Handicapped Preschool Children Research Articles

Reprise: Developing Problem-Solving Skills to Enhance Task Persistence of Handicapped Preschool Children

This manuscript reports on a preliminary study to examine the effect of teaching problem-solving skills on the task persistence of handicapped preschool children. Ten mildly handicapped children completed a series of lessons in which they were taught to use problem-solving strategies to complete fine motor tasks. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected to determine the effectiveness of these procedures. These data indicated that the intervention had a positive impact on the task persistence of some children and that some children became more systematic in their approach to solving tasks. The implication of these results for structuring tasks for children is discussed.

Developmental Demands for Successful Measurement of Visual Acuity in Pre-School Children

Adequate application of the Lea symbol and BUST visual acuity tests (Hyvarinen et al, 1980 Acta Ophthalmologica58 507; Lindstedt, 1986 British Journal of Visual Impairment4 49), designed for children over 18 months of developmental age, in young and/or handicapped pre-school children require preliminary assessment of their level of development. To assess the developmental demands more precisely, 162 children aged from 15 to 35 months and 54 older pre-schoolers, most with normal vision, were examined. Nearly half of the children showed some developmental delays in physical and mental capabilities as assessed on the CDI scale (Ireton, 1992, Child Developmental Inventory, Behavior Science System Inc). Nevertheless, in 77% far and/or near visual acuity was successfully measured by combinations of Lea symbol and/or BUST tests. The youngest successful children, 18 and 20 months of age, passed BUST-N and Lea-Domino. For children aged 18 – 24, 24 – 29, 30 – 35 months, and 36 months and above the success rates were, respectively, 39%, 75%, 89%, and 96%. The minimal values of the CDI scale indexes among the successful children may be regarded, in addition to chronological age, as minimal developmental demands, ie conditions necessary, although not always sufficient, for the child to pass visual acuity measurements. These values in months were 16 (‘social’), 18 (‘selfserving’), 14 (‘gross motor’), 16 (‘fine motor’), 16 (‘speech development’) and 19 (‘language comprehension’). The value of the last index was the most critical. Since the developmental demands are not very high, there are good prospects of using Lea symbol and BUST tests in young and/or handicapped children.

Long term observation on beta-hemolytic streptococci in institutions for handicapped preschool children. Streptococcal Diseases Study Group

Studies on beta-hemolytic streptococci have been carried out in 2 institutions for handicapped preschool children during the last nine-year period from 1985 to 1993. These studies were based on continuous throat cultures, 4 to 12 times a year, from 244 children including Down's syndrome and mentally retarded children in K-institution (K), and from 134 including cerebral palsy and other cerebrospinal disorders in H-institution (H). A significant difference (p < 0.05) was demonstrated in the isolation rates between K (11.1%) and H (6.4%). In K, isolation rates of beta-hemolytic streptococci ranged from 0 to 43.5%, showing a higher rate in winter (16.5%) than in summer (6.6%), and elevated-isolation rates of homologous types were demonstrate four times during the study period; i.e., type T12 in '87, type T28 in '88, type T1 in '90 and '92. In H, on the other hand, no higher rates (as to group A) were observed in winter or summer. In relation to disorders of children, the rates were 12.6% in Down's syndrome (mean age 2.7y), 10.0% in mentally retarded children (3.9y) and 6.4% in cerebral palsy or others with cerebrospinal disorders (3.3y). Down's syndrome, the youngest group, revealed the highest isolation rate of beta-hemolytic streptococci. In only two cases isolated hemologous types detected were over two times continuously.

School Readiness: An Overview for Pediatricians

Pediatricians historically have played a role in determining whether a child is prepared for school entry by performing preschool physical examinations. Recent trends, including a tendency among some middle-class families and school districts to delay entry of typical kindergarten-age children until the next school year, the increased use of school readiness tests in schools, and the emphasis of federal legislation to identify preschool (P.L. 99-457) and school-age (P.L. 94-142) handicapped children, have placed a greater burden on pediatricians to assess the "school readiness" of their patients. Much controversy exists among educators about how to define school readiness, measure it, and manage children who may not be ready for school. Some of these controversies will be presented in this article. In light of these issues, a cautious role for pediatricians in assessing and making recommendations for school readiness, commensurate with the pediatricians' developmental perspective and awareness of the child's family and environment, will be described. What is School Readiness? All schools arbitrarily set a date by which children must reach their fifth birthday to enter kindergarten, and this date has moved ahead considerably during the past decades to the current typical September 1 to October 1 cutoff. Although this age approach may be the most equitable method of allowing access to public education, the earlier age of entry results in a younger group of children who are potentially less ready to participate in school.

