Early literacy development is the gateway to reading and future academic success. Learning about sound-letter correspondence and basic decoding strategies are but two fundamental skills that have been found to support this later success. In addition, an emphasis on environmental print (e.g., McDonald's, Wal-Mart, Shell) and functional print (e.g.,…

The individualized family service plan (IFSP) is the cornerstone document that guides supports for infants and toddlers receiving early intervention through Part C of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The outcomes included on the IFSP reflect what everyone in the child's life values as important for the child right now. The…

Like individuals, families undergo transitions. In fact, families have been described as going through stages of development that are reflected in changes in the family's role and functioning. In addition to the transitions experienced by families with children, families of children with disabilities often undergo additional transitions. The focus…

The first step in documenting children's progress toward important goals, such as developing strong oral language and early literacy skills, requires measurable outcomes. Measurable outcomes contribute to teachers' understanding of whether the gains they observe in children are meaningful by adding quantitative evaluation of a child's progress…

With many learning goals to be met, preschool teachers may wonder how to accomplish all of them. This book is intended to show teachers how to maximize the scope and power of instruction through integration across content domains and learning contexts. Focusing on language, literacy, and mathematics, the author introduces strategies to bolster…

The ability to use language (speak, read, write) is not something that children suddenly or automatically develop. It is rather a culmination of experiences with language that begin at birth. Sharing stories (oral storytelling, books) and "story experiences" (conversations, songs, poems, rhymes) with infants and toddlers is critical to building…

This blueprint focuses on the policies that connect professional development activities and that support and make possible an effective implementation of a state system of professional development. It highlights policy principles and essential policy areas that build or sustain an integrated system--a system that ensures quality in all settings in…

This article uses an outcome-driven model within a family-centered, interdisciplinary team philosophy to develop a 10-step framework to help service providers fit assistive technology (AT) services to the needs of infants and toddlers. Criteria for determining appropriate AT interventions are offered, as is the critical information needed for…

Discussion of the case method of instruction (CMI) in early intervention personnel preparation offers information on selecting quality cases, preparing for case discussion, facilitating case discussion, and evaluating learner outcomes. Strategies described were field-tested and validated with 128 early intervention instructors who participated in…

This article describes the SCERTS Model, which prioritizes social communication, emotional regulation, and transactional support as the primary developmental dimensions that programs supporting young children with autistic spectrum disorders must address. The SCERTS Model has been derived from theoretical and empirical bases, is consistent with…

This article describes an approach to evaluating and managing feeding disorders in children with developmental disabilities and examines effects of these management strategies on growth and clinical outcomes. A structured approach is stressed and a diagnostic and treatment algorithm is presented. Use with 79 children found that diagnostic-specific…

Discussion of medical homes for children with special health care needs suggests such homes can provide quality health care services to children in partnership with families and community professionals. Early intervention and early childhood special education providers are encouraged to collaborate with primary health care professionals, thereby…

This article explains how comprehensive interdisciplinary, clinically oriented evaluation can become an intervention by educating the parent about a child's development, providing a context for observation, identifying child and family strengths, and helping the parent to interact with the child. During the evaluation process, parents begin to…

Children with Down syndrome and their families who participated in an early intervention program between 1974 and 1977 were interviewed 25 years later. Parents reported challenges such as medical complications, teasing or ostracism, and lack of adequate services and supports as children reached adulthood. Parents also described joys and…

This paper reviews research suggesting that parents' adaptation to their children's diagnoses has been found to predict both family well-being and the children's attachment security. A parent group intervention designed to promote adaptation among such parents is then described, including the rationale, goals, and guidelines of the eight-session…