In this commentary, developments related to conducting randomized controlled trials in authentic preschool settings that include young children with disabilities are discussed in relation to the Strain and Bovey study.

In this commentary, the issue of fidelity assessment is addressed as it relates to Strain and Bovey's article (2011). Four reasons are provided for measuring fidelity in intervention studies. Measuring fidelity (a) potentially allows investigators to document the findings were not due to the lack of fidelity in a study; (b) presents information…

In this commentary on a previous article that revealed modest and inconsistent results of the Parents as Teachers program, program evaluation work is urged to move beyond simply measuring intervention outcomes to examining the complex interactions between family and child characteristics, intervention goals addressed, processes employed by…

In this commentary on a previous article that revealed modest and inconsistent results of the Parents as Teachers program, issues are highlighted that those involved in real-world evaluation need to consider. Study attrition, defining meaningful primary outcomes, and need to use a participatory approach to develop outcome-based interventions are…

This article describes the types of early childhood special education transitions that have or have not received federal or state policy development. It is suggested that bi-directional influences on transition policy have connected the decisions of policymakers at multiple levels with the actions and advocacy of family and practitioner…

This article reflects on the Kentucky Teacher Internship Program, a program that provides first-year early childhood educators support and assistance from a team of resource teachers, principals, and teacher educators through a year-long supervised internship. It discusses teacher attrition and the need to address issues of teachers' pay and…

This article on professional roles in early intervention introduces the concept of expanding roles to include collaborative reflective inquiry within communities of practice as one way to reform professional practices. It suggests that reflection within communities of practice extends the understanding of individual professionals but also holds…

This article describes the relationship of federal, state, and local policy as it relates to early childhood special education policies. It describes the balance of power among the three levels of government and hypothesizes that efforts on behalf of young children need to be increasingly focused on local action. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

This article reviews outcomes of inclusion at the preschool level, social integration patterns, placement, definition, quality, instruction, teacher and family attitudes, community participation, policy factors, and cultural influences. The concluding discussion addresses ongoing issues related to definition, quality, intensity and instruction,…

This article urges an increase in support for responsive interaction styles among all parents and teachers, an expansion of efforts to identify communication delays and disorders as early as possible, advancement of the development of truly effective communication and language intervention approaches, and the transformation of research findings…

This article begins with the state of assessment of young children with special needs in the 1960s and traces changes through the end of the century. The embrace of multiple assessment measures, including standardized, norm-referenced measures and informal, functional measures is discussed and development of ecologically valid assessments is…

This article discusses three future directions of early childhood assessment: attention to assessment of progress and growth, adaptation of methods typically associated with ecobehavioral research to assess environmental conditions that affect performance, and continued integration and linkage of assessment and intervention, which will yield more…

This article examines research on classroom-based interventions as they relate to promoting inclusion and addresses challenges facing the special education field, including the increasing diversity of the children served and of early childhood service delivery systems. The need to expand the research base on effective instructional approaches is…

This article first defines instructional technology and provides examples for early childhood special education in general, identifies current issues in higher education, and then identifies specific instructional designs, strategies, and media applications for persons involved in early childhood special education personnel preparation. (Contains…

This article recounts the experiences of a pioneer of the Head Start program, a program developed to provide disadvantaged young children with school readiness skills. Influences in the early development of the program are discussed, along with program challenges. The need for standardized performance measures and program evaluation is urged. (CR)