Early Childhood Special Education Research Articles

Early Childhood Special Education STARS: A Five-Point Model for Addressing the Teacher Shortage

There is currently a crisis-level shortage of qualified early childhood educators, including early childhood special educators. Teacher preparation programs must address the shortage through effective teacher recruiting, training, and retention strategies. We recommend a five-point STARS model that includes: (a) Supplemental funding during field placements, (b) Teacher preparation that leads to early childhood education and early childhood special education dual licensure, (c) Advocacy at the local, state, and national levels, (d) Relationships between teacher training programs and local public and private early learning centers, and (e) Supportive and ongoing mentoring for in-service early childhood special educators. This manuscript provides an overview of this STARS model with specific recommendations for teacher educators.

Preparing Teacher Candidates for Inclusive Practice: A Program Overview

This paper provides a programmatic overview of an early childhood education (ECE), dual-licensure personnel preparation program in the Midwest. The foundation of the ECE program includes blended faculty from general and special education, a cohort model, field placements every semester, and continual review and innovative practices. The ECE Program is offered in both campus-based and online delivery models to meet the needs of prospective students across the state and region. Faculty have recently expanded the program array to include two additional online programs to meet the changing needs of the workforce: a non-license credential-based bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in public policy. The ECE program’s unique components and multiple offerings position it well to prepare teacher candidates to educate all children within inclusive settings. Future directions include developing a master’s degree in early childhood special education. Key words: early childhood, personnel preparation, dual-licensure

Reimagining Preparation for Early Intervention Providers

Preparing highly qualified Part C early intervention providers to serve eligible infants and toddlers and their families is crucial. Currently, there is no licensure for early childhood special education in the state of New Mexico, leaving many Part C providers without the necessary preparation. Project RISE, Reimagining Intervention to Support Early Childhood, a grant funded through the Office of Special Education Programs, will create a Multicultural Early Intervention Concentration within the existing Early Childhood Education Birth-Four non-licensure program. The aim of this project is to reimagine the preparation of early intervention providers through the infusion of culturally sustaining practices, strengths-based practices, and Yosso's community cultural wealth model. This manuscript will describe Project RISE, including the relevant New Mexico context; the development of Project RISE competencies, courses, and practicum experiences; the development of and collaboration with our affiliated faculty team and advisory board; scholar recruitment; and lessons learned thus far.

Mapping Global Research on Early Childhood Special Education: A Bibliometric Analysis

Early childhood special education is a scientific field that is gaining worldwide attention. This study uses bibliometric and social network analysis methods to analyze early childhood special education research published in international journals. Therefore, the articles in the WoS database were accessed. WoS is a database of the most prestigious journals indexed SSCI, SCI-Expanded, AHCI, and ESCI. A total of 2051 articles meeting the determined criteria were included in the research. We used the VoSviewer software to perform the analyses and then interpreted the results. According to the research findings, the number of works published in the related field has increased significantly. The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders has emerged as the most prolific publisher of articles on this topic. The United States stands out as the most productive country. Dawson, G. is the most effective and cited author. The most frequently used word in the studies examined was autism. It appears that political developments in the field of early childhood special education may contribute to this increase. In addition, the analysis revealed that a certain number of leading countries and researchers have made significant contributions to the field. İnfluential journals in the field of early childhood special education studies, it is noted, focus on special education.