Using the ADI-R to diagnose autism in preschool children

The use of an investigator-based interview (Autism Diagnostic Interview—Revised; ADI-R) in the diagnosis of 51 autistic and 43 nonautistic mentally handicapped preschool children of equivalent mental and chronological age is described. Significant differences occurred between the groups on every diagnostic subdomain from the DSM-IV/ICD-10 draft criteria, except specific aspects of stereotyped language, still relatively rare in these young children. All but one of the 51 children judged to be autistic by clinical observation and only two of the 30 nonautistic mentally handicapped children with mental ages of 18 months or higher met criteria for autism on an algorithm to DSM-IV/ICD-10 draft criteria. However, discrimination using domain totals between autistic and the 13 nonautistic, nonverbal mentally handicapped children with mental ages under 18 months was poor. Quality of social overtures to adults and peers, play, and unusual sensory behaviors and mannerisms continued to differentiate these two groups. The relevance of these findings to the diagnosis of autism in preschool children is discussed.

Screening Preschool Handicapped Children

Screening Preschool Handicapped Children

Effect of a Dance Program on the Creativity of Preschool Handicapped Children

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a dance program for preschool handicapped children can influence their creativity. This study was conducted in two schools in Illinois with 17 preschool handicapped children (Program I, N = 12; Program II, N = 5), ages 3 to 5 years. In each school there was a Program I and Program II. The children in Program I participated in the 12-week dance program which was based on sensory experiences utilizing Laban’s effort actions. Those in Program II did not have the dance program but did participate in an adapted physical education program. At the beginning and end of the study, the Torrance Test of Thinking Creatively in Action and Movement (TCAM) was administered individually. It consisted of three subscales: fluency, imagination, and originality. A two-way MANCOVA on the TCAM scores revealed that the experimental group improved over the comparison group (p &lt;.05) on the set of subscale scores. Subsequent univariate ANCOVA analyses were performed on the data to determine which dependent measures were significantly different between the groups. The results demonstrated that imagination (p &lt;.01) was significantly changed by the dance program but that fluency and originality were not.

Parental Feelings: The Forgotten Component When Working with Parents of Handicapped Preschool Children

(1991). Parental Feelings: The Forgotten Component When Working with Parents of Handicapped Preschool Children. Childhood Education: Vol. 67, No. 3, pp. 176-178.

Adolescent and Adult Mothers of Handicapped Children: Maternal Involvement in Play

This study examines material involvement of adolescent and adult mothers with their handicapped and at-risk preschool children. Consistent with the literature on mothers of normally developing children results indicate adolescent mothers of handicapped and at-risk children are rated as significantly less contingent and verbal and provide a less positive effective climate than adult mothers. Regression techniques indicate perceived social support and locus of control were significant predictors of maternal involvement for adolescent and adult mothers respectively. (authors)

A Comparison of Isolate and Social Toys on Play Behaviors of Handicapped Preschoolers

This study set out to determine toy preference and use of isolate versus social toys in specific play categories. The relationship of children’s gross motor abilities to their preference for gross motor toys and of fine motor abilities to preference for fine motor toys was also examined. Additionally, the study examined the level of social versus nonsocial play behavior according to the Parten Scale of Social Participation. Twenty-four handicapped preschool children in groups of four to six were involved in three 20-min free-play sessions. Spontaneous interactions with the toys as well as among children were videotaped. Results indicated that the children did prefer to play with social toys rather than isolate toys, but play was nonsocial rather than social and occurred during 83% of the free unstructured play intervals. The children did not demonstrate a distinct relationship between gross or fine motor ability and toy preference. However, environmental or ecological variables appeared to influence their social play behaviors.

Promoting Successful Mainstreaming Transitions for Handicapped Preschool Children

Successful transitions of preschool children with handicaps to integrated preschools or kindergartens may be promoted by teachers who know the setting characteristics and behavioral demands of future mainstream environments. This article summarizes research findings on teachers' classroom organization, behavioral characteristics of most and least independent children in mainstream settings, and differences in the instructional environment between mainstream and special preschools.

Factors Influencing the Selection of Toys for Handicapped and Normally Developing Preschool Children

Factors influencing the selection and purchase of toys for children's use were investigated. Subjects were 73 parents or adult friends of normally developing or handicapped preschool children. In addition to providing demographic information about themselves, the subjects rated the importance of 17 factors influencing their selection and purchase of toys. Contrary to previous research, the sex of the child was reported to be of only minor importance in toy selection, as was the picture on the toy package. Two factors, safety and teaching new skills, were rated as extremely important. There were no significant differences in ratings as a result of sex, ethnicity, or whether or not the subjects were parents of a handicapped child. The findings suggest a substantial degree of agreement among parents about what they consider important when choosing toys for children.

A Longitudinal Study of Children Screened and Served by Early Childhood Special Education Programs

Children screened and served by the early childhood special education department (ECSE) at Arrowhead Area Education Agency (AEA) during years 1977-78 and 1980-81 were followed longitudinally through grade 3 (or age 8). The results were used by the department to evaluate the effectiveness of the screening instrument and criteria to determine eligibility for services and exit from programs. The disability category in which the child was originally placed was also traced. To some extent, the lack of continuity of later category and placement would appear to support the noncategorical identification of preschool handicapped children, or at least the inclusion of a category to defer diagnosis while conducting further, ongoing evaluation. It would appear that longitudinal studies are useful to measure specific local practices within a service-providing setting.

