Handicapped Preschool Research Articles

Play techniques with neurologically impaired preschoolers.

A pilot project was undertaken to study the effect of educational play as an intervention approach. The study was conducted with 14 neurologically impaired, physically handicapped preschool children, parents, community teachers, and developmental center staff. Educational play consisted of art and drama group activities presented according to the normal sequence of play development, from sensorimotor, to symbolic, to sociodramatic play. After a 7-week course of intervention, the children's performance, as measured by items in the Vulpe Assessment Battery, improved in six areas of development. Overall improvement was statistically significant. In addition, participating adults began to value the use of play as an essential component of child development. Results suggest the need for a systematic study of play in intervention with preschool, neurologically impaired, and physically handicapped children.

The Effects of Directed Play on Functional Toy Use and Interactions of Handicapped Preschoolers

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether adult-directed play increases handicapped preschoolers' functional use of toys and whether an increase in functional use of toys affects social interactions with other classmates. A multiple baseline-reversal design across subjects was employed to evaluate the effectiveness of adult-directed training which consisted of toy selection, demonstration, and reinforcement. Results revealed that adult-directed play increased the handicapped preschoolers' functional use of toys; interactions were increased for two of the three subjects. Implications of these results are discussed.

The Needs of Fathers of Young Handicapped Children

The purpose of this article is to examine the needs of fathers of handicapped infants and preschoolers, It summarizes the importance of parent involvement, but notes that parent involvement has frequently meant "mother" involvement. A statewide sample of fathers was surveyed in Colorado concerning their needs in relation to their handicapped child. The results of the survey (N = 152) indicated that fathers of young handicapped children are interested in their child's education. Fathers indicated a desire to learn how to become more involved in the child's education and treatment by participating in formal and informal activities. The subjects also indicated an interest in learning through alternative experiences such as a newsletter or resource library. Fathers reported that they felt they were coping fairly well with raising a handicapped child, but had concerns about the future impact of the handicap on the child and the family.

Importance of Peer Interactions for Handicapped Preschoolers

conducted. I observed each staff person working with clients and providing feedback on teaching skills, provision of reinforcement, etc. Further, each week one trainee makes a presentation regarding a client in the program. The trainee discusses the subcompetency(s) taught, instructional methods used, problems encountered, and other pertinent information. Other trainees and I provide feedback to the presenter. Encouraged by results so far, we plan to continue the program and eventually to expand it to include more clients. Prospects for further training look good. The building has been renovated and staff have received permission to allow clients to assume greater responsibility for the management of their home. Included among new client responsibilities will be menu planning, shopping for certain items (much of the food is still purchased in bulk, due to cost factors), preparing meals, cleaning, and so on. We anticipate that if favorable evaluative data are collected, the institution's administration will allow the program to continue.

Examiner Accuracy during Protocol Completion

This study investigated examiner accuracy in the completion of protocols during actual test sessions. The performances of 22 language handicapped preschoolers, each tested by a familiar and strange examiner, were videotaped. Eleven examiners were inexperienced; another 11 examiners were professionally experienced. Protocols generated by the actual examiners and by independent raters, who viewed the tapes, were scored. Analysis of variance revealed that examiners' protocols yielded significantly higher scores than did raters' protocols; children scored significantly higher when tested by familiar, rather than unfamiliar examiners; and children's scores were similar whether examiners were experienced or inexperienced. Additionally, a significant three-way interaction among protocol completer (rater vs. examiner), familiarity, and examiner experience indicated that examiner in- accuracy was greater for inexperienced testers during familiar testing sessions, but greater for experienced testers during unfamiliar sessions. Implications for psychoeducational assessment are discussed.

