Mary Louise Hemmeter

Prevention and Intervention with Young Children's Challenging Behavior: Perspectives Regarding Current Knowledge.

Challenging behavior exhibited by young children is becoming recognized as a serious impediment to social–emotional development and a harbinger of severe maladjustment in school and adult life. Consequently, professionals and advocates from many disciplines have been seeking to define, elaborate, and improve on existing knowledge related to the prevention and resolution of young childrens challenging behaviors. Of particular concern for the field of behavioral disorders is the lack of correspondence between what is known about effective practices and what practices young children with challenging behavior typically receive. To increase the likelihood that children receive the best of evidence-based practices, the current analysis was conducted to provide a concise synthesis and summary of the principal evidence pertaining to the presence and impact, prevention, and intervention of challenging behaviors in young children. A consensus building process involving review and synthesis was used to produce brief summary statements encapsulating core conclusions from the existing evidence. This article presents these statements along with descriptions of the strength of the supporting evidence. The discussion addresses directions and priorities for practice and future research.

Predictors of Developmentally Appropriate Classroom Practices in Kindergarten through Third Grade.

Abstract This study was designed to (a) test the psychometric properties of a new observation measure of developmentally appropriate classroom practices in kindergarten through third-grade classrooms, and (b) determine how well classroom and teacher characteristics predict developmentally appropriate classroom practices. Teacher-reported and observational data from 69 classrooms provided support for construct validity, internal consistency, and interrater agreement of the Assessment of Practices in Early Elementary Classrooms (APEEC) measure. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that classroom characteristics (grade, class size, number of children with disabilities), teacher characteristics (education level, years of experience) and teacher beliefs (developmentally appropriate beliefs and developmentally inappropriate beliefs) accounted for 42% of the variance in observed classroom practices. With all variables in the model, teacher education, grade, and beliefs in developmentally appropriate and inappropriate practice accounted for most of the variance in observed classroom practices.

Coaching Early Childhood Special Educators to Implement a Comprehensive Model for Promoting Young Children’s Social Competence

Growing evidence suggests the importance of practitioners implementing promotion, prevention, and intervention practices to foster children’s social-emotional competence and address challenging behavior within schools. Limited research exists, however, on how to support teachers of school-age children to implement with fidelity comprehensive frameworks that organize promotion, prevention, and intervention practices, and even fewer studies have examined implementation within early childhood classrooms. In this study, three teachers were trained and coached to implement promotion, prevention, and intervention practices related to the Teaching Pyramid Model. Findings from the present single-subject multiple probe across teachers’ experimental study offer evidence of a functional relationship between training and coaching and implementation of practices associated with the model. Results are discussed with respect to challenges related to supporting teachers to implement with fidelity a complex and comprehensive array of evidence-based practices and the critical importance of coaching.

A Program-Wide Model of Positive Behavior Support in Early Childhood Settings:

An increasing need exists in the field of early intervention for effective approaches to address challenging behavior in early childhood settings. This need is driven by the growing number of preschool children reported to have challenging behavior and the increasing knowledge base about the long-term outcomes for children who engage in problem behavior during the early childhood years. Teachers report that challenging behavior is one of their highest priority training needs. A promising approach to addressing challenging behavior in early childhood settings is a program-wide system of positive behavior support (PBS). While a program-wide PBS model has been clearly articulated for use in elementary and secondary schools, relatively little attention has been given to program-wide models of behavior support in early childhood programs. The purpose of this article is to describe the essential elements of a program-wide model of positive behavior support that reflects an understanding of the needs of young children and the unique characteristics of early childhood settings (e.g., Head Start, public preschool, child care). The article also will provide an illustration of the adoption of the program-wide model by a rural Head Start program.

