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A semistructured preschool motor program was developed in response to the paucity of evidence-based motor programs for preschoolers with disabilities in inclusive classrooms. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) was undertaken to examine the impact of the CHildren in Action: Motor Program for PreschoolerS (CHAMPPS), a 21-week intervention that includes 42 Universal Design for Learning–embedded lessons with suggestions for supporting school readiness skills. Eight intervention and 8 control classrooms across 2 states participated in the RCT. Data on 51 children with disabilities provide initial evidence on how CHAMPPS positively impacted children's active engagement, motor, and social development. The promising results include gains in motor skills, sustained physical activity levels during motor play, increased on-task behavior, and high feasibility and usability ratings by teachers. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

UNICEF's new Millennium Development Goals and Beyond (2015. http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/) focus on the needs of the largest marginalised minority, individuals with disabilities, challenging us to examine issues related to exclusion and develop strategies for making an authentic sense of belonging and high-quality early childhood education a reality for over 93 million children with disabilities (United Nations Children's Fund. 2006. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id = 150). A first step in addressing stigma and the exclusion of individuals with disabilities is to examine materials in environments, given that positive representation in books and media contributes to a sense of belonging, increased self-esteem, and greater understanding of and attitudes towards others. Historically, the portrayal of individuals with disabilities in the literature and media has been absent or negative while the number of children with disabilities in early childhood classes has steadily increased. In this study, the representation of individuals with disabilities in school materials was examined in 32 kindergarten classes using the "Inventory of Disability Representation" (Favazza, P. C., and S. L. Odom. 1997. "Promoting Positive Attitudes of Kindergarten-Age Children Toward People with Disabilities." "Exceptional Children" 63: 405-418). Two classrooms (6%) had moderate representation, 22 classrooms (69%) had low representation, and 8 classrooms (25%) had no representation of disabilities. Implications for practice and research are presented in light of the current focus on disability rights and becoming a more inclusive society.

Children develop many school readiness skills such as motor and cognitive skills during the preschool years. The development of these skills requires repeated opportunities to practice. Many preschool teachers may not be aware that motor development provides a foundation for cognitive development, and they may be unsure how they can support motor and cognitive development simultaneously for children in inclusive classes. The purpose of this article is to highlight motor and cognitive skills that develop during the preschool years, followed by ideas on how to merge Fundamental Motor Skills (FMS) and Basic Relational Concepts during large and small groups activities. Readers will learn new ways to implement lessons in their classroom that facilitate motor and cognitive development so that children can gain basic conceptual knowledge while also gaining important motor skills. Keywords: Basic relational concepts, cognition, disabilities, fundamental motor skills, motor skills, physical activity, preschool, The preschool years are an important time for establishing physical activity habits and developing critical skills (Gerber, Wilks, & Erdie-Lalena, 2010). Preschoolers (between 3 and 5 years of age) demonstrate [...]

Early literacy experiences are critical for young children's development. More specifically, quality literacy experiences are beneficial to children's understanding of their world. Ensuring that early childhood literature appropriately reflects the diversity of children's life experiences can support their sense of belonging within an early childhood environment. Considering that the number of children with diverse abilities who attend general education classrooms is increasing, it is imperative that these classrooms provide welcoming and supportive environments for all children. One way to support inclusive environments for children with disabilities is to ensure that classroom books include characters with and without disabilities. As many early childhood teachers and family members regularly use community libraries to find books to read to young children, exploring how characters with disabilities are represented in library books is important. Results of a study focusing on children's library books revealed that characters with diverse abilities were represented in ways that promote their inclusion, however some books displayed poor insight into the individual lives of characters with varying abilities. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the effects of a modified reciprocal imitation training (RIT) on the imitation skills of children with autism. Two parents were trained and coached to use the modified RIT with their young children with autism in home settings. The modified RIT was composed of contingent imitation, descriptive language, object imitation, and gestural imitation strategies. A multiple baseline design across strategies was used to examine the parents' competence in learning and implementing the modified RIT. Results indicated that both parents learned to use the intervention strategies, and children showed improvements in their imitation skills.

The experiences of seven parents, whose preschoolers engaged in persistent challenging behaviors, were investigated. Individual interviews with each parent, member checking, and follow-up discussions to seek clarity on participants' comments were conducted. Four major categories of responses emerged from the data as parents shared their journeys of seeking assistance for their children: (a) challenging behaviors and first concerns (i.e., ages and descriptions of concerns), (b) steps taken to access support (including the number of times parents sought support and from whom, as well as the type of feedback they received when seeking support), (c) challenges faced when seeking assistance, and (d) supports that were helpful for parents. Results revealed that parents initially sought support from child care staff and medical professionals, persisted when seeking support, and offered several suggestions to improve the systems of support and services. Implications for practice and further research are discussed.

