Families and caregivers should consider using positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) in their homes on a daily basis. It is especially helpful when events disrupt normal routines--events like worldwide health pandemics. This practice brief provides recommendations for families and caregivers on how to use PBIS to continue to support…

Social competency is a set of skills that provide children with the tools and abilities to successfully navigate the world around them. "Developing Social Competency in Young Children" looks at each of the seven Cs of social competence--communication, community building, coping, confidence, conflict resolution, control, and curiosity.…

Social skills training (SST) refers to any adult-directed instruction in which social skills are targeted for improvement. SST typically occurs in either a group or individual format, and may also include facilitated practice in classroom settings. SST sometimes may co-occur with peer-mediated instruction and intervention (PMII) or some related…

This guide is a list of tools that can be used in continued implementation of strong programming powered by Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) competencies. This curated resource pulls from across the landscape of policy, research and practice, with a description of each tool gathered directly from its website.

Parents of young children who are in early intervention (EI) or early childhood special education (ECSE) programs want to be sure these services are helping their children develop and learn. These services are designed to make the most of each child's potential as well as to strengthen the family's ability to help their child. This report asks how…

School-ready children are children who are prepared to learn successfully in school. These children show growth over time in their physical, social and emotional, language, and cognitive development. They also show increasing interests in new experiences and in mastering new skills. Getting "school-ready" starts long before the weeks or…

This book provides descriptions of 76 engaging activities that can be used to teach children, adolescents, and adults valuable social, emotional, and problem-solving skills. Some of the skills taught include identifying and expressing one's own emotions, identifying emotions in others, coping with stressors, making and keeping friends, setting…

This article introduces the negative effects of disabilities on young children's play skill development, which also adversely affects their social interaction with peers and their independence. Strategies recommended by studies in addressing young children's social skill improvement through play activity are introduced. Applicable and practical…

Autism is a life-long, complex developmental disorder that causes impairment in the way individuals process information. Autism belongs to heterogeneous categories of developmental disabilities where neurological disorders lead to deficits in a child's ability to communicate, understand language, play, develop social skills, and relate to others.…

Research shows that many things affect how well preschool children perform in school, including meeting their physical needs with a healthy diet, exercise and good medical care. Young children also need social and emotional help that will build their confidence, independence and cooperation skills. This booklet highlights needs of babies, toddlers…

This paper is designed to help parents in laying a solid foundation of learning experiences for their child with learning disabilities. It introduces three strategies, a rationale, and examples for each strategy that may help parents promote future school success for their child with learning disabilities. The first strategy urges parents to…

The workbook is designed to help foster parents and youth in substitute care to work together to assess, develop, and practice employment skills, and to maintain a record of demonstrated skills that will accompany the youth throughout his or her stay in foster care. The workbook begins with a comprehensive skills assessment, and each skill is…

This newsletter issue's feature describes difficulties the special child faces in acquiring social skills, and ways in which families and teachers can help. It outlines the socialization process beginning in early infancy, with eating habits being one of the first ways an infant is socialized into his or her culture. In early childhood, the…

Children with Down Syndrome have the potential for the development of a large range and variety of postures, balance reactions, movements, and skills. Sometimes this potential remains relatively untapped resulting in unusual, inefficient, or even detrimental patterns of movement. By handling and playing with the child, he or she becomes more aware…

Developed by the Washington, D.C. public schools, these activities for handicapped infants and toddlers can be used by all parents interested in establishing a structured home development program for their children. A calendar format outlines daily activities ranging from 10-minute exercises to longer excursions. Each month's activities focus on…