Family and Staff Cooperation in Early Childhood Special Education

Introduction: Early childhood is a critical period for supporting children's development. The role of families and the staff responsible for the services is crucial in supports to be provided in the development of children with special needs. In this study, stakeholders' cooperation processes were examined in the context of family-staff and staff-staff cooperation. Method: The participants are 12 staff and seven parents at a special education center. The data of the study, which was conducted in the phenomenological design of qualitative research methods, were obtained with the semi-structured interview technique and analyzed with content analysis. Findings: Findings were discussed under the titles cooperation experiences, family participation and needs, early childhood special education, staff, institution features, opinion and suggestions. Six main themes and 18 subthemes were reached. Discussion: The findings of the study were consistent with the findings of the studies examining the cooperation process in special education services in the literature. Physical features of the institution, its operation in accordance with legal regulations and the staff's efficiency are effective in meeting families' needs of information and social support. Families need cooperation with staff expert in different fields in the process of starting education of children with special needs after early diagnosis and evaluation. The role of families and the directors and staff of the special education institutions are critical in maintaining the cooperation. Parents' needs such as information, social and psychological support must be met in line with the family participation. Family participation should be supported through accessible digital-based cooperation programs, professional skills of staff must be developed, and the physical features of institutions must be improved.

Early childhood education and early childhood special education teachers’ perceived stress, burnout, and depressive symptoms

The current study examines the relationships between teachers’ job demands and resources, perceived stress, job burnout, and depressive symptoms through an online survey administered to early childhood education (ECE: n = 143) and early childhood special education (ECSE: n = 121) teachers in a western state of the United States. Results showed no difference between ECE and ECSE teachers in their levels of job demands, resources, perceived stress, job burnout, and depressive symptoms. Both ECE and ECSE teachers’ job-related stressors were positively related to their perceived stress, and their job commitment was negatively associated with job burnout. However, there were some differences in the correlates of job burnout between ECE and ECSE teachers. For ECE teachers, the number of children with disabilities and their teaching efficacy predicted their job burnout, whereas with ECSE teachers, job-related stressors and the supportiveness of school climate (or the lack thereof) were indirectly related to their job burnout through their perceived stress. The current study suggests that providing professional development for these teachers and enhancing a school’s supportive climate will promote the well-being of both ECE and ECSE teachers.

A Team-Based Approach to IEP Data Collection in the Early Childhood Special Education Classroom

A Team-Based Approach to IEP Data Collection in the Early Childhood Special Education Classroom

Current and preferred services of specialized professionals in childcare settings in Quebec, Canada: A descriptive survey of childcare administrators' perspectives.

Many challenges exist in promoting inclusion in childcare settings. Adequate support from specialized professionals is necessary to create inclusive childcare settings. Understanding which services are being delivered by specialized professionals in childcare contexts is an important first step. The aim of this study was to (1) describe the services currently being delivered by specialized professionals in childcare settings in Quebec (Canada) and (2) seek childcare administrators' perspectives on their preferred services. An online province-wide descriptive survey was conducted with childcare administrators (n = 344). Questions focused on 11 service delivery dimensions (e.g. professionals involved, children served). Descriptive statistics were calculated. Childcare settings received services from a median of two specialized professionals (IQR [1-4]). Most services were delivered by early childhood special educators (61.3%), speech-language pathologists (57.6%), psycho-educators (43.6%) and occupational therapists (43.3%). Childcare administrators identified these four services as being particularly supportive. Professionals delivered a median of 0.4h of service per week in each childcare setting (IQR [0.1-3.0]). A high percentage (91.2%) of administrators reported unmet needs for professional support in at least one developmental domain, with a high percentage (57.3%) of administrators identifying needs in the socio-emotional domain. Most (63.3%) expressed a desire to prioritize services for children without an established diagnosis but identified by early childhood educators as having needs for professional support. Most administrators (71.4%) also preferred in-context services. Childcare administrators perceive an important role for specialized professionals in supporting inclusion in their settings. Recommendations emerging are based on the four main professional service needs identified: (1) increasing the intensity and stability of services; (2) providing services for undiagnosed children identified by early childhood educators as having unmet needs; (3) ensuring that services encompassing all developmental domains with a focus on the socio-emotional domain; and (4) prioritizing of in-context services.

