Families Face Roadblocks In Getting Help For Kids With Developmental Disabilities

 Many children face barriers to accessing services like screenings or early intervention due to fear, lack of health insurance or financial and housing instability. Read More >

Therapists Who Help Tots With Developmental Delays See Big Drop In Referrals

 Since the beginning of the pandemic, the number of children referred to early intervention has plummeted leaving therapists worried that the kids being missed could face long-term consequences. Read More >

Early Intervention Experts Worry The Pandemic Has Hurt Kids With Special Needs

Referrals to early intervention services have plummeted as the COVID-19 pandemic has kept children from day care and other places where concerns about developmental delays often emerge. Read More >

Intervention Shows Promise For Treating Depression In Preschool-Aged Children

Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have shown that a therapy-based treatment for disruptive behavioral disorders can be adapted and used as an effective treatment option for early childhood depression. Children as young as three-years-old can be diagnosed with clinical depression, and although preschool-aged children are sometimes prescribed antidepressants, a psychotherapeutic intervention is greatly needed. The study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of NIH, appeared online June 20 in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Early Childhood Inclusion.

Division for Early Childhood (DEC) has produced a series of resources that will help parents and professionals learn about definitions, research findings and access examples relating to inclusion practices. This issue of Resources within Reason: Designing for Each Child, provides valuable information regarding Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and focuses on creating accessible environments in preschools. Another resource in this series Powerful Perspectives provides a brief summary and links to four key joint policy statements from the US Departments of Education, and Health and Human Services on Inclusion, Dual Language Learners, Expulsion and Suspension and Family Engagement. These materials may be used to raise awareness, support planning, offer strategies, and hopefully, change attitudes…”

Resources on Early Childhood Education

Two IRIS Modules have received the official endorsement of the Division of Early Childhood (DEC). In fact, Early Childhood Behavior Management: Developing and Teaching Rules and Early Childhood Environments: Designing Effective Classrooms were the very first resources to receive approval as DEC Recommended Practices Endorsed Products.

Early Childhood Check-In: Breaking Down Silos to Improve Outcomes

Engaging Families and Creating Trusting Partnerships to Improve Child and Family Outcomes is an ongoing interactive web broadcast series jointly facilitated by the OSEP-funded centers ECTA (Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center) and DaSy (IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems Center). The series aims to support early childhood leaders in building the capacity of personnel and families to develop trusting partnerships. Sessions 1 and 2, released in March and April, are now available. A new session will debut each month, and the series will run through June. Discussions will highlight the role that data play in strengthening family-professional partnerships, and provide resources for designing personnel and family development activities to support partnerships.

The Three C's: Guidelines for Using Digital Technology with Young Children

Take this simple quiz to help you become more mindful in using digital technology with young children. It's all about content that is educational and developmentally appropriate, a context that encourages conversation and learning, and the needs of each individual child. http://www.readingrockets.org/article/three-cs-guidelines-using-digital-technology-young-children 

NEW TIKES WEBSITE OFFERS TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES AND PROFESSIONALS WHO SUPPORT YOUNG CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

Technology can be a great tool to help young children with disabilities be successful, and PACER’s TIKES Project (Technology to Improve Kids’ Educational Success) has excellent resources for parents and professionals. The new TIKES website offers training videos, tip sheets, and other helpful information for families, teachers, and administrators who work with young children with disabilities or developmental delays. Learn more about this project and explore resources at PACER.org/stc/tikes, or e-mail TIKES@PACER.org for more information.

Disabilities No Barrier At All-Inclusive Preschools

With a new federal directive, there's a push for more of the nation's preschools to educate children with disabilities alongside their typically-developing peers. 
http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2015/10/09/disabilities-preschools/20863/

Social-emotional skills predict later success, study finds

Young children's social-emotional intelligence may correlate to success later in life, including fewer substance-abuse problems, according to a study of nearly 800 children over two decades. The findings suggest a need for emphasis on social-emotional learning in early-childhood programs, said lead author Damon Jones. The Washington Post (tiered subscription model)  http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/want-your-kids-to-go-to-college-and-get-a-job-make-sure-they-learn-how-to-share-in-kindergarten/2015/07/16/4c30726a-2b4e-11e5-a250-42bd812efc09_story.html

