Search

Background: South African narratives of and by early childhood development (ECD) practitioners often focus on policies, practices and perspectives in research. While these are important for the development of the field, the voices of ECD practitioners, in this marginalised space, are silent. Aim: This article aims to understand: Who are the ECD practitioners? What are the conditions of their lives and livelihoods? How do they negotiate opportunities for employment, socioeconomic growth and further education and training? Setting: The study describes the marginality of ECD practitioners by narrating the lived experience of work and post-school education and training of one mature woman in the Western Cape. By narrating a single story, the stories of others unfold; working in similar circumstances and negotiating the same opportunities in the harsh reality of poverty and oppression. Employing a narrative methodology is a commitment to decolonising the practice of research, where voices of the 'Other' are centralised and amplified. Methods: An intersectional lens forms the theoretical grounding for this article with life history interviews as its primary form of data collection. Results: Adult women ECD practitioners are mainly poor, black and female. They pursue access into higher education to improve their lives and livelihoods. Conclusion: The intersections that shape their lives limit their opportunities for access and success. Contribution: The power of narrative research, displayed in this article, ensures that voice is used to move the lived experiences of black women ECD practitioners from the margins to the centre.

Background: South African learners face the double disadvantage of living in low socioeconomic conditions with access to few resources and attending schools with challenging learning conditions. Mathematics performance reflects such conditions with extreme performance gaps between wealthier and poorer learners. The need for early intervention is increasingly acknowledged. Aim: In this conceptual article, we draw out the features of mathematics games that can be used to develop learners' foundational number sense that will impact their learning trajectories. Setting: Based on our experience in working with learners from low socio-economic backgrounds in after-school mathematics clubs, we propose that these are opportune spaces for intervention. Methods: Drawing both on the research literature and our experience, we exemplify and discuss key features of mathematics games and argue why these are important to support the development of number sense. Results: We argue that to meaningfully develop young learners' number sense, activities need to be sufficiently engaging to retain their interest and be presented in a manner that club practitioners, who might not be teachers, are able to facilitate. Drawing on our experiences of designing and running mathematics clubs, we discuss why components like built-in checks, readily available resources, connection to calculation strategies and transferability to home settings are important design features. Conclusion: Particular design features are important to enable maths games to support learners' development of efficient and effective calculation strategies. Contribution: This article contributes a framework of key features for effective use of games to develop mental mathematics strategies for number sense.

Clearly defined professional standards result in better prepared professionals who positively impact outcomes for children and families by ensuring an effective workforce. This article describes the evolution of early intervention early/childhood special education preparation standards from the on-the-job competencies of the 1960s to the historic 2020 Initial Practice-Based Professional Standards for Early Interventionists/Early Childhood Special Educators (EI/ ECSE Standards), in concert with the evolution of the profession itself. Influencing factors include (a) changes in federal legislation and policy, (b) ages and characteristics of children served, (c) growing knowledge of effective practices, (d) collaboration with other disciplines, and (e) ongoing advocacy for EI/ ECSE as a profession. The article concludes with a vision for using the EI/ECSE Standards to guide the future local, state, and national agenda of the profession around preservice preparation and accreditation, professional development, state and federal policy, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and standards-informed research.

Field experiences provide opportunities for early childhood and early childhood special education (EC/ECSE) educators to implement effective practices in learning settings, and are, therefore, a vital part of EC/ECSE teacher preparation. In this article, we describe field placement models from four universities in the United States: The Bridge Project, Getting Started Early, Peer Coaching to Increase Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions, and University Supervisors Coaching Teacher Candidates: Supporting Young Bi/Multilingual Children with Disabilities. Although there is variety in the settings and effective practices supported through these field placements, performance feedback and collaboration are clear themes across models.

The personnel preparation of early intervention/early childhood special educator (EI/ECSE) candidates is a pivotal stage in supporting the development of professionals who can effectively work with young children with and at-risk of developmental disabilities, their families, and other service providers. This process encompasses a multifaceted approach to equip candidates with knowledge, skills, and attitudes/dispositions to successfully work within the field. This compilation article includes multiple authors of each section who share strategies, assignments, tools, and experiences to center the Initial Practice-Based Standards for Early Interventionists/Early Childhood Special Educators (Division for Early Childhood [DEC] of the Council for Exceptional Children [CEC], 2020; hereafter referred to as the EI/ECSE Standards) and DEC's Recommended Practices (RPs). These strategies are shared through a "spiraling curriculum" framework, and progress from an awareness level to reflection of candidates' own practice. In addition, this article shares related resources to consider in planning for innovative coursework and practicum/student teaching opportunities. Specific examples of spiraling experiences to deepen learning through opportunities to introduce content aligned to RPs and EI/ECSE Standards are included.