Environmental Constraints Affecting Services for the Handicapped

Social policies that affect handicapped infants and preschoolers should assure that families have the necessary resources to meet the needs of these special children and should not usurp the authority or responsibilities of parents to their children. Aspects that affect the formulation of policy include economics factors, tax policies, geographic factors, prevention efforts, and current progress in early-childhood special education. The cost-effectiveness of programs must be a criteria in outlining how to best serve the handicapped child. The emotional strain a family must cope with in caring for a handicapped child should also be addressed by educating the parent as well as the child. Public policy that deals with handicapped citizens should explore preventative measures as well as remediation. Education should stress prevention of birth defects and the effects of substance abuse on the fetus. Federal funding for programs serving handicapped persons has consistently registered moderate increases even in times of decreased revenues that have produced cuts in nearly all other federal education programs. There is a bipartisan commitment to at least keep funding levels for these special programs in line with inflation whatever the impact of tax and economic policies in general.

Learning Boxes for Severely Multiply Handicapped Preschool Children

Learning Boxes for Severely Multiply Handicapped Preschool Children

TEACHING BEHAVIORALLY HANDICAPPED PRESCHOOL CHILDREN TO SHARE

We examined the effectiveness of Barton and Ascione 's (1979) package for training sharing in a classroom setting with six behaviorally handicapped preschool children, four of whom were also developmentally delayed. Individual responses in sharing and not sharing were examined. Training consisted of initial instructions, modeling, and behavioral rehearsal, followed by teacher prompts and praise regarding sharing directly in a classroom free play period. Introduction of training in a multiple-baseline design across three pairs of children resulted in substantial increases in sharing for five of the six children. Results for negative interactions were less clear but suggested that concomitant decreases occurred for the same five children. The response analysis indicated that (a) individual components of sharing (offers, requests, and acceptances ) all increased with training; (b) most children were more likely to initiate sharing through requests than through offers; (c) the proportion of sharing initiatives accepted by peers increased with training despite a much greater absolute number of initiatives; and (d) of the three negative behaviors (opposing play, taking without asking, and aggression) examined as incompatible with sharing, the most prevalent response was opposing other children's play. Individual differences in initial social repertoires and responsiveness to training were examined with respect to their implications for research and practice. Overall, the findings provide an encouraging indication of an intervention program for children with behavioral, social, and developmental handicaps.

The Play Attending, and Language of Young Handicapped Children in Integrated and Segregated Settings

The play, attending, and language of six handicapped preschoolers were compared in integrated and segregated settings. In the integrated settings the six children attended morning Head Start, kindergarten, or daycare/preschool programs for nonhandicapped children, In the segregated setting the six children attended a special education transition classroom consisting of only handicapped children. The analyses of play suggested more sophisticated levels of play in the segregated than in the integrated settings. There were no differences between the two settings in appropriateness of play or in type of interactions. There were also no significant differences in the percentage of attending to teacher-directed learning activities. In addition, the children did not differ in the quality or quantity of their language in the two settings. The implications of the failure to obtain better play attending, and language behaviors in mainstreamed environments are discussed.

Teaching Approaches in Programs Serving Preschool Handicapped Children in North Dakota

This study examined the nature of programs serving preschool handicapped children in North Dakota, with particular focus on curriculum and instruction. A survey of teachers of preschool handicapped children was completed, covering the topics of population served, teaching approaches, and curricula. Results were obtained from 82% of programs serving such children in the state. The following problems were identified: (a) insufficient services for children under the age of 4; (b) isolation of handicapped preschoolers from their nonhandicapped peers; (c) lack of appropriate assessment procedures; (d) unbalanced curricula (i.e., overemphasis on language with inadequate consideration of social and affective development); and (e) narrow teaching approaches (i.e., deficit orientations with little regard for the importance of play social interactions, or children as active learners). Underscored was the need for programs to move beyond a minimal provision of services to the adoption of refined teaching approaches.

The Division of Responsibilities in Families With Preschool Handicapped and Nonhandicapped Children

The presence of a handicapped child within the family constellation suggests an added dimension of stress in the already complex dynamics of intrafamily social organization in contemporary American society. The present study compared the allocation of responsibilities within families with preschool handicapped children with those of families with preschool normal children. Subjects were 50 pairs of parents of moderately to severely handicapped preschool children and 83 pairs of parents of preschool nonhandicapped children, The Carolina Family Responsibility Scale was used to yield information on how responsibilities were divided between husband and wife. Research questions focused on differences between groups in parent responsibility allocations; differences between groups in level of satisfaction with current execution of family roles; and differences between mothers and fathers in their own role satisfactions and desired role behavior. Results are discussed and further questions posed regarding family role allocation and the ways in which families with handicapped members adapt to stress.

