Early childhood special education (ECSE) teachers support children who qualify for Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004). ECSEs generally serve children under the age of five and are often asked to guide the development of a plan to decrease persistent challenging…

Challenging behaviors refer to those behaviors that decrease the child's ability to engage and participate in classroom routines (Dunlap, Wilson, Strain, & Lee, 2013), and therefore, the dilemma in the scenario above is common to early childhood and early childhood special education teachers due to an increase in children experiencing autism…

Developmental and behavioral problems in young children are prevalent in the United States. While young children experience an increased prevalence of such problems, a lack of early identification services continues to exist. Not only are early identification services required under American law, such as the Individual with Disabilities Education…

Well-informed teachers of young children recognize the importance of children's social development. The development of social skills lays a critical foundation for later academic achievement as well as work-related skills. Social development is such a key issue with young children that a number of methods to address social skills have been…

A growing number of states and communities are implementing the Pyramid Model in early care and education settings, and in many of these places there are also early childhood mental health consultation (ECMHC) programs operating. This policy brief provides an overview of ECMHC, how it can support the implementation of the Pyramid Model and the…

This is the 36th Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act," 2014. Section 664(d) of the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" ("IDEA") (P.L. 108-446), as reauthorized in 2004, requires that the Department of Education report annually on the progress…

This is the 33rd Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act," 2011. Section 664(d) of the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" ("IDEA"), as reauthorized in 2004, requires that the Department of Education report annually on the progress made toward the…

This is the 32nd Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2010. Section 664(d) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (P.L. 108-446), as reauthorized in 2004, requires that the Department of Education report annually on the progress made toward the provision of a free…

The 34th Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act," 2012 describes our nation's progress in: (1) providing a free appropriate public education (FAPE) for all children with disabilities; (2) ensuring that the rights of children with disabilities and their parents are protected;…

The 35th Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act," 2013 describes the nation's progress in (1) providing a free appropriate public education (FAPE) for all children with disabilities, (2) ensuring that the rights of children with disabilities and their parents are protected, (3)…

This report describes the extent to which maltreated children have developmental problems or are subject to factors associated with poor developmental outcomes, what services these children might be eligible to receive, what factors influence service receipt, and what solutions have been devised to address barriers to service provision. This final…

This is the 31st Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act," 2009. Section 664(d) of the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" ("IDEA") (P.L. 108-446), as reauthorized in 2004, requires that the Department of Education report annually on the progress…

Functional behavioral assessment (FBA) is the process of identifying the events in the environment that consistently precede and follow challenging behavior. The use of FBA has increased significantly following the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1997, which mandated FBAs be conducted when children with…

A growing body of evidence confirms that serious and persistent challenging behaviors in early childhood directly relate to later problems in school success, social relationships, educational and vocational success, and social adjustment. Conversely, key social skills associated with learning in group settings include being able to get along with…

This is the 30th Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2008. Section 664(d) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as reauthorized in 2004, requires that the Department of Education report annually on the progress made toward the provision of a free appropriate…