Part C Early Intervention is intended to build capacity among caregivers of infants and toddlers with special needs to use tailored strategies in natural environments. Satisfaction and perceived strategy use, however, remain unclear. In a Northeastern home-based program, caregivers (n = 195; 33% response) and providers (n = 66; 33% response)…

Early childhood educators should be prepared to intervene when children demonstrate challenging behaviors. Researchers have reported many factors that may influence teachers' behavior management strategies. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among specific program, teacher, and child factors and teachers'…

The purpose of this study was to assess the developmental progression of preschoolers' abilities to draw and paint. Over 3 years, 68 children were observed easel painting 595 times and 65 children were observed drawing 545 times. Results of hierarchical linear modeling indicated that (a) the complexity of children's drawings and paintings…

The four major components of developmentally appropriate practice (curriculum, adult-child interaction, relationships between home and program, developmental evaluation) are used as the framework for analyzing differences and similarities of recommended practices in early childhood education and early childhood special education. (Author/DB)

This article examines contextual issues relevant to the application of developmentally appropriate practices to young children with special needs. Appropriate practices recognized by the National Association for the Education of Young Children are compared with those published by the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional…

This response to an article comparing guidelines for developmentally appropriate practice from the fields of early childhood education and early intervention/special education stresses the importance of recognizing the uniqueness of both disciplines and of getting recommended practices into actual practice. (DB)

This brief article responds to a previous article on guidelines developed by professional associations for developmentally appropriate early childhood special education practices. The importance of individualization in the application of practices is emphasized, and sample criteria are offered for evaluating the practices. (DB)

This response to a previous article comparing guidelines for developmentally appropriate practice in the fields of early childhood education and early intervention/special education stresses the importance of individualizing application of principles and the need to look beyond effectiveness and efficiency as dimensions for evaluating practice.…

Describes a statewide project in Connecticut that attempted to meet the training and support needs of childcare providers as they included greater numbers of children with disabilities into their programs. The Training for Inclusion Project emphasized family-centered practices, transdisciplinary team process delivery, and developmentally…