Making connections between macro and micro-level practices help teacher candidates to better understand the interdisciplinary nature of the system in which they work. Therefore, we present a collaborative approach to support an increase in early intervention and early childhood special education teacher candidate knowledge and application of best practices. We use a case study to illustrate example approaches and resources (e.g., coaching and reflective practice) that address both macro and micro-level considerations for leaders as they support cross-disciplinary collaboration and teaching practices. Implications for leaders are included to support their preparation of early intervention and early childhood special education teacher candidates.

This qualitative study involves six lecturers who have supervised students with disabilities. Participants were purposively selected and interviewed telephonically using semi-structured interviews. The study adopted a thematic data analysis approach to identify patterns in supervision experiences. The paper problematises a deficit approach that is dominantly adopted to identify and design programmes and manage students-at-risk. The analysis of the supervision of postgraduate students-at-risk is framed within the Humanising pedagogy which advances the accommodation of students' unique needs to develop their capacities for success. This theoretical framework is not adopted much in the open and distance learning context at postgraduate level and the use of supervisors' insights adds new knowledge to the field that is dominated by students' experiences. The study established that students do not communicate their disabilities to supervisors timely for early intervention, supervisors are responsive to students' challenges which include difficulties in academic writing and limited access to research resources and technologies, and supervisors experience systemic challenges in acquiring assistive technology for students with disabilities. This study proposes a humanised supervision model that advances disability inclusivity.

This study compared the outcome of Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention when supervision was given over videoconference for half of the meetings. This started after 3 months of intervention. The participating children were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and were randomly placed in either the videoconference group or in the onsite group. The dependent variables were autism severity, preferences for socially mediated stimuli and problematic behaviors. The independent variable was supervision onsite or by videoconference. The results showed no significant differences between the groups on any of the outcome measures. A limitation of this study was the small group sizes, which limits generalization of the results to other children and settings. Furthermore, the onsite group received some supervision sessions via videoconference due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, our tentative conclusion is that supervision via videoconference has the potential to replace onsite supervision at least partially, but that larger scale research in a variety of settings is needed.

Background: Two intervention approaches are implemented in South Africa to alleviate the deleterious consequences of congenital or early onset hearing impairment on language acquisition and subsequent poor learning outcomes. Aim: This study investigated the learning outcomes of foundation phase learners with severe to profound hearing impairment who received Listening and Spoken Language -- South Africa (LSL-SA) (adapted Auditory Verbal Therapy) therapy compared to those who received Traditional Speech-Language Therapy (TSLT). Setting: The study was conducted at four early intervention (EI) schools for children with hearing impairment across three provinces in South Africa. Methods: Data were collected through record reviews of their Speech-Language Therapy Outcomes and South African National Department of Basic Education academic report cards. Data were analysed using quantitative statistics. Results: Findings demonstrated that children with hearing impairment enrolled in LSL-SA outperformed those enrolled in TSLT in achieving age-equivalent language outcomes. A higher percentage of learners enrolled in LSL-SA achieved meritorious to outstanding learning outcomes. While a comparable number of learners progressed to mainstream schooling, children with hearing impairment enrolled in LSL-SA are enrolled for a shorter duration until discharge than those enrolled in TSLT. This is an important finding, particularly in low-middle income countries (LMICs). Conclusion: Listening and Spoken Language -- South Africa graduates achieved superior learning outcomes dependent on language attainment, providing contextually relevant evidence supporting the effectiveness of the LSL-SA EI approach. Contribution: These context-specific outcomes stress the obligation to upscale and fast-track EI services. Implications for investment in LSL-SA are proposed through collaboration between families, educators, and early interventionists.