The Perception of Instructional Design Principles for Metaverse in Education Among Pre-service Early Childhood Special Education Teacher

The Perception of Instructional Design Principles for Metaverse in Education Among Pre-service Early Childhood Special Education Teacher

Survey on early childhood special education teachers’ needs for inclusive education for young children with disabilities using borich’s needs and the locus for focus model analysis

Survey on early childhood special education teachers’ needs for inclusive education for young children with disabilities using borich’s needs and the locus for focus model analysis

The Mediating Effect of Stress Coping Methods in the Relationship Between Job Stress and Job Satisfaction of Early Childhood Special Education Teachers

The Mediating Effect of Stress Coping Methods in the Relationship Between Job Stress and Job Satisfaction of Early Childhood Special Education Teachers

Analysis of Early Childhood Special Education Teachers’ Perception of Edutech Using Metaphors

Analysis of Early Childhood Special Education Teachers’ Perception of Edutech Using Metaphors

A Qualitative Study on Co-Teaching Implementation between Early Childhood Special Education Teachers and Early Childhood Teachers at Inclusive Classrooms in Public Kindergartens

A Qualitative Study on Co-Teaching Implementation between Early Childhood Special Education Teachers and Early Childhood Teachers at Inclusive Classrooms in Public Kindergartens

A Qualitative Study on Exploring the Resilience Factors of Novice Early Childhood Special Education Teachers

A Qualitative Study on Exploring the Resilience Factors of Novice Early Childhood Special Education Teachers

Comparing the Implementation Context for Early Intervention Services Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic not only led to drastic changes in the implementation context for early intervention and early childhood special education services in 2020, but has had an enduring effect on the organizations, educators, families, and children with developmental delays and disorders. Through secondary data analysis, characteristics of toddlers with autism being served in a publicly funded center-based early intervention program as well as the characteristics of their educators are examined, comparing those who were enrolled in (a) two randomized trials conducted prior to the pandemic and (b) one ongoing randomized trial that launched in return to in-person educational services after the pandemic shutdown. Significant demographic differences are found for toddlers, where the current study includes more girls (p = 0.002), who are younger (p < .001) than the prior studies. Further, toddlers enrolled in the current trial are entering with significantly younger receptive (p < .001) and expressive language age-equivalent scores (p < .001) than toddlers from the prior studies. In addition, significant differences are also found for teaching assistants (TAs), who are younger (p < .001), less experienced supporting children with autism (p < .001), have spent less time in this position (p < .001), and who are still working toward college degrees (p < .001) than TAs in the prior studies. Implications of these changes for both intervention strategies to support the strengths and needs of the toddlers (e.g., reduce frequency of TA-child pairing changes to build rapport, increase time in adult-child JASPER before adding peers) as well as implementation strategies (e.g., increase foundational content, TA teaming) to support the training and retention of the TAs are discussed. Clinical Trials Registry number: NCT04283045.

Proposed framework and knowledge synthesis of services delivered by specialized professionals in childcare settings: A scoping review.

Services from specialized professionals in childcare settings contribute to support early childhood development. Little is known, however, about how services are delivered in this context. The aims of this scoping review were to propose a framework to describe services delivered by specialized professionals in childcare contexts and synthesize knowledge about those services. Documents published between 2000 and 2022 in APA PsychINFO, ERIC, CINAHL and MEDLINE were included. These documents described services delivered by a range of specialized professionals (e.g., speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists and early childhood special education teachers) in childcare contexts and whose aim was to support motor, cognitive, affective, language or social development of children. Deductive and inductive qualitative analyses and descriptive statistics were carried out. The review included 47 documents. The Description of Services delivered by specialized Professionals in Early Childhood (D-SPEC) Framework emerged from qualitative analyses. The D-SPEC Framework included 11 dimensions: three actors and their context, specialized professionals involved, children served, purpose of service, type of service, service duration and intensity, mode of service delivery, mode of access to services and funding. Most services delivered by specialized professionals in childcare were provided by a single professional and targeted language. Two documents described multitiered service delivery models with a continuum of services ranging from general support for all children to individualized interventions for children with specific needs. In-context services were preferred to pull-out services in most documents reviewed. The D-SPEC Framework may be a useful tool to assist researchers in documenting and comparing services delivered by specialized professionals. More importantly, this framework will facilitate the development of intersectoral and interdisciplinary services essential for supporting early childhood development. Multitiered service delivery models appeared to be a promising way to develop those services addressing the various needs encountered in childcare.

