide not only what equipment and supplies to order but also the way in which she will organize the class. Ms. Adams feels somewhat overwhelmed at the thought of designing the classroom without knowing the specific types of disabilities that she might encounter. Where can she begin?

Planning Literacy Environments for Diverse Preschoolers

licia has been teaching preschool children with disabilities for a number of years and she always takes a special interest in promoting literacy for all of the children in her classroom. This requires a great deal of creativity to meet the diverse needs of the learners, but she is committed to making children’s literature accessible and meaningful for all children. Alicia knows that her students will gain an important foundation for literacy long before they are able to identify letters and letter sounds. Next year will be somewhat different as she will be teaming with Meghan, the pre-K teacher, in an inclusive preschool program. As she reflects on their classroom, Alicia begins thinking of all of the things that she and Meghan will need to consider in setting up their classroom learning environment so that all children can participate meaningfully. Emergent literacy

Using Pivotal Response Training and Technology to Engage Preschoolers With Autism in Conversations

It is well known that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate a significant delay in language development that impacts their ability to engage in robust conversations. In this article the authors discuss two specific elements of pivotal response training—motivation and self-initiations—for children with ASD. Specific research-based intervention strategies are addressed for teaching preschoolers with ASD to ask questions leading to social conversations. Additionally, the authors suggest ways that teachers can embed technology, specifically the use of iPad apps, to further support conversations.

Authentic Assessment: Establishing a Clear Foundation for Instructional Practices

As children transition from Early Childhood Intervention Services to public education, it is critical that the results from the assessment practices used to identify children for services in public education are translated into instructional techniques that early childhood educators are able to implement in the classroom setting. This article aims to describe best practices in assessment of young children who are transitioning from Early Childhood Intervention Services to public school services with specific emphasis placed on authentic assessment, and the potential benefits of this type of assessment as compared with traditional standardized assessment practices.

Preventing Challenging Behaviors in Preschool: Effective Strategies for Classroom Teachers

arren is characterized as a sweet 4-year-old boy who has recently joined Mrs. Daniels’ preschool classroom. He will be attending Mrs. Daniels’ class 4 days a week for approximately 7 hr a day. In the first few days, Warren has displayed a variety of challenging behaviors, including biting, pinching, tantrums during transitions, and difficulties with expressing his needs and wants. Mrs. Daniels has worked with children in her classroom who have exhibited minor challenging behaviors, but she is concerned about her ability to effectively address Warren’s behaviors. Given the intensity and frequency of these behaviors, Mrs. Daniels knows she will have to act quickly to implement strategies and techniques that are evidence based. However, she wonders what specific strategies will be most effective for Warren and most reasonable for her classroom structure.

Seven Basic Steps to Solving Ethical Dilemmas in Special Education: A Decision-Making Framework

This article presents a seven-step framework for decision making to solve ethical issues in special education. The authors developed the framework from the existing literature and theoretical frameworks of justice, critique, care, and professionalism. The authors briefly discuss each theoretical framework and then describe the decision-making framework and guide the reader through the framework using an illustrative case approach.

Effects of Professional Development on Preschool Teacher's Instructional Behaviours During Storybook Reading

Early literacy skill development at the preschool level is critical for later success in learning to read and other reading-related activities. Professional development (PD), specifically coaching via performance feedback delivered through email, may provide a viable alternative to other types of trainings (e.g. workshops) that are often ineffective. This study investigated the impact of PD on the instructional behaviours of teachers of children between the ages of three and five, as well as the subsequent impact on childrens level and complexity of engagement during book reading sessions. A single-case multiple baseline design was applied across three teachers and six children in two preschool classrooms. Results of the study indicate that PD produced change in teachers behaviours, specifically, their increased implementation of specific evidence-based storybook reading strategies following intervention. Child level behaviours were not significantly changed as a result of the intervention. Implications for the results are provided for implementation of PD in early childhood settings.

The Effects of a Multi-Component Intervention on Preschool Children’s Literacy Skills

This study examined the effects of a multi-component intervention program (i.e., extended instruction and iPad app technology) on preschool children’s vocabulary. Instruction utilizing the intervention program was provided across 6 storybooks, 4 verbs per book, for a total of 24 verbs. Dependent variables included expressive vocabulary, definitions/examples, and generalization. A repeated acquisition (RA) design was used across six participants. There were increases across all participants from pretest to posttest for the expressive vocabulary and definition/examples measures. In addition, participants were able to generalize knowledge to novel images, both expressively and receptively. Implications for research and practice are provided.

Effects of a Teacher Versus iPad-Facilitated Intervention on the Vocabulary of At-Risk Preschool Children

This study examined the effects of an adapted alternating treatments design (AATD) consisting of teacher-facilitated and iPad-facilitated instruction on at-risk preschool children’s vocabulary. Instruction was provided on 42 verbs, divided equally between treatments, across five participants over the course of 7 weeks. Dependent variables included expressive (i.e., providing a definition) and receptive (i.e., identifying the target verb from a picture menu, and yes/no questions including correct and incorrect definitions of the verb) probes of instructional targets. All five participants demonstrated increases from pretest to posttest in their expressive and receptive understanding of the verbs. Implications for research and practice are provided.

The Student Oral Language Observation Matrix: A Psychometric Study With Preschoolers

The Student Oral Language Observation Matrix (SOLOM) is an assessment of oral language skills. The aim of this study was to examine psychometric properties of the SOLOM for preschoolers through (a) use of internal consistency methods to assess the reliability of the scores from the SOLOM and (b) examination of criterion-related validity by comparing the SOLOM with the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test—Fourth Edition (PPVT-4). SOLOM internal consistency reliability was calculated using coefficient alpha; criterion-related validity was calculated using Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients between the SOLOM and PPVT-4 scores of 90 preschool children. Results indicate that the SOLOM exhibits strong internal consistency reliability with criterion-related validity in the low to moderately correlated range. While additional research is necessary, results provide psychometric support for the use of the SOLOM as an informal assessment tool to be used by preschool teachers.