Early literacy skills are essential for children's academic development. This research used a comprehensive approach that included observations, assessments, and interviews with children and educators from various kindergartens, which involved 1040 children and 99 teachers from 71 early childhood institutions. The comparison of difficulties in pronouncing letters was measured through observation and assessment of children's ability to recognize the shape and pronounce of letters using augmented reality digital flashcards with a companion application called KIDOPA. The results show that children have difficulty saying the letters b, d, m, w, p, q, n, u, x, and z while reading letters. These difficulties are linear with the teacher's understanding of the importance of teaching literacy to children.

Early identification of at-risk students for timely intervention is critical to prevent non-completion of study programs. This article proposes a flipped class framework to support the academic success of at-risk students in an undergraduate Calculus course. It comprises three main components of setting, conduct, and monitoring. A flipped support class was implemented as periodic sessions throughout the learning semester over six consecutive semesters for the selected total of 560 at-risk students. At-risk students who attended the flipped support class reported a higher passing percentage than those who did not, in each of the six semesters. A strong mathematics foundation contributed to the likelihood of passing the course; however, it can be further increased by attending more hours of the flipped support class.

Therapeutic playgroups have potential to benefit families and children enrolled in early intervention. A pretest-posttest, mixed methods, sequential explanatory design was utilized to explore the effectiveness and feasibility of an 8-week SEE Me (Social Emotional Education) therapeutic playgroup delivered by a collaborative team of providers using a convenience sample of 28 parent and child dyad participants and 19 early intervention providers. Results indicated statistically significant improvements in parent efficacy and parent-child interaction (affection and responsiveness) following participation. Parents and providers highlighted the role of the parent and reported improvements in child engagement, social interaction, and skill development in successful playgroups. Play activities and objects, facilitator support, and parent capacity were rated as supports for feasible delivery; challenges included child engagement and program implementation. These results provide preliminary evidence for both the effectiveness and feasibility of providing therapeutic playgroups as part of comprehensive early intervention services.

Preschoolers' language abilities are associated with their social interactions in early childhood classrooms. Few studies, however, have examined associations between social interactions and objective measures of children's real-time classroom language environments, information key to informing interventions to support preschool children at risk for language delays. In this pilot study, we examined associations between objective measures of real-time language environments (input and output) recorded via the Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) system and observations of children's positive and negative interactions with peers and teachers in an early intervention classroom for children with developmental delays (n = 9, seven girls). Mixed effects regression models revealed associations between children's language environments (input and output) and their social interactions with peers and teachers. More talkative children were more likely to have a high number of positive peer interactions. Children who received more language input from teachers were more likely to have a higher number of positive teacher--child interactions, an effect that was stronger for children with the lowest language output. The results of this pilot study build on prior research by using real-time objective measurement to examine how children's language input from peers and teachers and children's own language output supports positive interactions within early intervention classrooms.

The value of early intervention is well demonstrated; however, less is known about the processes that initial evaluation teams use to evaluate and determine young children's eligibility for early intervention (EI) and preschool special education. The present study surveyed multidisciplinary early childhood providers (N = 1445) who conduct initial evaluations for young children. Quantitative survey data were analyzed using descriptive analyses to describe the location of initial evaluations, tools used, team membership, and approaches to eligibility determination for children with possible delays and disabilities. Evaluation practices varied greatly, but evaluation teams most often included early childhood special educators and speech and language pathologists, school psychologists or other specialists were less frequently involved. Eligibility approaches were also wide-ranging with percentage delay and standard deviation below the mean most often used; several challenges when determining eligibility were also described. Evaluations for EI and preschool special education were compared to look at variations. Statistically significant differences were found when comparing evaluations focused on eligibility for EI or preschool special education. Implications and future directions are explored.

Reading comprehension is one of the most valuable academic skills taught in school. Selecting the appropriate assessment instrument to ensure early identification and intervention is important as there is an amalgam of cognitive abilities and academic skills involved in reading comprehension. The GORT-5 is the most recent edition of a test that measures reading rate, accuracy, fluency, and comprehension among school-age children and young adults. The current study evaluated the concurrent validity of the GORT-5 with the WJ-IV ACH for a group of referred students. Findings indicate that Pearson correlation coefficients for all GORT-5 and WJ-IV ACH score comparisons were very large (0.70-0.89). Generally, GORT-5 scores were 2-3 points higher than WJ-IV ACH cluster scores. The diagnostic accuracy of the GORT-5 is excellent, with very few students' scores yielding a false negative.

