Meeting the needs of children with disabilities requires strategies for engaging each and every child as an individual and facilitating their participation as a member of a group. The use of the project approach meets the needs of individual children by building on an awareness of children's interests and high expectations. All early childhood…

Children with disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders (ASD), are frequently included in classes with typically developing peers. Although these children may receive instruction on appropriate communication skills, without directly targeting these skills in typical activities, they may not demonstrate these skills when they are with…

Today an ever-increasing number of infants and young children with and without disabilities play and learn together in a variety of places--homes, early childhood programs, and neighborhoods, to name a few. Promoting development and belonging for every child is a widely held value among early education and intervention professionals and throughout…

This article begins with a vignette about Carla, a 4-year-old girl with a diagnosis of developmental delays. It then describes a model to facilitate inclusion of young children in early childhood settings. The authors developed this model as they worked with practicing early childhood professionals. The model places emphasis on the following…

Today an ever-increasing number of infants and young children with and without disabilities play, develop, and learn together in a variety of places--homes, early childhood programs, neighborhoods, and other community-based settings. The notion that young children with disabilities and their families are full members of the community reflects…

Naturalistic teaching methods are often used to facilitate explicit child-directed instruction within early childhood environments. They are designed to promote opportunities for instruction within the context of daily routines. The teacher's role is to design the environment and select materials, activities, and routines that will promote…

The daily educational experiences of a young child affect not only the child but also the family. The time and energy a family invests to achieve optimal educational experiences will likely impact the whole family system. As such, early education service providers are responsible for decreasing the challenges that parents experience so that…

The global appeal of puppets makes them especially appropriate and useful for teaching and learning in inclusive early childhood classrooms where instruction must address the diverse needs of young children across a wide range of abilities (Gronna et al., 1999). Through the use of puppets, teachers (as well as peers) might demonstrate a skill in a…

Emergent literacy can be viewed as skills that are precursors to later reading and writing (Sulzby & Teale, 1991) or can be more broadly conceptualized as literacy acquisition that occurs along a developmental continuum. Because children with disabilities, such as visual impairments, can be at risk for later reading difficulties, it is critical…

Professionals in early intervention and early childhood special education often do not feel that they are adequately prepared to provide indirect services in the form of consultation to general early childhood educators. In this article, the authors propose a framework for the practice of consultation in early education and intervention. Although…

Addressing and integrating the various national recommendations is essential when assessing the strengths and needs of young children with disabilities in inclusive environments. To achieve implementation of recommended practices, the early childhood special education consultant must respect the philosophy of the early childhood teacher without…

This article discusses disability as one aspect of diversity in inclusive early childhood classrooms and offers a framework for evaluating children's books that address disability as a part of diversity. The nine criteria are explained and discussed: illustrations, story line, lifestyles, relationships, self-image, author/illustrator backgrounds,…

This article offers guidelines for writing interagency agreements between inclusive Head Start programs and school districts. Guidelines address what an interagency agreement should be, how to recognize existing "phantom" agreements, the purpose statement, program mandates, key interagency process sections, and closing components. Insets and…

This article discusses supporting friendship formation in young children with autism. Strategies for facilitating friendships are discussed and include creating opportunities for displaying special talents and abilities; discovering common interests; adapting the curriculum and available materials; and recognizing the importance of school to home…

This article describes specific steps educational teams can follow to embed individualized education program (IEP) goals and objectives into daily activities and routines and, therefore, enhance the likelihood that intervention efforts are effective, individualized, and developmentally appropriate for young children with disabilities. Strategies…