Using Simultaneous Prompting Within an Activity-Based Format to Teach Dressing Skills to Preschoolers With Developmental Delays:

A multiple probe across skills single subject research design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a simultaneous prompting procedure with a physical guidance controlling prompt to teach three dressing skills each to two preschoolers with disabilities. The format was activity-based in that both probe and instructional trials were embedded within activities that occurred throughout the day when dressing would be a natural activity (e.g., putting on a jacket to go outside to play) in the preschool setting. Both students maintained the skills with 90% accuracy up to 6 weeks following acquisition.

The Effects of Embedded Skill Instruction on the Acquisition of Target and Nontarget Skills in Preschoolers with Developmental Delays

Previous research on the constant time delay (CTD) procedure has demonstrated the effectiveness of the procedure with students with a range of disabilities. Most research on CTD has been implemented using a didactic format. In the current study, CTD was embedded in classroom activities and routines to teach counting to young children. In addition, nontarget information (the color of the object) was included in the task direction. A multiple-probe design across numbers replicated across children was used. The results indicated that CTD was effective in teaching numbers to all three children. The acquisition of nontarget information by two of the three children was also tracked; one of these two children acquired the nontarget information.

Professional Development in Early Childhood Intervention: Where We Stand on the Silver Anniversary of PL 99-457.

We describe historical foundations of professional development (PD) in early childhood intervention (ECI) and where we stand on the silver anniversary of PL 99-457. To advance its scientific basis, we assert that it is important to define what is meant by PD; identify structural and process features of PD hypothesized to be effective for supporting improvements in intervention quality and effectiveness; specify theories of action or change related to how specific features of PD are assumed to affect practitioner behaviors and, in turn, child or family outcomes; and conduct experimental studies that provide evidence to support or refute specified theories of action. We describe progress being made in each of these areas and discuss several challenges and future directions related to advancing the scientific basis of PD in ECI.

Preparing Early Childhood Educators to Address Young Children's Social-Emotional Development and Challenging Behavior A Survey of Higher Education Programs in Nine States

This article presents results from a survey of faculty members from 2- and 4-year higher education programs in nine states that prepare teachers to work with preschool children. The purpose of the study was to determine how professors address content related to social-emotional development and challenging behaviors, how well prepared they believe graduates are to address these issues, and resources that might be useful to better prepare graduates to work with children with challenging behavior. Of the 225 surveys that were mailed, 70% were returned. Faculty members reported their graduates were prepared on topics such as working with families, preventive practices, and supporting social emotional development but less prepared to work with children with challenging behaviors. Survey findings are discussed related to differences between 2- and 4-year programs and between programs with and without a special education component. Implications for personnel preparation and future research are discussed.

A Programwide Model for Supporting Social Emotional Development and Addressing Challenging Behavior in Early Childhood Settings

In 2005, popular press headlines reported that expulsion rates for preschool children due to behavioral concerns exceeded those of elementary and secondary school students. This report put a national spotlight on an issue that has been quietly hidden within private and public preschool programs; challenging behavior is an issue for many children in the early childhood years. The national survey indicated that expulsion rates were higher for older children, boys, and African American children and were higher within private and faith-based settings (Gilliam, 2005). Programs that had access to mental health or behavioral consultation were less likely to expel children than programs without access to those resources.

Using an Embedding Strategy to Teach Preschoolers with Significant Disabilities

The purpose of this study was two-fold. First, this study analyzed the effects of using response prompting procedures within an embedded skill approach on skill acquisition by 4 preschoolers with significant disabilities. Two target skills were identified from each students IEP and taught during three preschool activities. A multiple probe across subjects design assessed the effects of the intervention. All students made progress above baseline performance. More importantly, there was consistency in performance of the target skills across at least two of the three activities for all children. Second, the reliability with which paraprofessionals in the preschool setting implemented response prompting procedures was evaluated. Data indicated that the paraprofessionals implemented the procedures with a high degree of accuracy. The impact of embedded skill instruction is addressed, as well as the impact of using non-degreed personnel to teach students with significant disabilities within inclusive preschool programs.