We conducted a multi-pronged investigation of different types of reporting bias in autism early childhood intervention research. First, we investigated the prevalence of reporting failures of completed trials registered on clinicaltrials.gov, and found that only 7% of registered trials were updated with results on the registration platform and only 64% had associated published reports. Next, we investigated the extent to which inadequate reporting prevents inclusion in meta-analytic summary estimates by identifying reports of studies that were eligible for inclusion in a prior meta-analysis, and found that 25% were excluded due to inadequate reporting. Finally, we investigated selective reporting practices by analyzing the protocols of the studies included in the meta-analysis which had been registered on any trial registry and coding their timing, completeness, and consistency. We found that 23% of studies were pre-registered, 71% were late-registered, and 5% were registered at an unclear date. Only 8% of registrations specified all of the necessary components. Evidence of selective reporting was common; 36% failed to report a registered outcome, 61% reported unregistered outcomes, 23% switched primary and secondary outcomes, and 43% had assessment timepoints that differed from registration specification. Given the inadequacy of registration and reporting practices, we offer practical recommendations to facilitate improvement for the field of autism research.

Caregiver coaching in early intervention (EI) can lead to positive outcomes for young children with delays and disabilities and their families. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, some EI providers reported coaching caregivers more frequently. However, EI providers' use of caregiver coaching is inconsistent, and there is a need for more effective personnel preparation in this area. In this qualitative study we explored EI providers' beliefs about what factors contributed to their increased use of caregiver coaching during the pandemic. Participants reported two areas that contributed to their use of caregiver coaching: service delivery (e.g., telepractice, role changes, and caregiver expectations for services) and learning opportunities (e.g., personal growth and reflection, educational resources, and collaboration). Implications include the need for policies that allow and promote access to telepractice services and the importance of using a variety of adult learning strategies when delivering in-service and pre-service preparation related to caregiver coaching.

Functional communication training (FCT) is an evidence-based practice that can be applied across multiple populations of students. Despite extensive research support for FCT, its use can be impractical or ineffective if utilized with students who are from culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse backgrounds. That is because cultural implications are not considered through all intervention stages. In this article, we present culturally responsive strategies across each FCT step with the intent to improve (a) the implementation of FCT in schools and (b) the behavior of students with disabilities who can benefit from this intervention.

This study aims to examine children's actions in relation to the preschool teacher's scaffolding action in a context where an interactive whiteboard (IWB) is used. Over five months, 22 children aged between 4 and 6 years old, along with their five preschool teachers, were video observed. The study of these teaching moments has provided a rich seam of evidence that details the ways children act in relation to their teacher's scaffolding. The results show that children manifest 12 distinct actions including: Giving short responses, Approaching the IWB to engage in the teaching activities; Explaining, Experimenting; Smiling and laughing; Pointing and showing; Working together; Challenging each other; Solving a problem; Using language in meaningful contexts; Expressing emotions; and Comparing the similarities and differences. By mapping children's actions in the scaffolding process, which are often undermined or ignored in the existing research, the findings of this study have expanded and deepened our understanding of the scaffolding process and the notion of scaffolding itself. The findings, further, exemplify how just providing support can contribute to early childhood education, since early interventions, such as the ways preschool teachers scaffold children's actions, are particularly crucial for children's learning and development.

Background: Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act mandates that eligible children under age three receive free access to early intervention (EI) through state-based programs. Despite a robust "Child Find" system, enrollment remains lower than expected. Community and medical professionals often rely on parent report of service utilization to gauge whether children are receiving developmental services. Understanding the reliability of parent report of EI can guide strategies to increase EI participation. Objective: To assess the extent to which parental reports of Part C EI services agree with state-based service records. Method: We address this research objective among 162 children and their parents from marginalized communities in Boston, MA and New Haven, CT who were identified as having a higher likelihood of autism and participated in a randomized controlled trial to facilitate access to autism evaluation and treatment. Parents reported whether their child was currently receiving EI services at four time points and released their child's EI service records from state agencies. Results: Overall agreement between parent and service records was 70% and ranged from fair to moderate and service-specific agreement ranged from 46% to 81.6%. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive/negative predictive values ranged widely for both overall and service-specific EI use. We found no differences in agreement by sociodemographic characteristics, but agreement was higher when children received EI services at home. Conclusions: Our findings support community and medical professionals' elicitation of children's EI service use from parents, especially for participation in EI overall and for physical and occupational therapy.