Using an Online Assessment Tool to Teach Authentic Assessment to Early Childhood Teacher Candidates

Early childhood teacher candidates (TCs) need preparatory experiences using authentic assessments to inform their instructional practices with rural learners and their families. The shift to virtual field placements in response to COVID-19 restrictions pushed faculty in teacher preparation programs to reimagine how to engage TCs in meaningful experiences using authentic assessments with children and families. This study explores how TCs experienced authentic assessment practices using an online assessment management system, Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System Interactive (AEPS i), during virtual field experiences. Fifty-five undergraduate and graduate TCs from 11 universities (10 U.S. &amp; 1 international) completed a 45-item survey about their experience. Teacher candidates articulated knowledge and skills aligned with best practices underpinning authentic assessments. The virtual learning environment created opportunities for faculty to reimagine practices for promoting TCs’ understandings of assessment in early childhood special education contexts. We discuss implications for training TCs in rural areas to use authentic assessment.

Meeting the Need: Proposed Early Childhood Special Education Intensive Intervention Competencies for Preservice Preparation

Improving outcomes for young children with high-intensity needs requires a high-quality workforce trained in equitable, intensive, individualized instructional practices and supports incorporating culturally and linguistically responsive evidence- based practices (Gunn, 2020) and developmentally appropriate practices (DAP; NAEYC, 2021) Nationally recommended practices (Division of Early Childhood [DEC], 2014) and teacher preparation standards (DEC, 2020) provide the frameworks for early childhood special education training. However, guidance on intensifying individualized instructional practices and supports is needed. The intensive intervention taxonomy (Fuchs et al., 2017) offers educators guidance on improving the effectiveness and intensity of interventions for K-12 students for whom current approaches are unsuccessful. However, more guidance is needed on intensifying instruction in early childhood (0-8 years old). To offer support to early intervention/ early childhood special education (EI/ECSE) education preparation programs, we offer an adapted version of the taxonomy that is transformed into competencies that EI/ECSE educators with expertise in supporting young children with high-intensity needs. We ground these competencies in a strengths-based (Wehmeyer, 2019), culturally responsive approach to learning and instruction (Gay, 2010). Next, we aligned these competencies with critical features of early childhood (e.g., naturalistic instruction, family partnerships, DAP). We offer these competencies and a sample program of study to ensure EI/ECSE educators are equipped with intensification competencies through their pre-service preparation to support all young children, including those with high-intensity support needs.

Addressing Students’ Beliefs to Enhance Family-Professional Collaboration in Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education Preparation

Preservice educators’ attitudes and beliefs towards families can have a profound impact on family-centered practices (FCPs) and family-professional partnerships (FPPs); unfortunately, negative beliefs about families can surface during preservice early childhood preparation and can be a challenge for faculty in higher education to address. This article shares promising instructional practices (e.g., projects, assignments, teaching methods) that have been shown to reshape preservice educators’ existing beliefs about families. In addition, these instructional practices aim to cultivate positive perspectives in preservice educators by aligning with the recent joint policy statement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S Department of Education on inclusive early learning programs (2023) regarding engaging families as full partners. The purposes of this article are to: (a) briefly summarize the literature on relational FCPs and FPPs, (b) describe the connection between beliefs about families and their contribution to strengthen or hinder relational FCPs and FPPs, and (c) present instructional practices that faculty can use to support preservice EI/ECSE students’ constructive beliefs about families. Examples of instructional practices are organized and presented as: in class activities with families (e.g., guest speakers); in class activities without families (e.g., role playing); and out of class activities with families (e.g., attending an Individualized Education Program [IEP] meeting). By integrating these instructional practices, faculty can equip preservice educators with necessary skills and attitudes to build authentic connections with families, which can lead to improved outcomes for young children with disabilities and their families.

Meaningful and Engaging Learning Experiences in Early Childhood Special Education Preparation Programs

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.