A Comparison of Handicapped and Nonhandicapped Preschoolers' Interactions Across Classroom Activities

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the extent to which handicapped and nonhandicapped children interacted with other children and adults during four classroom activities: free play, fine motor, circle, and snack. Six handicapped and six nonhandicapped children participated. Observations were made using a time sampling technique, and information was obtained on whether or not a child was interacting and the nature of the interaction. Results revealed that the only noticeable differences between the two groups were observed during free play activities.

Woodworking for Preschool Handicapped Children

Woodworking for Preschool Handicapped Children

PARENTS AS TEACHERS OF THEIR OWN LEARNING DISABLED CHILDREN

ABSTRACTThe aim of this research was to investigate parental belief systems and parental childrearing practices, relative to the intellectual development of the communication handicapped (CH) preschool child, embedded within the context of family size and ordinal position of the CH child. An equal number of families with a non‐handicaped (NCH) child served as a contrast group. The basic hypothesis underlying this research was that parental practices would be directly related to parents' beliefs about child development processes and about their own child's cognitive competence. These beliefs stem from at least two factors: First, experience as a child in a family; second, experience as a parent. The parent‐child relationship in this setting was viewed as interactional, where each parent acted as teacher, socializer and manager of the child's behavior. In this role, the parent also learned both from the CH child and NCH child in the family. Therein lay the interest in investigating the impact of the parent‐child relationship on parents and on CH children.Specifically, the study addressed four problems: (1) the relationship between parental belief systems regarding children's cognitive capabilities in general and with respect to their own CH child in particular, (2) the effect of the CH child's level of functioning and position in the family constellation on parental belief systems, (3) the relationship between these perspectives and actual parental teaching and management strategies, and (4) the effect of such teaching/management behaviors on the CH child's level of cognitive functioning and level of representational competence. Each of these segments was identified and a path (causal) analysis model was developed from data collected with the following instruments: The Communication Strategy Interview, the Construction of the Child Interview, The Family Influences on Childrearing Interview (all of which were used to assess parental beliefs about developmental states and processes and to assess childrearing strategies and family practices); The Parent‐Child Interaction Observation System [based on Sigel's (1979) distancing theory of representational competence, this was used to identify different types of parent‐child interactions in structured teaching contexts and in semistructured story‐telling task]; and a series of standard evaluation tests and nonverbal Piagetian tasks that focused on transformation, memory, sequencing and anticipation to evaluate children's level of cognitive functioning and representational abilities.