This study investigated teachers' perspectives about two interventions designed to promote kindergarteners' attitudes toward peers with disabilities. Interviews with teachers were conducted following the 6-week interventions. Teachers shared views on the best and most difficult aspects of the interventions, perceived benefits for teachers and children, and suggestions for improving the interventions. Teachers' responses were analyzed using content analysis. One salient teacher-reported benefit was notable improvement in social skills made by all students. Moreover, students in the experimental condition displayed increased acceptance of peers with disabilities, whereas teachers reported becoming more confident discussing the topic of disability with students. Teachers also reported that although it was difficult to step back and observe children in cooperative learning groups, it was beneficial to see that when children were given opportunities to handle social situations on their own, many were capable of doing so. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Teachers often recommend that families engage their children in shared book reading to support literacy learning at home. When teachers purposefully provide families with home literacy activities there are benefits for everyone involved. The purpose of this article is to report the findings of a study that examined parental participation and response to a home book reading component (i.e. a classroom lending library) that took place in 32 kindergarten classrooms as part of a larger study examining the efficacy of a curriculum focused on promoting kindergartners' positive attitudes towards individuals with disabilities. Findings suggest that parents considered shared book reading to be enjoyable and beneficial for their children's language and literacy development. Additionally, parents' comments provided evidence that both they and their children learned a variety of new concepts, including those related to science and disabilities, through shared book reading. Implications for practice and ideas for future research are discussed.

Many young children engage in challenging behaviors that could have short- and long-term negative effects for both the children and their families. Challenging behaviors refer to "any repeated pattern of behavior, or perception of behavior, that interferes with or is at risk of interfering with optimal learning or engagement in prosocial interactions with peers and adults" (Powell, Fixsen, Dunlap, Smith, & Fox, 2007, p. 83). If challenging behaviors are not addressed early with appropriate intervention and evidence-based practices, there is an increased likelihood that children will struggle with poor academic achievement, peer rejection, and mental health concerns in the future. Challenging behavior could also have negative effects on a person's family, peers, and the community at large (Dunlap et al., 2006; Powell et al., 2007). Heward (2005) posited that behavioral strategies are highly effective for teaching children new skills and modifying existing behaviors. Nevertheless, many parents and educators experience difficulties understanding and using these practices effectively with young children. One of the major obstacles facing parents and family members, as they attempt to address their child's challenging behavior, is confusion or unfamiliarity with the terminology and the technical jargon of behavioral interventions. Therefore, initial efforts should focus on helping family members understand the terminology used to assess and analyze challenging behavior, so they can collaborate with others to develop interventions that effectively address challenging behaviors. This article discusses basic behavioral concepts to provide family members and professionals with practical and essential knowledge about challenging behavior, the reasons it occurs, and the process by which adults can effectively select strategies to prevent or intervene on these behaviors. This information can help family members and professionals feel better prepared to take an active role when working with children who engage in challenging behaviors

This efficacy study investigated whether a class-wide disability awareness curriculum would result in increased close friendships for 26 kindergarteners with disabilities enrolled in six inclusive classrooms. Findings suggest that participation in a disability awareness curriculum alone does not lead to increased friendships. Evidence suggests that having a close friendship may partially mediate the relationship between children's social competence and acceptance. These findings align with research that emphasizes the importance of individualizing class-wide programs based on children's support needs and facilitating children's friendship formation in kindergarten classrooms to promote peer acceptance. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

This article describes the use of "Teacher Impression Journals" during a larger study that examined the efficacy of an intervention program designed to promote kindergarteners' positive attitudes toward peers with disabilities (i.e., the "Special Friends" program). The journals were designed to gather information about intervention implementation and social validity. Weekly "Teacher Impression Journals" were collected from 32 teachers over a 6-week period. Each week teachers responded to questions related to the implementation of two interventions: children's behaviors related to the study's primary focus (i.e., acceptance of individuals with disabilities) and comments from key stakeholders (i.e., parents, other school professionals). Teachers' responses were analyzed using content analysis. Results revealed that teachers observed play interactions as evidence of children's acceptance of peers with disabilities. Teachers also reported hearing positive comments from other stakeholders about children's acceptance as well as about the interventions. Suggestions for research and implications for practice are discussed.

