With the increasing frequency of young children with disabilities being included in early childhood classrooms, there is a critical need for early childhood educators and professionals to take an analytical look at the standards guiding early childhood education. By completing a qualitative document analysis of the developmentally appropriate…

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…

Discusses the importance of social skills in young children, and the need for "naturalistic" procedures rather than teacher direction to intervene in social development of children with disabilities. Presents strategies for supporting social behaviors in preschoolers that foster social skills development in areas including large- and…

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 article presents strategies for early intervention in integrated settings for children with disabilities. The strategies attempt to follow principles of both developmentally appropriate practice and effective special education. Strategies are grouped into four categories: (1) attention and responsiveness to the child; (2) environmental…

Kindergarten Plus, a program for disabled and non-disabled kindergarten students in an integrated classroom setting, was implemented in 5 New York City classrooms serving 99 kindergartners. The program's implementation and student outcomes were evaluated at the end of the first year. Classroom observation and staff interviews revealed that the…

This guide is designed to be a practical resource for educators on the integration of general education students and those students with exceptional education needs between the ages of 3 and 5 years. Chapter 1 discusses the rationale for integration and examines what research says about the effects of integration on the development of young…

The INDAP (Individualizing Developmentally Appropriate Practices) program provides teachers with ideas on how to design classroom environments and materials, activities and routines, and instructional groups and transitions while providing high quality programs to children with different strengths and needs. These guidelines provide information…

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…

A proposed position statement for a Southern Early Childhood Association (SECA) conference session focusing on children with special needs in the regular educational program is presented in the document. The proposal highlights the importance of inclusion of those children in a regular educational program and the need for caregivers to be able to…

These two newsletters focus on two issues concerning full inclusion for young children with disabilities: the debate over developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) in inclusive preschool classrooms, and optimal classroom environments for inclusive early childhood settings. The first newsletter includes: a review of three articles addressing DAP;…

The Step by Step program was begun in 1994 as an experiment linking sound early childhood educational (ECE) practice with concepts of democracy to create classrooms in which children practice choice and learn critical thinking skills, and in which parents actively participate in their child's education. This manual extends the concepts of…