A chorus of young voices sang along with a video clip of the YouTube version of "Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes" being played as the introduction for an art activity. A university student led the art lesson as part of a special topics course that provided art experiences for preschool-aged children enrolled in the therapeutic…

Young autistic children are amongst the most scrutinised and assessed in their everyday lives, often leading to characterisations and descriptions that focus on their difficulties and challenges rather than on their abilities, strengths and positive experiences. Consequently, much discussion about autistic children tends to forget that they are…

Pivotal response training (PRT) is an intervention that integrates principles of child development with those of applied behavior analysis (ABA). This means that facilitating a PRT interaction involves a simultaneous consideration of the learner with Autism Spectrum Disorder's (ASD's) developmental levels and progression, along with the…

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are often delayed in acquiring social initiation skills utilized during common early childhood activities. A multiple probe design was utilized to assess the efficacy of a shared book reading intervention to increase the independent commenting of three young children with ASD. The intervention resulted…

This study examined the ways in which young children with autism and typical children focus their engagement with objects and people (peers and adults) in an inclusive preschool setting. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted of 30 typical children and 30 children with autism, with 10 different children from each group at 3 different ages (2, 3,…

Although matrix training is an intervention technique designed to promote generative language, it has not been applied widely to toddlers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) despite the benefits it may have for this young population. We investigated the use of matrix training to teach generative receptive language to toddlers with ASD and other…

Many children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder who receive early intervention reap developmental benefits, but little is known about characteristics of early intervention placements in the community that optimize individual growth. The extent to which children hear and use language, in particular, may contribute significantly to…

Language intervention using Direct Instruction (DI) has shown positive results. There is a growing body of investigation of Language for Learning (LL), a DI program, on the performance of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and students with developmental delays (DD). There is need for replication and extension of research to include…

The current status and future directions of early childhood inclusion in the United States are discussed from the perspective of 4 key goals: access, accommodations and feasibility, developmental progress, and social integration. Recommendations are put forward to promote inclusion goals emphasizing administrative structures, personnel…

In 2007, the Autism Society of America (ASA) estimated that 1.5 million Americans and their families were affected by autism. As the current ASD prevalence rates continue to rise (10%-17% each year) so does the awareness that ASD is no respecter of persons. ASD touches children of every racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic background. Additionally,…

This study examined the previous and current range of educational, therapy, medical and CAM interventions used by a clearly described Australian sample of 84 families of preschool-aged children with autism spectrum disorders who were enrolled in a controlled trial of early intervention services. With regard to educational and therapy…

This article features Childgarden Child Development Center, located in the heart of St. Louis. It's a cheery, bright place with colorful self-portraits by pintsized Picassos hanging from every wall. More than 120 children aged six weeks to eight years old gather at Childgarden each day to learn all about themselves and the world around them. In…

This study was designed to examine the effects of tracing and fading prompts to improve the handwriting of two preschoolers both diagnosed as Developmentally Delayed (DD) and one of whom had fine motor goals. The study took place in a self-contained special education public preschool classroom located in the Pacific Northwest. The results showed…

Because more children under the age of 3 years are being diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), early interventionists face the challenge of identifying appropriate programs to meet the unique needs of very young children with ASD and their families. Project DATA (Developmentally Appropriate Treatment for Autism) for Toddlers is an…

Promote the mental health of preschool children in care by providing nurturing environments and relationships. Common Psychological Disorders in Young Children is an easy-to-use guide that will help providers recognize and cope with the symptoms and behaviors associated with ADHD, autism, anxiety, and other disorders providers may face. Learn to…