Samuel L. Odom

Activity Structure and Social Interactions with Peers in Developmentally Integrated Play Groups

Previous attempts to determine the impact of activity structure on the frequency of social interaction among preschoolers have been inconclusive. Yet the teachers structuring of play activities is a relatively low-cost manipulation that, if effective in increasing peer interactions, might be extremely useful to those concerned with mainstreaming preschool children with disabilities. In this study, 20 children with disabilities and 8 normally developing children were observed while they participated in activities from an experimental curriculum designed to foster social integration. We predicted that (1) more peer interaction would be observed in play activities that were more structured and (2) teacher interaction rates would not be related to activity structure ratings. Both hypotheses were supported. Rates of peer interaction for children with and without disabilities covaried with activity structure ratings. Among the children with disabilities, rate of peer interaction correlated positively with both mental age and social competence scores; no such relationship was found for the normally developing children. Teacher interaction rates correlated negatively with mental age and social competence scores for both groups.

The Relationship between Stereotypic Behavior and Peer Social Interaction for Children with Severe Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to examine the collateral relationship between engagement in social interaction with peers and the occurrence of stereotypic behavior for two children with severe disabilities. Peers without disabilities were taught to make social initiations to two children with autism and other severe disabilities who engaged in high rates of stereotypic behavior. When the peers made social initiations and the children with disabilities increased their engagement in social interaction, collateral decreases occurred in their stereotypic behavior. Within an ABAB design, the functional relationship between these variables was demonstrated. Implications of these findings for designing interventions for promoting social integration and their possible effects on stereotypic behavior are noted.

Observational assessment of young children's social behavior with peers

Understanding the social goals of young children during interaction with peers and the behavioral strategies they select to achieve those goals has both theoretical and practical implications. A convergence across theoretical and conceptual frameworks supports the development of a new generation of observational methodology designed to assess social goals and behavioral strategies of young children. The purposes of this article are to describe the role of observational research in the assessment of childrens peer-related social competence; examine the conceptual frameworks that serve as a foundation for observational assessment of young childrens social goals and behavioral strategies; describe the technological advances that allow more descriptive, precise, and complex behavioral codes for observational assessment and data analysis; provide an example of an observational system that assesses childrens social goals and behavioral strategies; and identify the practical implications of studying young childrens social goals and behavioral strategies.

Recommended Practices in Early Childhood Special Education Validation and Current Use

The purpose of this paper is to describe the process used for identifying recommended practices in the field of early intervention/early childhood special education (EI/ECSE). Work groups were established for 14 areas of EI/ECSE. Participants in these work groups followed a set of 6 criteria in identifying recommended practices in each area. To validate the practices identified by the work groups, a national sample of randomly selected DEC members, persons in higher education, and family members indicated their level of agreement with items representing recommended practices and indicated the frequency of their current use of the items. Ratings from the validation questionnaires indicated substantial agreement that practices identified by the initial work groups would be recommended practices. The discrepancy between recommended practices and current use of the practices was examined.

Strategies and Tactics for Promoting Generalization and Maintenance of Young Children's Social Behavior.

Employing a conceptual framework of generalization strategies proposed by Stokes and Osnes (1986), the authors selectively reviewed the research literature concerning interventions to improve young childrens social behavior and strategies for promoting generalization and maintenance of young childrens social responding. Three basic strategies are discussed: (a) taking advantage of natural communities of reinforcement, (b) training diversely, and (c) incorporating functional mediators, along with several accompanying tactics, to improve childrens social interactions. Pragmatic recommendations for proactive programming of generalization and maintenance of young childrens social behavior are included. In addition, the authors argue for the continued development of a technology (or technologies) of generalization and maintenance for young childrens social competence interventions.

Developmental Intervention for Infants with Handicaps: Purposes and Programs

Developmental intervention for infants with handicaps and their parents has taken many forms, each with its own unique purpose. In this paper, three broad types of infant intervention are identified as prevention, infant focused, and family level, and the purposes for each are examined. For each intervention type, exemplary programs are described. Finally, issues related to efficacy and the theoretical base for infant intervention are examined.

Developmentally Appropriate Practice, Policies, and Use for Young Children With Disabilities and Their Families

legal or professional codes as well as matters pertaining to moral principles that are invariant across developmental levels), (b) developmental appropriateness (i.e., based on individual abilities and interests that are variant across developmental levels), (c) child-sensitivity (with respect to family/individual history, temperament, learning style, interests, etc.), (d) contentsensitivity (what is to be learned), (e) contextsensitivity (where and when learning is to occur or where and when it should occur), and (f) teacher-status (teacher reflection or selfadmission with respect to bias, flexibility, recourses, and strengths, etc.). Finally, we real-

The Role of Theory in the Preparation of Professionals in Early Childhood Special Education.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role that theory-based research plays in educational practices in early childhood special education. Knowledge generated through basic research must be translated for use by teachers; this translation is a responsibility that the research and development process in early childhood special education shares with basic and applied researchers from other disciplines. When research is translated, it becomes a part of teacher education programs and serves as one source of knowledge upon which teachers may base their actions with young children with handicaps or their families. A surface understanding of theory-based knowledge will have greatest relevance for teachers during the preservice and induction phase of their careers, with practical knowledge and a deeper understanding of theory-based knowledge playing a greater role later in their careers. It is proposed that the role of teacher education is to provide teachers with skills to (a) construct their “personalized theories” of educational practices that are effective in specific situations with specific children and families and (b) evaluate the accuracy of their theories. Implications for teacher education and educational reform are discussed.