For Kids On The Spectrum, Intervention Offers Long-Term Gains

Children who participated in an early intervention designed to target autism symptoms at very young ages are continuing to see benefits from the treatment years later, a new study finds.  http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2015/06/15/for-intervention-long-term/20381/

Early Intervention- IDEA Part C Services & the Medical Home

From the American Academy of Pediatrics.  "The medical home and the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act Part C Early Intervention Program share many common purposes for infants and children ages 0 to 3 years, not the least of which is a family-centered focus.  Best practice models for early intervention services incorporate learning in the natural environment and coaching models. Proactive medical homes provide strategies for effective developmental surveillance, family-centered resources, and tools to support high-risk groups, and co-management of infants with special health care needs, including the monitoring of services provided and outcomes achieved." http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/132/4/e1073.full

Studies Show Early Childhood Trauma Impacts Long-Term Cognition, Physical & Mental Health

Source: Society for Neuroscience - October 16, 2012
Findings presented at Neuroscience 2012, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, show that early childhood trauma impacts the brain, learning, and behavior in ways that can last a lifetime. Researchers suggest it increases the risk of mental disorders, as well as heart disease and stress-related conditions in adulthood. See the full press release.   http://www.sfn.org/am2012/pdf/press/EarlyLife.pdf

Assessment of Preschool Early Literacy Skills.

 

This resource, Assessment of Preschool Early Literacy Skills: Linking Children's Educational Needs with Empirically Supported Instructional Activities, explores how early childhood assessment informs instruction and intervention, highlighting screening, diagnostic, and progress monitoring assessments.  http://tinyurl.com/985yooe

Early Childhood Development and Disability: A Discussion Paper

Source: World Health Organization and UNICEF - Retrieved October 2, 2012
The World Health Organization and UNICEF recently published a new paper, Early Childhood Development and Disability: A Discussion Paper (September 2012). The paper provides an overview of disability in early childhood and underscores the need to strengthen and scale up early childhood development initiatives, in order to ensure that children with disabilities can participate meaningfully in their homes, schools and communities. It is meant to encourage international discussion, planning and action on issues related to disability, early childhood development, and early intervention.  http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/75355/1/9789241504065_eng.pdf
 

Toddler apps could provide cognitive-development insight

With the rise of children using tablets and applications for education comes some questions over their use. Lisa Guernsey, author of "Screen Time," argues that there's often a false dichotomy drawn between passive viewing and interaction. But 77% of parents maintain that tablets are beneficial to children and help their creativity, according to a Schools.com infographic. And the use of apps by the very young could open up new vistas of knowledge into "how very young minds are understanding what they're touching on a screen and how it relates to real life," says Guernsey. FastCoExist (9/21)
http://www.fastcoexist.com/1680579/what-is-this-app-doing-to-my-kids-brain

Three New CELLcasts Available from the Center for Early Literacy Learning

Source: Center for Early Literacy Learning -  
The Center for Early Literacy Learning has released three new CELLcasts. CELLcasts are audio/video versions of CELL practice guides which are available to view online or download. Give Me, Give Me includes ideas for encouraging infants to use gestures and movements to ask for what they want or need. Sound Play provides parents with ways to help toddlers develop language skills. Wired To Read teaches parents how to use computer technology to provide young children with early literacy learning opportunities. The CELLcasts are available at http://www.earlyliteracylearning.org/ta_cellcasts1.php

New Developments in Early Childhood Education

Source: Harvard Family Research Project - March 15, 2012
The Family Involvement Network of Educators (FINE) at the Harvard Family Research Project has published its March 2012 newsletter, which is devoted to New Developments in Early Childhood Education. The newsletter highlights new developments in early childhood education (ECE), explores what current research and practice are saying about the importance of involving families early in a child's education, and looks at how organizations like the U.S. Department of Education and the Office of Head Start are reshaping the way ECE programs across the country are thinking about the role of families. http://www.hfrp.org/hfrp-news/news-announcements/march-fine-newsletter-new-developments-in-early-childhood-education

Joint Position Statement on Technology and Interactive Media Released

On March 6, 2012, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children's Media released a new position statement, Technology and Interactive Media as Tools in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8. The statement is meant to provide research-based guidance to all those who care for young children as they consider if, when and how to use technology and interactive media in early childhood programs (schools, centers, family child care) serving children from birth through age 8. http://www.naeyc.org/content/technology-and-young-children