EC Special Educators

1
EC Special Educators

• conceptualizer
• synthesizer
• instructor
• evaluator
• listener

2
The Role of the Early Childhood Special Educator

• Assess development
• plan intervention
• implement intervention
• coordinate services
• follow through with recommendations from others
• assess family resources, priorities, and concerns
• plan and implement services for families
• coordinate interagency services
• conduct program evaluation
• serve as an advocate for children families

3
Practice Defined

• Best
• A label that is commonly applied to quality
  programs instruction. Best practice implies
  that there is one set of instruction that is
  appropriate for all children
• Developmentally Appropriate
• High quality early childhood education which
  provides a safe and nurturing environment that
  promotes the physical, social, emotional, and
  cognitive development of young children while
  responding to the needs of families
• Recommended
• Curriculum instruction that is
• research based family-centered
• multicultural normalized
• cross-disciplinary
• developmentally chronologically age-appropriate

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Developmentally Appropriate Practice

• Age Appropriateness instruction and experiences
  of children are appropriate to the physical,
  emotional, social, and cognitive developmental
  levels of the children as predicted by the
  universal, predictable sequences of growth and
  change that occur in children between birth and
  age 9.
• Individual Appropriateness The curriculum and
  the adults interactions with children should be
  responsive to childrens individual differences.

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Guidelines of DAP

• I. Curriculum
• A. Provides for all areas of development
• B. Is based on observations of childrens needs
  and interests
• C. Curriculum planning emphasizes learning as an
  interaction process explorations interaction
  with environment
• D. Experiences (lessons) should be concrete,
  real, and relevant
• E. Provides for a wider range of interests and
  abilities than the chronological age range of the
  group suggests
• F. Teachers vary the materials, activities, and
  experiences as the children change and grow

6
DAP Guidelines Continued

• G. Give opportunities to choose
• H. adults facilitate childrens learning
• I. Provide multicultural nonsexist
  experiences, materials, and equipment
• J. Balance rest and active movement
• K. Include outdoor experiences
• II. Guidelines to adult behavior
• A. Respond quickly and directly to children
• B. Provide opportunities for communication
• C. Provide support, focused attention, physical
  proximity, and encouragement
• D. Use appropriate behavior management techniques

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DAP Guidelines Continued

• III. Home School
• A. Encourage participation and observation
• B. Share expertise resources
• C. Show respect
• IV. Developmental Evaluation
• A. Use assessment information to adapt
  curriculum to match the developmental needs of
  children, to communicate with families, and to
  evaluate the programs effectiveness
• B. Use developmental assessments and
  observations to identify children with special
  needs abilities
• C. Interpret evaluative information according to
  the childs unique cultural and familial
  background
• D. School placement should be developmentally
  appropriate

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References

• Bredekamp, S. Developmentally appropriate
  practice in early childhood programs serving
  children from birth through age 8. Washington,
  DC National Association for the Education of
  Young Children.
• Noonan, M. J., McCormick, L. (1993). Early
  Intervention in natural environments Methods
  and procedures. Pacific Grove, CA Brooks/Cole
  Publishing Co.
• Odom, S. L. McLean, M. E. (1996). Early
  Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education
  Recommended Practices. Austin, TX Pro-ed.
• National Association for the Education of Young
  children (NAEYC) Division for Early Childhood of
  the Council for Exceptional Children (DEC/CEC),
  National Board for Professional Teaching
  Standards (NBPTS). (1996). Guidelines for
  preparation of early childhood professionals.
  Washington, DC NAEYC.