A high prevalence of maltreatment, abuse, neglect and the onset of subsequent trauma has been well-documented among both young people with disability and young people residing in foster and kinship care. However, no uniform policies or guidelines currently exist for the delivery of trauma-informed models of care to build the capacity of foster and…

The implicit and explicit messages early childhood practitioners send about disability have important consequences for young children's developing identities and sense of belonging. The authors discuss how practitioners can cultivate early learning communities in which the identities of all young children, with and without disabilities, are…

Lead is a naturally occurring element that is extremely toxic to human beings. When children inadvertently ingest lead, their bodies confuse it with calcium, iron, and other nutritional essential metals, causing toxicity. School psychologists more than ever are in perfect positions, with the proper training, to possibly identify children who are…

Early intervention (EI) providers--who deliver Part C services under the purview of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for children birth-3 years old with/at risk of disabilities--play an important role in promoting the development of young children and their caregivers. Enhancing caregiver capacity to meet the developmental…

Twice-exceptional (2E) students are those who demonstrate a gift or talent in one or more areas and have a disability in another area. One identifying characteristic of 2E children is asynchronous development, or the display of unusual talent or maturity in one or more areas alongside a struggle to develop in other areas. Asynchronous development…

The only consistency with children, with and without disabilities, is that they are inconsistent. Much of a child's behavior is adult controlled by their reaction, methods used, and consistency in support and discipline. When adults change the way they respond to the child's behaviors, the child gradually will learn to modify their behavior.…

This article offers a view of the evolution of Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education (EI/ECSE) in the United States. This view of the field's growth and change over time reflects the personal memories, experiences, and perspectives of Diane Bricker, who reviews the evolutionary changes in EI/ECSE based on her experiences with a…

Play is a critical milestone that contributes to the learning and development of young children in multiple ways and is essential to their well-being. Play is also considered as a central component to promote school readiness and incorporates pre-literacy, language and numeracy skills. However, play deficits seem to be acutely apparent in…

The Shaping Futures Together agenda highlights policies and investments that families and practitioners say will ensure all children thrive. This playbook provides recommended policy and research strategies that Start Early believes will help to realize those priorities. Each section includes legislative and administrative policy recommendations…

It is generally accepted that warm and meaningful parent-child interactions during children's earliest years of life play an important part in supporting young children's cognitive, language, and social-emotional development. In addition, connections between children's home and any out-of-home early childhood experiences are viewed as important to…

The science and practice of early childhood development now stands ready to address the needs and ensure the rights of infants and young children with disabilities and their families, among the most underserved and marginalized in all regions of the world. Synergies in global policies such as the "United Nations Convention on the Rights of…

Early Discovery is a program that supports mildly delayed young children who did not qualify for Part B/C services. Our goals were to: (1) provide high-quality services; (2) educate and empower parents/caregivers; (3) link families to community resources; and (4) reduce the need for special education. Services included speech-language,…

The first issue of "Childhood Education," published in 1924, included an article by the eminent physician, Arnold Gesell. In the article, "The Significance of the Nursery School" he advocated for early childhood education, indicating its importance for both promoting the development of young children and supporting and…

To equitably and effectively serve children, families, schools, and communities, school psychologists must appreciate the dynamic interaction that exists between many variables. Using Bronfenbrenner's (1979) ecological systems theory as an example, this comprehensive conceptual framework provides a model for understanding how interconnected…

Sensory processing disorder occurs when one's body is unable to deal successfully with the information that it receives through its senses. The manifestation of this inability can appear in many ways, but, in order for the disorder label to apply, it must occur with frequency, intensity, and/or duration. Such dysfunction generally appears through…