Part C Early Intervention (EI) systems are an entry point to services for autistic toddlers and can be leveraged to facilitate access to autism evidence-based practices (EBPs). However, EI systems are complex and limited research has examined how an EI system's infrastructure (i.e. system-level factors) impacts the adoption and implementation of EBPs. To address this gap, 36 EI providers and 9 EI administrators completed a semi-structured interview or focus group about factors impacting the implementation of autism EBPs. Qualitative analysis included a combination of grounded theory and causative coding. Analyses were refined by input from providers, administrators, and family stakeholders in the form of round tables and presentations at the state's interagency coordinating council. Primary themes centered on: (1) the costs associated with independent contracting structures; (2) operational demands; (3) workforce stability; (4) communication consistency; and (5) implementation supports for EBP implementation. Causative coding helped to demonstrate the perceived relationships between these factors and underscored the important role of incentivization structures, collaboration opportunities, and championing in supporting the use of EBPs within a system that primarily uses independent contracting structures. The current study extends previous research by demonstrating how several system-level factors are perceived to play a role in the adoption and implementation of EBPs by independently contracted EI providers. These findings underscore the need for implementation strategies, such as incentivization strategies and social network building, to increase providers' implementation of autism EBPs within EI systems.

Purpose: According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), prevention, identification, assessment, and intervention of children who are learning to read and write are within the scope of practice for school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs). Furthermore, for SLPs who work in the school setting, it is not uncommon to have struggling readers and poor spellers on their caseloads. Importantly, for students who have difficulty in spelling, their spelling errors are among the early indicators of dyslexia and can provide a means for identifying readers who may benefit from early intervention. SLPs can both assess spelling skills and implement evidence-based spelling and literacy diagnosis and instruction. Spelling instruction in kindergarten through the high school grades that is heavily grounded in metalinguistic activities can provide access to mental representations of word spellings, pronunciations, and meanings; links between whole-word and phonics approaches to reading instruction; and a foundation for reading fluency and comprehension. Conclusions: Learning to spell is essential for learning to read. Accordingly, this tutorial aims to elucidate how to (a) assess and identify phases of spelling development and (b) teach spelling to facilitate reading through a listening-first approach.

Many autistic children require support to meet their learning needs. Given the heterogeneity within the autism spectrum it is plausible that different types of support might be better suited to different children. However, knowledge on what interventions work best for which children is limited. We examined the outcomes of autistic preschool-aged children receiving one of two community early intervention approaches. Our main objective was to understand which baseline child characteristics might be associated with the degree of individual response to intervention--whether prognostically (i.e., irrespective of intervention received) or predictively (i.e., specifically in the context of one or other EI approach). Participants comprised two matched groups of preschool-aged autistic children receiving either Group-based Early Start Denver Model (G-ESDM; n = 42) delivered in a 1:3-4 staff:child ratio or an Early Intensive Behavioural Intervention (EIBI; n = 40) delivered in combination of 1:1 and 1:2 staff:child ratio. Over an approximate one-year follow-up period, children in both groups made significant gains in Developmental Quotient (DQ) scores, and trend-level gains in adaptive behaviour composite scores. Higher attention to a playful adult measured via an eye-tracking task was prognostically indicative of better verbal DQ and adaptive behaviour outcomes for the cohort overall. Moderation analyses indicated a single predictive effect--of pre-program sustained attention for subsequent NVDQ outcomes specific to those children receiving G-ESDM. These findings suggest that fine-grained measures of learning skills offer promise towards the selection and tailoring of intervention approaches to meet individual children's learning needs.

Purpose: This research aimed to evaluate evidence of Pathways parent-mediated early autism intervention as a culturally and linguistically sensitive intervention (CLSI) for Hispanic families with autistic children. Methods: We used Bernal et al.'s ecologically valid (EV) framework to evaluate current practice and Hispanic parents' perceptions of Pathways 1 ½ years after completing the intervention. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. Nineteen parents were contacted, of which 11 completed a semi-structured interview about their experience with Pathways. Results: On average, the group that completed the interview was less educated, had more monolingual Spanish speakers, and rated their general experience with the intervention slightly more positively than those who did not agree to complete the interview. A review of Pathways's current practices through the lens of the EV framework suggested that Pathways was a CLSI for Hispanic participants in the domains of context, methods, language, and persons. Parental interviews echoed these strengths. However, Pathways did less well balancing evidence-based intervention strategies for autistic children with the heritage value of "respeto." Conclusion: Pathways demonstrated strengths regarding cultural and linguistic sensitivity for Hispanic families with young autistic children. Future work with our community stakeholder group will integrate heritage and majority culture perspectives to strengthen Pathways as a CLSI.

