Sarah Rule

Preparation for Transition to Mainstreamed Post-Preschool Environments: Development of a Survival Skills Curriculum

Children with handicaps need preparation to successfully negotiate the transition from preschool to kindergarten or elementary school. Different classroom demands are placed on preschoolers and kindergartners. Without specific instruction during preschool, children with handicaps may not acquire the survival skills necessary to learn in kindergarten or first grade. However, reports of curricula to teach survival skills are rare or nonexistent. This paper describes the development of such a curriculum. After conducting extensive observations of kindergarten and first-grade classrooms, the authors identified nine commonly occurring mainstreamed activities, analyzed the skills necessary to participate in these activities, and developed a curriculum to teach them. To teach children to respond independently to their environment rather than to engage in set routines, the curriculum used planned variations for directions following and locating materials as well as fading of teacher assistance. Most children mastered the survival skills. Limited follow-up information suggested that they used them in subsequent placements.

Translating Research on Naturalistic Instruction into Practice

Naturalistic instruction procedures have broad philosophical and practical appeal and have been embraced with enthusiasm by many who teach about or practice early intervention. While there is general agreement that a number of intervention procedures may be characterized as naturalistic and there is empirical evidence to substantiate that many have been effectively applied, a number of research issues must be addressed if practitioners are to apply the results. Issues associated with definition of procedures (independent variables) and outcomes (dependent variables) confound the translation of research into practice. This article raises these issues and suggests guidelines for describing independent and dependent variables that might better enable practitioners to apply research in their work with young children with disabilities and with families.

Variables That Influence Collaboration Between Parents and Service Coordinators

Within the field of early intervention, collaboration between professionals and parents is highly valued (Zipper, Weil, & Rounds, 1991). Although practitioners have emphasized the importance of building partnerships with parents, little is known about the variables that affect partnership strength. The purpose of this investigation was to explore variables that either enhance or detract from successful partnerships. Using structured interviews, we found a number of characteristics and behaviors of parents and service coordinators that each group perceived as productive or unproductive. We also asked five experts to describe variables that either enhance or detract from collaboration. The results of this research have strong implications for early intervention practitioners and point to a need for validation of these results with a larger sample.

Technology-MediatedConsultation to Assist Rural Students: A Case Study

Emerging videoconferencing technologies permit face to face communication in a virtual, real time manner so that educational expertise can be shared across geographical boundaries. Although demonstrations of successful use of videoconferencing to share expertise of teachers and related service personnel go back 20 years, the sustained use of technology for this purpose has yet to occur. This paper describes a case study in which consultation was delivered to a special education classroom in a remote region to help develop and implement the IEP for a young child with autism. While there was a clear benefit to the child in this case, collateral technological and programmatic challenges were never fully overcome, thus shortcutting the intended intervention. Issues that must be resolved for families and local education agency personnel to benefit from the expertise of consultants at a distance are discussed.

A Naturalistic Study of the Relation between Preschool Setting Events and Peer Interaction in Four Activity Contexts.

Abstract The effect of preschool environmental factors, or “setting events,” on peer interaction has received little attention from investigators studying factors related to social competence. In this study, peer interactions and aspects of three setting events (teacher behavior, material use, and peer presence) were observed in four preschool activity contexts. Data on the frequency of occurrence of interaction and occurrence of specific setting event measures within activity contexts were obtained, and empirical probabilities were determined. Results indicate that the behavior of the preschool teacher is a potent setting event with regard to peer interaction. Teacher interaction with a child, in any activity context, retarded peer interaction by that child. The setting events of material use and peer presence had little effect on peer interaction. Results are discussed in terms of how teachers can alter their behavior to promote peer interaction.

Use of Telecommunications for Inservice Support of Teachers of Students with Disabilities

Telecommunications systems have made it possible to reach learners in geographically distant locations. However, most applications using electronic media are large group courses whose purposes are relevant to but may not directly change instructional methods that teachers apply in the classroom. This article describes applications of electronic media to inservice training, support, and consultation. The intent of the training was to change the instructional technologies that preschool special education personnel applied in their classrooms. The authors suggest further applications to promote a collaborative relationship between university-based personnel and special educators in the field.

Training and support for mainstream day care staff

This article describes a system of in‐service training and support delivered to mainstream day care personnel by the staff of the Social Integration Project. The Projects purpose was to integrate handicapped preschool‐aged children into day care programs. The decision to develop an in‐service support system was based on literature described in the article indicating that mainstreaming efforts may not be successful in the absence of training and support. The results of the efforts to integrate handicapped children, as measured by the progress of children served and staff attitudes, are also described. †This project was supported by grant number 6008100249 from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services, U.S. Department of Education. No official endorsement by the Department should be inferred.

Day care for handicapped children: Can we stimulate mainstream service through a day care-special education merger?

Mainstream day care services are not widely available to parents of handicapped children. By merging special education services (assessment, individual educational programs, and services by specialists) into day care activities, handicapped children can receive education as well as care with their normally developing peers. This article describes child placement, staffing patterns, and teaching formats that enable caregivers to use routine day care activities as teaching opportunities for handicapped preschoolers. The resulting model of service is cost efficient relative to the costs of self-contained service.

RIP: A cost‐effective parent‐implemented program for young handicapped children

The Regional Intervention Program (RIP) represents a pioneering effort in the utilization of parents as primary therapists for their own handicapped young children, as trainers of fellow parents, and as implementors of the programs daily operation. This paper describes the essential elements of the program model, including its unique management‐by‐objectives evaluation system based on principles and techniques borrowed from the industrial engineering sector. Data regarding documented program effectiveness are presented in summary form.

Videodisc Technology in Teacher Preparation: Advantages and Limitations.

Applications of videodisc technology to teacher training are beginning to emerge, and the rate of technological development is likely to expand rapidly through the 1990s. Videodiscs are a powerful tool for teacher training; however, they are not a panacea. This paper first describes some of the fundamental operating characteristics of videodiscs and their use in training programs. Then advantages and limitations of the medium for teaching instructional interaction techniques to preservice trainees are examined. Finally, the integration of various training methodologies is recommended to ensure that trainees both acquire knowledge about instructional techniques and learn to apply them when they teach.