The early years are the ideal time to support the physical activity level of children while also addressing readiness skills. With growing evidence of the link between physical activity and child development, it is imperative to find ways to routinely support physical activity. However, research has shown that children do not spend enough time in active motor play. This concern is even more critical for children with disabilities who often have challenges with development and physical activity. Strategies are provided to harness routine literacy opportunities so as to promote motor, social, language and cognitive development while increasing physical activity. Keywords: Motor movement, physical activity, readiness skills, The preschool years are an important time for establishing physical activity habits and developing readiness skills across many domains such as motor, social, communication, and cognitive. The National Academy of [...]

As the field of early childhood mental health continues to expand and evolve, the evidence base is growing, and early childhood mental health consultation is viewed as a promising practice. However, there continues to be a need for further research, with particular attention given to the utility and effectiveness of this approach with infants and toddlers and their families. The purpose of this article is to provide information about the evolving field of young children's mental health. A question and answer format is used to clarify some basic concepts and to describe a consultation approach for providing assistance to meet the mental health needs of young children in early care and education settings. In particular, the vignette of a toddler illustrates how this particular consultation process may be utilized to address the social-emotional needs of infants and toddlers in a childcare setting.

This study was conducted to examine the relationship between 32 typically developing preschoolers' attitudes and play behaviors toward their classmates with disabilities or developmental delays. Children's attitudes toward peers with disabilities were assessed using three methods: child interviews, sociometric peer ratings, and a social acceptance scale. Children's play behaviors (e.g., solitary, onlooker, parallel play, associative/cooperative play) and teachers' involvement in children's play were observed during free play over a 10-week period. Results revealed that children's identification of a classmate with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) as having a disability was negatively related to their associative/cooperative play with the classmate. Typically developing children's sociometric ratings of classmates with disabilities were positively related to their associative/cooperative play with classmates with disabilities. In addition, children's sociometric ratings were a stronger indicator of whether a typically developing child would play with a classmate with a disability than was identification of a classmate as having a disability. Suggestions for future research and implications for practice are discussed.

The Division for Early Childhood/National Association for the Education of Young Children's (2009) joint position statement on inclusion stresses the importance of (a) developing practices that support young children of diverse abilities in inclusive learning environments, (b) being part of supportive school communities, and (c) engaging in positive social relationships and friendships with peers. Specifically, the statement notes the importance of creating "a sense of belonging and membership, positive social relationships and friendships, and development and learning" (p. 2). According to Odom (2000), preschoolers with disabilities engage in social interactions with peers less often than typically developing peers. Studies have repeatedly shown that preschoolers prefer to include typically developing peers in play as opposed to their peers with disabilities (Diamond, Hong, & Tu, 2008; Diamond, Le Furgy, & Blass, 1993; Guralnick & Groom, 1987; Odom et al., 2006). While positive peer interaction is associated with the social acceptance of children with disabilities, children with special needs are at risk of being socially rejected and marginalized in early childhood inclusive settings without curriculum to support greater acceptance of these children (Favazza, 1998; Favazza & Odom, 1996, 1997; Favazza, Phillipsen, & Kumar, 2000). Considering these facts, the use of classroom materials and resources to counteract the risks of marginalization and rejection is critical. This article discusses the impact of reading on child development, the use of books featuring characters with disabilities, children's understandings about and interactions with peers with disabilities, including books about disabilities in early childhood classrooms, and using guided discussions to support young children's positive attitudes about individuals with disabilities. It concludes that the careful selection of children's books and thoughtfully structured discussions provide a direct path for supporting acceptance of children with disabilities, which is consistent with the attitude construct. At the very time when young children are forming early perceptions about peers and adults in the community, children are provided "indirect experiences" to disabilities through the use of high-quality books and guided discussions, with an emphasis on similarities.

This qualitative study highlights the experiences of seven parents of preschoolers who engaged in persistent challenging behaviors. The study included an in-depth interview with each parent, member checking, and a follow-up discussion with each participant to clarify any ambiguous participant comments. Results revealed four major themes regarding the impact of challenging behavior on families: (a) choosing activities, (b) siblings, (c) stress, and (d) questioning parenting competency. Future research ideas and implications for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers who work with or on behalf of young children with challenging behaviors are discussed.

Mixed methods were used to study the impact of the Project Approach, a curriculum component that can engage and motivate children to participate in learning activities, on the play behaviors and language development of preschoolers. Participants included 4 children with disabilities and 4 children identified as at-risk. Six adults received support to implement the Project Approach. Choice time was videotaped over 14 weeks to assess the impact of the Project Approach on play levels and MLU"m". Results showed that play behavior and language development were positively affected following implementation of the Project Approach. In addition, adults perceived the Project Approach as having a positive impact on children's vocabulary development and play behavior. Limitations and suggestions for research and practice are discussed.