The purpose of this study was to examine potential differences in social learning between individuals with fragile X syndrome (FXS), the leading known inherited cause of intellectual disability, and individuals with non-syndromic autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Thirty school-aged males with FXS and 26 age and symptom-matched males with non-syndromic ASD, were administered a behavioral treatment probe designed to improve levels of social gaze during interactions with others. The treatment probe was administered by a trained behavior therapist over two days in our laboratory and included reinforcement of social gaze in two alternating training conditions -- looking while listening and looking while speaking. Prior to each session, children in each group were taught progressive muscle relaxation and breathing techniques to counteract potential increased hyperarousal. Measures included the rate of learning in each group during treatment, in addition to levels of social gaze and heart rate obtained during administration of a standardized social conversation task administered prior to and following the treatment probe. Results showed that learning rates obtained during administration of the treatment probe were significantly less steep and less variable for males with FXS compared to males with non-syndromic ASD. Significant improvements in social gaze were also observed for males with FXS during the social conversation task. There was no effect of the treatment probe on heart rate in either group. These data reveal important differences in social learning between the two groups and have implications for early interventions in the two conditions.

Many instructors use a syllabus quiz to ensure that students learn and understand the content of the syllabus. In this project, I move beyond this exercise's primary function and examine students' syllabus quiz scores to see if they can predict how well students perform in the course overall. Using data from 495 students enrolled in 18 sections of an Introduction to Sociology course, I find that students who do not earn a maximum score on the syllabus quiz are more likely to receive a lower final course grade and are less likely to pass the course than their top-scoring counterparts. These findings allow instructors to identify struggling students as early as the first week of the semester and design interventions that will match up with students' particular needs and strengths. Furthermore, this project demonstrates the pedagogical usefulness of the syllabus quiz beyond its initial purpose of testing students' knowledge of course policies and procedures.

The "1,2,3,emoció!" is a universal preschool program of emotional education for children aged 3-5 years that has positive effect on emotional competence. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of this program specifically in 3- to 5-year-old children with autism spectrum conditions. The effectiveness was evaluated during the first year of implementation (school year 2018-2019) in Barcelona. We conducted a cluster randomized community trial, with schools as units of randomization. The children's level of emotional competence was evaluated with the validated Emotional Competence Assessment Questionnaire (score range from 30 to 180). We designed a linear regression model for paired measures. The dependent variable was the final Emotional Competence Assessment Questionnaire score adjusted by the initial score, sex, and grade. The sample consisted of 49 children with autism spectrum conditions, of which 11 were girls. Children in the intervention group showed an increase from the initial score to the final score that was almost three times higher (16.1) than the increase observed in children in the comparison group (6.6). The difference between the two groups was statistically significant, with 8.9 points (95% confidence interval: 1.2-16.6) attributed to the intervention. We conclude that the "1,2,3,emoció!" universal program has the potential to be effective in children with autism spectrum conditions.

To address the variability of naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention outcomes, the current study sought to isolate the effects of the instructional strategies of caregiver-mediated naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions. In this comparative efficacy trial, mothers of 111 autistic children (18-48 months) were randomized to learn one of two sets of naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention language facilitation strategies (responsive or directive). We aimed to characterize the effect of strategy type on language outcomes and explore the extent to which joint engagement outcomes mediated language outcomes. Children in the directive condition had significantly greater scores across multiple language assessments. At follow-up, the effect of strategy type on the frequency of spontaneous directed communication acts was fully mediated by coordinated joint engagement (indirect effect = -2.070, 95% CI = [-4.394, -0.06], p < 0.05). Thus, children may benefit from caregiver prompts to facilitate long-term language outcomes. The current study is an initial step in the identification of the mechanisms of caregiver-mediated NDBIs.