Parental Perspectives on Integrated Preschool Opportunities for Children with Handicaps and Children without Handicaps

Parental perspectives on and attitudes toward integration and mainstreaming are critical to success for young children with and without handicaps. Despite the growing body of literature on positive outcomes of integrated preschool settings, there have been few attempts to measure parental perspectives on the process at the time of initial integration and mainstreaming. This study examined the perspectives of parents of preschool handicapped children and parents of nonhandicapped children on philosophical aspects of integration, the social- emotional impact of integration on their child, teacher skills, and organizational variables. Results of this study show that both groups held positive perspectives on the issues, with some predictable differences. These findings hold promise for future integration efforts.

Developing Problem-Solving Skills to Enhance Task Persistence of Handicapped Preschool Children

This manuscript reports on a preliminary study to examine the effect of teaching problem-solving skills on the task persistence of handicapped preschool children. Ten mildly handicapped children completed a series of lessons in which they were taught to use problem-solving strategies to complete fine motor tasks. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected to determine the effectiveness of these procedures. These data indicated that the intervention had a positive impact on the task persistence of some children and that some children become more systematic in their approach to solving tasks. The implica-, tion of these results for structuring tasks for children is discussed.

K-ABC Stability in a Preschool Sample: a Longitudinal Study

Stability of K-ABC performance over a 2-year in terval with 25 nonhandicapped preschool children was examined. Global scale stability coefficients (corrected for restriction in range) for Time 1 testing (age 4) and Time 3 testing (age 6) were: MPC = .77; SEQ = .73; SIM = .76; ACH = .80. Subtest stability coefficients ranged from .53 to .75 for the Time 1/Time 3 comparisons. Repeated measures analyses of variance revealed significant increases in mean SIM scores from age 4 and 5 to age 6, and a significant decrease in mean ACH score from age 4 to ages 5 and 6. Overall, results indicated a high level of stability for both global scale scores and subtest scores. Less stability was indicated for profile patterns (SIM &gt; SEQ, SIM &lt; SEQ SIM = SEQ) and subtest strengths and weaknesses with this sample of non handicapped preschool children tested at ages 4, 5, and 6.

Family Day Care as an Integrated Early Intervention Setting

This paper describes a comprehensive inservice training program for family day care providers that allows them to give early intervention services to preschool children with handicaps. The model, Project Neighborcare, is based on an ecological framework and a consultative approach to training, on the basis that early intervention services ought to meet the needs of families as well as children. The services are designed for working parents of handicapped preschool children who need early intervention services in a child care setting. In keeping with the ecological framework, the form of child care targeted is that most frequently selected by parents of nonhandicapped children. The model is evaluated in terms of improvement in family day care quality, caregiver early intervention skills, and social validity of program outcomes.

Reciprocity in the Pupil-Teacher Interactions of Autistic and Mildly Handicapped Preschool Children

The purpose of this study was to investigate the reciprocal interactions of autistic and mildly handicapped preschool children with their teacher. Four children from each of the diagnostic categories along with their teacher and classroom aide were observed. Observations were made via the use of a behavior observation instrument designed to monitor (a) the frequency of 15 target behaviors; (b) the direction of the interaction (i.e., received from or given to); and (c) whether the interaction was motor or verbal. The results indicate that the teacher/aide ignored most negative initiations, while responding reciprocally to most neutral initiations. Further, the students did not respond reciprocally to positive or negative teacher initiations. Results of the investigation are discussed in terms of their implications for current educational practice.

Rebus Symbol Communication Training with a Severely Handicapped Preschool Child

This case study describes the procedures used with and the results obtained for a preschool child with Down's syndrome who received communication training which incorporated Rebus symbols (a graphic symbol system). Training focused on comprehension and expressive use of Rebus symbols representing five new words and generalization of symbol use to the classroom. Results showed significant increases in the child's comprehension and expression Scores and in generalized symbol use. Further, the results indicated that symbol training may have facilitated development of the child's verbal expressive skills and that overall developmental level and level of communicative functioning are important factors to consider when planning a graphic symbol communication training program for a child.

Training Pragmatic Language Skills through Alternate Strategies with a Blind Multiply Handicapped Child

A blind multiply handicapped preschool child was taught to respond appropriately to two adjacency pair types. Where Question - Answer and Comment - Acknowledgement. Training involved teaching manual searching behavior as an alternate strategy for visual searching in response to “where” questions. Echolalic responses to comments initially served only a turn-taking function but, through explicit modification, gradually evolved into more appropriate and communicative responses. The blind child's appropriate responses to trained adjacency pair types increased significantly over the 14-week treatment period. The success of this program augers well for future efforts to develop communication-based interventions that incorporate the alternate language acquisition strategies available to blind children.