Possessing sufficient social skills is a crucial aspect of child development. The level of social skill that a child has is a strong predictor of their future behavioral functioning and academic achievement. Due to the impact social skills have on a child's later life, having a better understanding of how to enhance social development is…

Play is an important component of a child's development and learning. Research studies on play therapy have shown the benefits it has on developmental areas such as behavior control, assertiveness, task orientation, and social skills. Primary Project is a school-based play intervention which has consistently shown improved social and emotional…

The prevalence of late language emergence (LLE) in young children is high, comprising 10 to 20% of toddlers. Late language emergence refers to children who do not use at least 50 single words and 2-word phrases at the age of two. Current best practices for the under-three population with or at risk of having disabilities include the use of…

Despite changes in laws and access to education, individuals with disabilities continue to have fewer positive postsecondary outcomes than their non-disabled peers (Shogren et al., 2015). Negative secondary and postsecondary outcomes for individuals with disabilities include failure to graduate from high school, lack of postsecondary education,…

In Taiwan, the high prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems in children has increased public awareness of young children's social-emotional development in recent years. Early identification of social-emotional delays for all young children, and subsequent early intervention (EI) with ongoing monitoring for children with special needs are…

Program-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PWPBIS), an early childhood extension of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), is a multi-tiered system of supports that has shown promise in fostering the social, emotional, and behavioral development of young children in preschool settings. The literature indicates…

Social-emotional development is foundational to children's health, and academic outcomes. This study examined the effect of a child-centered play therapy intervention on the social-emotional competency of a group of 5 "at risk" third graders. Participants were recruited from a Tier 1 elementary school and social-emotional competency was…

The topic of the three chapters of this dissertation is empowering caregivers of children with or at high likelihood for autism to implement interventions in home settings with high fidelity to promote their child's social communication development. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the previous studies focused on caregiver-implemented early…

Childhood trauma carries multiple implications that adversely impact children; not only does it negatively impact mental health and well-being, resulting in behavioral issues at home and in the classroom, but it also has lasting, negative consequences on an individual's mental and physical health throughout their lifespan. Trauma-informed care…

The purpose of this phenomenological case study was to explore the implementation of Nebraska Rule 52 Primary Service Provider model from the perspectives of the Primary Service Providers as well as the Services Coordinator. This study explored how the Primary Service Provider model is effectively meeting the needs of the child and family in the…

This study utilizes the Brigance screener historical data to make a prediction of which prior settings students will come to kindergarten not-ready. It also uses prior settings data to look at subcategories of the composite score to inform an intervention plan to combat kindergarten not-ready scores. The research concluded that there is a…

The consequences of trauma and chronic toxic stress on young children's social and neurobiological developments are numerous and well-documented in the literature (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2020; Jimenez et al., 2016; Sciaraffa et al., 2018; Statman-Weil, 2015; Zeng et al., 2019). Children exposed to trauma during early…

For early intervention services, DEC (2014) recommends the Primary Service Provider (PSP) model, in which one provider serves as primary liaison between the family and other team members. The model focuses on the role of families and caregivers in child development, interventions aligned with natural learning environment practices, and…

Play is essential to children's growth and development. For many years, theorists have defined play as active, engaging, and interactive. Play has been identified as a way in which children communicate and learn. Such skills are important as children interact and communicate with their family members, teachers, peers, and the community at large.…

Little research about fathers with young children with developmental disabilities or delays and their participation in early intervention/Part C programs is available. This study adds to existing scholarship through a narrative inquiry into the experiences of six fathers with children who have participated in early intervention services. Emergent…