Adapted Shared Reading: A Study of its Effectiveness in Inclusive Preschool Classrooms

Adapted shared storybook reading has been demonstrated to be effective at increasing both engagement and comprehension during shared storybook reading for elementary-aged students with exceptional needs. Research on these methods has primarily been conducted with students in self-contained elementary classrooms and has lacked evidence of generalization to new texts. This study examined the use of the adapted shared reading program in inclusive early childhood classrooms. Using a multiple baseline across participants design, the program was shown to be effective at increasing engagement, listening comprehension, and communication during shared reading interactions. These skills were generalized to novel adapted texts. Teachers’ perceptions of the reading program were explored. Pre- and post-intervention interviews suggest that the teachers found the goals, procedures, and outcomes of the reading program generally appropriate for preschool students

Early Childhood Educators’ Readiness Embrace Inclusion for Preschool-Age Children with Disabilities in California

Despite the push to increase inclusive early childhood (EC) care and education programs to support the learning and development of all children, such programs remain rare in California where most preschoolers with disabilities receive special education services in special day classrooms. Developing inclusive programs requires EC educators who are committed to supporting inclusion. Using a survey of EC teachers in public and private programs, this study sought to identify factors that influenced the teachers’ attitudes toward and self-efficacy for providing inclusive programs for young children with disabilities. While most of the teachers reported positive views of inclusion, they reported less comfort with the idea of supporting children with disabilities in their programs. Examinations of the teachers’ education and experience levels suggest that experience with children with disabilities influences teacher comfort while education may influence understanding of law

Program Redesign to Prepare Transformative Special Educators

Teacher educators are in a unique position to prepare future educators to disrupt the status quo and enact changes that ensure equitable access to educational opportunities for all students, including those with disabilities. It is critical that those who prepare future special education teachers (SETs) ensure they are prepared to engage with the broader school community to foster inclusivity and positive outcomes for all students, in addition to designing specially designed instruction (SDI) responsive to the unique learning needs of individual students with disabilities. Addressing this task requires candidates who are prepared to employ high leverage and evidence-based practices, culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogy, and universal design for learning. In this article, we describe how one small Department of Special Education sought to reinvent its program to center anti-racism and anti-ableism to inspire the next generation of SETs to adopt a transformative vision for public education. The result was a cohesive course roadmap that employs a “common trunk” of classes aligned with differentiated coursework needed for specialization for each credential that centers these principles while reducing assignments. The newly aligned road- maps ensure candidates in our programs will be ready to situate their work with students with identified disabilities within the context of the broader goals of public education

Adapted Shared Storybook Reading: A Study of its Application For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders and In Home Settings

This study investigated the use of an adapted shared reading protocol with three children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in home settings. Using a multiple baseline across participants design, this investigation replicated and extended a previous investigation by Browder et al. to children with ASD and home settings. In addition, this study was to investigate whether individual components of the intervention package contributed to its overall effectiveness. Finally, the extent to which the participating children generalized their ability to engage in adapted shared reading with the researcher to shared reading with their parents was explored. The results of the investigation indicate that the children with ASD demonstrated improvements in engagement in shared reading and these improvements generalized to shared reading with the children’s parents

An Adapted Shared Storybook Reading Program Implemented in Inclusive Preschool Classrooms: An Investigation of its Use and Effectiveness

The Pathways to Literacy reading program (Lee, Mims, & Browder, 2011) has been demonstrated to be effective at increasing both engagement and comprehension during shared storybook reading for students with exceptional needs. To date, research on Pathways to Literacy has been limited to students in early elementary school rather than preschool, which is when shared reading is usually emphasized as part of the general education curriculum. In these investigations, the reading program has been administered in one-on-one instructional settings, often in special education classrooms. No existing research has examined the ability of participating students to generalize newly learned skills to novel adapted books. The current study seeks to add to the literature by investigating the use of the Pathways to Literacy reading program in inclusive preschool settings. Three questions were addressed. First, using a multiple baseline design across three students, the question of whether or not the reading program remained effective for the target student when introduced in this new setting was asked. Second, whether or not the target students were able to generalize their skills in the areas of engagement, listening comprehension, and communication was addressed via the introduction of novel adapted books. Finally, teachers’ perceptions of the reading program were explored. Of particular interest were questions related to what changes they would recommend so that the reading program can be used in this new setting. Results suggest that the Pathways to Literacy reading program was effective in increasing both engagement and listening comprehension and communication for the targeted preschool students and these skills generalized to novel adapted books. Pre- and post-intervention interviews suggest that the teachers found the goals, procedures, and outcomes of the Pathways to Literacy reading program were generally appropriate for preschool students

An Adapted Shared Storybook Reading Program Implemented in Inclusive Preschool Classrooms: An Investigation of its Use and Effectiveness

The Pathways to Literacy reading program (Lee, Mims, & Browder, 2011) has been demonstrated to be effective at increasing both engagement and comprehension during shared storybook reading for students with exceptional needs. To date, research on Pathways to Literacy has been limited to students in early elementary school rather than preschool, which is when shared reading is usually emphasized as part of the general education curriculum. In these investigations, the reading program has been administered in one-on-one instructional settings, often in special education classrooms. No existing research has examined the ability of participating students to generalize newly learned skills to novel adapted books. The current study seeks to add to the literature by investigating the use of the Pathways to Literacy reading program in inclusive preschool settings. Three questions were addressed. First, using a multiple baseline design across three students, the question of whether or not the reading program remained effective for the target student when introduced in this new setting was asked. Second, whether or not the target students were able to generalize their skills in the areas of engagement, listening comprehension, and communication was addressed via the introduction of novel adapted books. Finally, teachers' perceptions of the reading program were explored. Of particular interest were questions related to what changes they would recommend so that the reading program can be used in this new setting. Results suggest that the Pathways to Literacy reading program was effective in increasing both engagement and listening comprehension and communication for the targeted preschool students and these skills generalized to novel adapted books. Pre- and post-intervention interviews suggest that the teachers found the goals, procedures, and outcomes of the Pathways to Literacy reading program were generally appropriate for preschool students

From the Ground Up: Providing Support to Emergent Bilinguals to Distinguish Language Difference From Disability

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data reveal that students with disabilities who are emergent bilinguals (English language learners) have the lowest levels of profficiency in reading and mathematics among all student groups. We consider issues related to the instruction of emergent bilinguals, including those identified as having specific learning disabilities, using a Response to Intervention (RTI)/Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) model. In so doing, we argue that instructional practices consistent with a robust Tier 1 framework are beneficial to emergent bilinguals with and without learning disabilities while differentiating Tier 2 and 3 interventions may improve outcomes for emergent bilingual students at risk for learning disabilities. To optimize the delivery of services to emergent bilinguals with and without learning disabilities, we propose a collaborative triad among general education, special education, and bilingual resource teachers. We consider implications for classroom practice, stafing, professional development, and educator preparation