The purpose of this article is to describe what has been learned over the past 35+ years of research on the friendships of young children with disabilities. An extensive literature review was conducted to critically examine the purposes that guided the friendship studies, the methods used to measure friendships, and the major findings of these studies. A total of eight studies were identified. The results of this review revealed that across all studies, researchers relied on the identification of children's existing friendships to address their main research questions. However, researchers did not always operationally define the construct of friendship they were measuring, and the methods they used to identify friendships varied widely across all studies. Gaps in the literature and implications for future research are discussed.

Taking Anthony out of the room the first time he exhibits any challenging behavior is becoming Patricia's "go-to" strategy; however, it is not effective for once Anthony returns to the classroom, he often engages in the same problematic behaviors again. She is eager to find ways to push past her biases and to develop a more positive relationship with Anthony. i Suspension is an adult reaction to child behaviors, so examining one's reactions to specific child behaviors as well as potential implicit biases can support educators in changing their practices ([11]). Melissa also asks the special education teacher to observe Anthony and collect data during the times of day that he struggles; Melissa is curious about how others interpret the function of his behavior. Administrators and their staff should consider how program policies can explicitly guide teachers to be proactive and prevent challenging behavior, thereby avoiding suspension, rather than emphasizing exclusionary discipline practices when certain behaviors occur. [Extracted from the article]

The purpose of this study was to examine (a) how parents and their kindergarten-age children talk about disabilities when they read books that include characters with disabilities and (b) the relationship between the frequency of mother/child comments about disabilities and children's attitudes toward peers with disabilities, as measured by the Acceptance Scale for Kindergarten-Revised (ASK-R). Thirteen mothers and their children audiotaped their conversations when they read books that included characters with disabilities. Seventy conversations were analyzed and 12 themes were identified. The themes that appeared most frequently in the mother-child conversations about disabilities included differences in abilities and similarities between the child and the book characters with disabilities. Although the relationship between the number of words spoken by the parent-child dyads and children's attitudes toward peers with disabilities was not statistically significant, group differences between the number of words spoken and the content of the disability-related conversations were observed.

While inclusion has been studied in many parts of the world, there is a dearth of research on this topic in Zambia. This study investigated the perceptions of pre-service teachers about the benefits of inclusion and the resources needed to successfully include students with disabilities in general education settings in Zambia. Participants responded to four open-ended questions included in the Pre-service Teachers' Attitudes toward Inclusion Questionnaire. Questionnaires that included responses to the open-ended questions (n = 484) were included in the analysis. Content analysis procedures described by Bogdan and Bilken (2003) were used to analyze responses. Participants described social and academic benefits of inclusion. Materials and equipment, teachers and support personnel, government support, and facilities were identified as resources needed for successful inclusion. Findings are illustrated with descriptions of the participants' responses along the dominant themes. Implications for special education practice and policy in Zambia are discussed.

Inclusive education has become a global trend in the provision of services for students with disabilities. In Zambia and other developing nations, international initiatives from UNESCO and other nongovernmental organisations have contributed to the consensus that all children have a right to a free and appropriate education and that all students with disabilities should be educated in inclusive settings. This study examined Zambian university students' attitudes towards including students with disabilities in general education classrooms. While attitudes towards inclusion have been studied widely in some countries, little research in this area has been conducted in Zambia. Questionnaires were distributed to 497 Zambian university students. Four hundred and eighty-four questionnaires were included in the analysis, resulting in a response rate of 97%. Results of the study indicated that, overall, Zambian university students hold positive attitudes towards inclusion. Several factors were found to be related to the students' attitudes towards inclusion.

In this study, 9 teachers from 5 child care centers were interviewed to examine their perceptions on including children with challenging behavior in their classrooms. The findings provide a firsthand view into how child care teachers support children's social and emotional development and address challenging behavior. Results confirm previous research that suggests that challenging behavior is a significant issue for teachers in child care programs. Participating teachers discussed numerous strategies that they used to address challenging behavior; however, few strategies were implemented in an intentional and/or individualized manner. These findings highlight the need for increased professional development for child care teachers to support young children's social and emotional development and effectively prevent and address children's challenging behavior.

The goal of prompting a child is to prevent him or her from making errors while learning a new skill, and to decrease the amount of time it takes to learn the new skill. As a child shows improvement in performing the skill, adults can fade the amount of assistance provided until the child reaches his or her level of independence. Several prompting procedures that educators and parents can use to promote children's learning are described in the literature. In this article, the authors focus on two prompting procedures, least-to-most and most-to-least. Within the two prompting procedures are five different types of prompts. They discuss each type of prompt and describe how adults can use these prompts within the least-to-most and most-to-least prompting procedures.

