Laws and legislation have resulted in children with special needs being placed in general physical education (GPE) classes with general physical educators. The purpose of this study was twofold; (a) to identify two practicing teachers with positive attitudes towards inclusion of students with mild to moderate disabilities and two teachers with…

To implement culturally responsive early education that is developmentally appropriate for Latino children, it is important to look at values that permeate education in Latin America. Therefore, the author draws on ethnographic data (interviews, observations, artifacts, and field notes) from early childhood centers and schools in Mexico, Brazil…

This study examined the beliefs of in-service teachers working in inclusive classrooms regarding developmentally appropriate practices and how those beliefs affected their attitudes toward, knowledge of, and comfort levels regarding working with children with disabilities. A mixed-method approach was utilized and data were collected through the…

This paper presents a qualitative analysis concerning child care practices by six African American directors of subsidized child care centers located in a low-income, racial ethnic minority area of Los Angeles, California. These programs are traditionally African American programs that experienced an influx of Latino immigrant enrollment. Using…

Examined developmentally appropriate practices in learning centers in an integrated preschool classroom, noting how special education teachers made adaptations for their special needs children, and explored the role of parents. Found that special needs children developed their own voice in learning centers and self-regulatory behaviors through…

Used teacher questionnaires and observations of classroom practices and environment to examine program-quality characteristics in 58 community-based early-childhood settings serving at least one child with disabilities. Found that both segregated and inclusive settings had moderately good quality and were similar across measures of program…

This study examined the developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) beliefs of 113 practitioners employed in either general early childhood service settings (n=74) or special education service settings (n=39). Although results were remarkably similar across settings, differences were related to the appropriateness of implementing behavioral…

This article reports findings from a qualitative interview study that examined the provision of integrated kindergarten education for children with disabilities from the perspectives of general education teachers implementing integrated kindergarten programs. Analysis of interviews with eight informants led to the identification of two broad…

School-based occupational therapy is the largest employer of occupational therapists. School-based occupational therapists work extensively with students with severe disabilities. Over the past decade, one significant change in the field of severe disabilities has been the advocacy of best practices. This paper discusses the implications of best…

This study examined the relationship between developmentally appropriate and traditional teaching methods and the mathematics achievement of 15 average and 10 students with disabilities. Data were collected in four first grade classes, one second grade class, and one multi-age inclusion program. A descriptive research design was used with…

Argues importance of a flexible approach to educating physically and developmentally disabled children, one that allows children to learn and play with attention to age, stages, temperaments, personalities and individual needs. Notes that staff attitudes and willingness to adjust schedules, plans, room arrangement, curriculum, and expectations are…

This final report describes the activities and outcomes of a 3-year Expressive Arts Outreach project at Western Illinois University to integrate and replicate the Expressive Arts (EA) model based on developmentally appropriate experiences in the expressive arts, with an emphasis on visual arts, into early childhood programs for children (ages 3-8)…

Provides guidelines to prepare for and monitor successful inclusion programs for children who require individualized health-related intervention to enable participation in early childhood programs. The framework includes establishing standards for care that are comprehensive, coordinated, family-centered, culturally relevant, community-based, and…