The social and emotional development of students is one of the important goals of inclusive education. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the multidimensional social and emotional competencies of students with special educational needs (SEN), with a focus on identifying the areas in which they achieve the highest and lowest levels of proficiency. Furthermore, it will be investigated whether there are gender differences in the social and emotional competencies of students with SEN, and differences in comparison to students without SEN. This research is based on the CASEL conceptual framework of social and emotional learning. A random sample of teachers (N = 54) assess the social and emotional competencies of both students with SEN (N = 54) and students without SEN (N = 54) with Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA). Participants completed questionnaires online in spring of 2021. The results show that students with SEN exhibit the highest level of competence in relationship skills and optimistic thinking, whereas the lowest level of competence is found in goal-directed behaviour and self-management. There were no discernible gender differences observed in the social and emotional competences of students with SEN. Compared to students without SEN, they exhibit statistically significant lower levels of every social and emotional competency. The findings indicate the necessity of implementing interventions targeting goal-directed behaviours and self-management of students with SEN.

Naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions are an empirically supported intervention approach for young autistic children. Despite the prevalence of disruptive behaviors among autistic children, most manualized caregiver-mediated naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions include limited formal guidance on when and how to manage disruptive behavior. The present study sought to characterize how clinicians address disruptive behaviors within the caregiver-mediated naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention, Project ImPACT, the effect of disruptive behavior on Project ImPACT delivery, and the extent to which disruptive behavior impacts social communication outcomes. Data collection was embedded within outpatient early intervention services and included clinicians' report of adaptations to address behavior within the electronic medical record, child social communication outcomes from 124 children and their caregivers, and interviews with certified Project ImPACT coaches and trainers. Results indicate that close to one-third of Project ImPACT sessions included adaptations made to address behavior and regulation. Furthermore, adaptations made to address disruptive behavior were associated with more adaptations to Project ImPACT overall, although behavior adaptations were not associated with child social communication outcomes. Qualitatively, clinicians described using a flexible approach to integrate content and coaching related to behavior and regulation. The present study indicates several future directions for supporting clinicians in addressing behavior and regulation within the naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention framework.

Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services are critical points of intervention for children impacted by trauma. Intervention Mapping was utilised to develop an initiative for trauma-informed organisational change in ECEC. This paper describes how the research team understood the need and opportunity for the program using Intervention Mapping Step 1. This included: (i) convening a planning group, (ii) conducting needs assessment, (iii) describing the context for intervention, and (iv) establishing program goals. Benefits, challenges, and recommendations on using Intervention Mapping for program development in ECEC settings are discussed.

Despite consensus on the importance of early detection and intervention for autistic children, health disparities exist, limiting access to timely services. One specific service type in the United States is Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part C Early Intervention programs, which are federally funded interventions for children birth-to-three with developmental delays. This study aimed to assess access to Part C, Early Intervention services for children who were evaluated for autism spectrum disorder and to examine factors that predicted parent-reported access to these services. This study extracted sociodemographic and service access data from the medical records of 709 children aged 12-40 months who were evaluated for autism spectrum disorder. Results showed that only 50% of the sample had reportedly accessed Part C, Early Intervention services. Those who identified as Black had decreased odds of having accessed Part C, Early Intervention, relative to those who identified as White, while those with a lower age of first parent concern had increased odds of having accessed Part C, Early Intervention. When inputting the independently significant variables into the model, both variables, identifying as Black and a lower age of first concern, remained significantly associated with accessing Part C, Early Intervention. Future work should investigate how these disparities come to be.

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has risen significantly in the past two decades. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of mental health providers who have specialized training in delivering evidenced-based services to this population. Early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) is an evidenced-based treatment recommended for toddlers with ASD, and school psychologists are uniquely positioned to help children with ASD receive it. However, many school psychologists do not receive adequate training in this subspecialty. This paper makes recommendations to school psychology training programs about how to add or improve training in this subspecialty based on the results of an Office of Special Education Programs grant-funded ASD training program which involved collaboration between a NASP-approved and APA-accredited school psychology training program and a community-based early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) clinic. The grant supported development of an interdisciplinary didactic and clinical training program to increase the ASD knowledge, skills, and competencies of school psychology graduate students, with the broader goals of developing a replicable training model and increasing the workforce of trained providers for this underserved population. Fifteen graduate students completed the training program. Outcomes related to trainee knowledge, skills, and competencies, trainee satisfaction, and lessons learned over time analyzed within a logic model that guided the project's development and execution can be informative for other school psychology programs undertaking training in this subspecialty.