Legal Resource Networks for Parents of Individuals with Special Needs

and generalization effects. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1976, 9, 65-78. Cooke, T. P., Cooke, S. R., & Apolloni, T. Developing nonretarded toddlers as verbal models for retarded classmates. Child Study Journal, 1978, 8, 1-8. Gable, R. A., Hendrickson, J. M., & Strain, P. S. Assessment, modification and generalization of social interaction among multihandicapped children. Education and Training of the Mentally Retarded, 1978, 13, 279-286. Gresham, F. M. Misguided mainstreaming: The case for social skills training with handicapped children. Exceptional Children, 1982, 48, 422-433. Ragland, E. D., Kerr, M. M., & Strain, P. S. Effects of peer social initiations on the behavior of withdrawn autistic children. Behavior Modification, 1978, 2, 565-578. Shores, R. E., Hester, P., & Strain, P. S. Effects of amount and type of teacher-child interaction on child-child interaction during free play. Psychology in the Schools, 1976, 13, 171-175. Strain, P. S. An experimental analysis of peer social initiations on the behavior of withdrawn preschool children: Some training and generalization effects. )ournal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 1977,5,445-455. Strain, P. S., & Fox, J. E. Peers as behavior change agents for withdrawn classmates. In A. E. Kazdin & B. Lahey (Eds.), Advances in clinical child psychology. New York: Plenum, 1981. (a) Strain, P. S., & Fox, }. E. Peer social initiations and the modification of social withdrawal. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 1981, 6, 417-433. (b) Strain, P. S., & Kerr, M. M. Modifying children's social withdrawal: Issues in assessment and clinical intervention. In M. Hersen, R. M. Eisler, & P. M. Miller (Eds.), Progress in behavior modification, Vol. II. New York: Academic Press, 1981. Strain, P. S., Kerr, M. M., & Ragland, E. U. Effects of peer-mediated social initiations and prompting/ reinforcement procedures on the social behavior of autistic children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 1979, 9, 41-54. Strain, P. S., Shores, R. E., & Kerr, M. M. An experimental analysis of spillover effects on the social interaction of behaviorally handicapped preschool children. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1976, 9, 31-40. Strain, P. S., Shores, R. E., & Timm, M. A. Effects of peer social initiations on the behavior of withdrawn preschool children. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1977, 10, 289-298.

Short-term effects of early programming for the young gifted handicapped child.

RAPYHT (Retrieval and Acceleration of Promising Young Handicapped and Talented), a model program for gifted and talented handicapped preschool children developed at the University of Illinois, has been serving young children since 1975. Evidence regarding short term benefits of this program is presented. Child progress data were obtained from the RAPYHT demonstration site at the University of Illinois and from two second-year replication sites (New York and Florida). Statistically significant pre- versus post-program gains were observed in talent-area functioning, creativity, self-esteem, and school-related task persistence. Significant treatment effects, further documented through regression-discontinuity analysis to compare performance of children who received RAPYHT intervention with a comparison group of children who did not qualify for the program, were found for talent-area functioning, creative functioning, and school-related task performance.

Nutritional assessment of handicapped preschoolers

Nutritional assessment of the preschool child requires a variety of invasive and noninvasive techniques, for example, dietary history, physical examination, clinical observations, anthropometric data, and biochemical studies. The purpose of the assessment dictates the methods used, whereas the setting dictates the sequence in which they are used. This article examines these methods from an organismic-ecological perspective and emphasizes those methods of nutritional assessment that are most applicable in the preschool setting. Criteria for identifying children at nutritional risk, commonly encountered altered nutritional outcomes, and implications for interdisciplinary assessment and intervention are discussed.

Identifying Handicapped Preschool Children

Identifying Handicapped Preschool Children

Assessment of Discrimination Skills of Multiply Handicapped Preschoolers and Prediction of Classroom Task Performance

Seven tasks of discrimination skill were used to assess multiply handicapped preschool children. One task assessed sign discrimination skill, two tasks assessed auditory skill, two tasks assessed visual skill, and two tasks assessed motor skill. For 10 of 11 children, the tasks were hierarchically ordered in difficulty. Children who passed the auditory tasks passed all of the tasks, children who passed the sign task passed the visual and motor tasks, and children who passed the visual tasks always passed the motor tasks. The results of assessment were used to predict the performance of seven of the children on four common classroom tasks. Each classroom task was presented under three modes of presentation: auditory, sign, and visual. Overall, 92% of the predictions made were accurate for the sample tested, indicating that the discrimination assessment was successful in determining the preferred presentation mode(s) for each child.

Test performance of language-handicapped children with familiar and unfamiliar examiners.

The importance of examiner familiarity to children's performance on tasks requiring high or low levels of symbolic mediation was investigated. Thirty-four handicapped preschool children were examined within a repeated measures crossover design, once by one of two familiar classroom teachers and once by one of four strange teachers. Subjects performed significantly better with familiar than with unfamiliar examiners on high symbolic mediation tasks; no such differential performance was obtained on low symbolic mediation items. Findings are related to current efforts to identify procedural and situational variables in assessment, uncontrolled by present standard test administrations, that may preclude children's optimal performance.