When teacher preparation is disconnected from classroom practice, preservice teachers are left to try to make this connection without the guidance and support of skilled mentors. Practicum or field experiences are essential for effective personnel preparation. Practicum experiences can provide situated learning for preservice teachers to "practice" newly acquired skills and apply new knowledge in real-life settings (Macy, Squires, & Barton, 2009). However, a fundamental disconnect often exists between what happens in early childhood field placements and what happens in college classrooms. Microteaching is one way to bridge this gap. The purpose of this article is to introduce microteach lessons as a powerful teaching tool for early childhood personnel preparation and to share the authors' experiences using microteach lessons within early childhood special education (ECSE) preservice training at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). The authors begin with a vignette followed by a description of microteach lessons and a brief review of literature on the use of these lessons in personnel preparation. Then, they share information about how the use of microteach lessons evolved at UIUC and provide a detailed description of the steps they follow when incorporating these lessons during ECSE preservice personnel preparation. They conclude with implications for practice. (Contains 3 tables.)

Challenging behavior is often a source of frustration for parents. Challenging behavior is defined as any behavior that interferes with children's learning and development, is harmful to children and to others, and puts a child at risk for later social problems or school failure (Bailey & Wolery, 1992; Kaiser & Rasminsky, 2003). Children's challenging behaviors can affect a family's ability to participate in home routines and community activities. When children engage in persistent challenging behavior, the importance of designing effective behavior interventions in collaboration with parents cannot be overstated. The purpose of this article is to help early childhood practitioners collaborate with parents to identify the purpose of challenging behaviors, determine effective strategies to address these behaviors, and create a behavior support plan that "fits" the needs of the child as well as the family. Guidelines for observing challenging behaviors and creating behavior support plans also are described. Throughout the article, examples are presented to illustrate ideas that are presented; however, these examples are not meant to be comprehensive or exhaustive. (Contains 3 tables.)

Parent-teacher communication and partnerships are important in children's early years. This study compared goal setting, conducted in English, during Head Start parent-teacher conferences with native Spanish speaking, Latino bilingual, and native English speaking parents and their children's teachers. To understand conference goal-setting partnerships, a mixed-methods research design was implemented, which incorporated (1) qualitative analysis of interviews, (2) quantitative analysis of conference utterances and goal-setting talk, and (3) qualitative analysis of goal-setting talk. Results indicated that teachers' conference expectations were at times different from native Spanish speaking parents and those of native English speaking parents. Teachers spoke the most with and asked least often for parent goals during conferences with native Spanish speaking parents. When asked for goals, teachers provided native Spanish speaking parents with the fewest opportunities to respond compared to the other two groups of parents. Teachers' goal-setting talk resulted in control of children's goals, particularly with native Spanish speaking parents. Results illustrate early educators' and families' challenges to goal-setting partnerships. This study has implications for early education programs as they develop partnerships with families from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. (Contains 5 tables.)

The purpose of this article is to offer preschool teachers strategies for preventing challenging behavior and supporting the development of social skills and emotional competencies. This article is framed in a question and answer format using questions from teachers who the authors have worked with in the past. These questions and strategies are organized around the four levels of the Teaching Pyramid: (1) developing nurturing and responsive relationships; (2) designing social and physical environments to support children's social emotional development and prevent challenging behavior; (3) teaching social skills and promoting emotional competencies; and (4) designing individualized interventions for children with ongoing challenging behavior. Implementing the practices associated with only a single level of the Teaching Pyramid is not likely to effectively address the range of challenging behaviors found in many early childhood classrooms; rather, it is the comprehensive, intentional implementation of all levels of the Teaching Pyramid that is needed to effectively address challenging behavior. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine circle time activities in eight Head Start classrooms. A total of 7 h of observations occurred in eight classrooms. Songs and academic activities were the most frequently occurring activities. Challenging behavior during circle time also was examined. The three activities with the highest frequency of challenging behavior were roll call, discussion, and calendar routines. Limitations of the study along with implications for research and practice are presented.

In this study, Head Start policies and procedures related to child guidance and addressing challenging behaviors were examined. Data were gathered from six Head Start programs in the Midwest, through interviews and document analysis. The findings provide a glimpse into how Head Start programs support children's social and emotional competence and address young children's challenging behavior. Implications for practice and research are discussed. (Contains 4 tables.)

The authors describe important characteristics of visual supports and considerations when designing visual supports for young children with ASD. Guidelines for developing the visual supports are included. (Contains 5 figures.)