An Early intervention approach to young children with special needs in inclusive setting in the United States : The effectiveness, setting, and adaptation issues of early intervention, especially an Activity-Based Intervention

Increasingly, early childhood programs include children with disabilities and typically developing children. The purpose of this study is to examine for some aspects of early intervention / early childhood special education (El / ECSE) affect the early childhood inclusion in the United States. First, the empirical literature about activity-based intervention (ABI: Bricker, et al., 1998) underlies the practice of early intervention were summarized in order to provide a context for effectiveness of intervention / special education from early childhood. In early 1990's, with the expanding of inclusion, it was needed that the approach which suitable for practice based on the concept of inclusion, and at that time ABI approach is focused by the field of early childhood special education. ABI is ""a child-directed, transactional approach that embeds children's individual goals and objectives in routine, planned, or child-initiated activities and uses logically occurring antecedents and consequences to develop functional and generative skills (Bricker, et al., 1998, p.11)"". Second, the comparative studies of developmental and social gains of children with disabilities in integrated and segregated preschool programs were discussed to consider the place for provide an appropriate practices for children with disabilities. Third, some trend about recent naturalistic approach represented by ABI used in inclusive early childhood education setting were described. Recently, ABI and early childhood education philosophy are integrating together to produce successful inclusion for all children. In addition, it was expected that the amount of empirical studies for quality of effective inclusion as follows; ""relationship"" and ""membership"" with peers as well as consider the effectiveness of El/ECSE

Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) and Activity-Based Intervention (ABI) : The practice of early intervention approach to young children with special need in inclusive setting

The two disciplines, early childhood education (ECE) and early childhood special educa-tion (ECSE), have separate histories and practices are evolving, and attempts to integrate j them will influence that evolution and may produce improved services for young children who have or who are at risk for disabilities and their families. In early 1990's, with the expanding of inclusion, it was needed that ECSE program which suitable for practice based on the concept of inclusion, and at that time activity-based intervention (ABI) approach is focused by the field of ECSE. Activity-based intervention is a child-directed, transactional approach that embeds children's individual goals and objectives in routine, planned, or child-initiated activities and uses logically occurring antecedents and consequences to de-velop functional and generative skills (Bricker, Pretti-Frontezak, McComas, 1998). This study describes some fundamental elements of ABI, and consider for achieving inclusion to merge ABI with Developmentally Appropriate Practice (Bredekamp, 1987; Bredekamp & Copple, 1997) which accepted by field of ECE as a guideline for the practices. For the practices of I children with or without disabilities in inclusive setting, the ABI will no doubt find its most frequent utilization for acquiring individual goals and objectives

Introduction of Assessment of Learning Disabilities in Early Childhood

The Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery-Revised (WJ-R; Woodcock & Johnson, 1989) contains a set of wide-ranging tests for measuring specific cognitive abilities, scholastic aptitudes, and achievement. The WJ-R is comprised of two major parts: The Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability (WJ-R COG) and the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement (WJ-R ACH), which procedure have been added to allow norm-based evaluations of intra-cognitive and intra-achievement discrepancies as well as aptitude/achievement discrepancies; and interpretation of the Tests of Cognitive Ability has been enhanced by linkage to the Horn-Cattell (Cattell, 1963) Gf-Gc (fluid and crystallized abilities) theory of intellectual processing. Each of these major parts is subdivided further into a Standard Battery and a Supplemental Battery, which included in early development measure. The wide range and breadth of coverage of abilities and skills assessed by the WJ-R provide a variety of assessment options and allow for its use in educational, clinical, and research institutions for a variety of purposes. These include diagnosis of exceptionality, guidance, assessing growth, program evaluation, and research. For early childhood special education, the WJ-R will no doubt find its most frequent utilization within the educational setting and for development of individualized programing

The factors analysis of preschool teachers' recognition on children : the caring activities on "difficult child"

The purpose of this study was to investigate the awareness on how to treat children according to preschool teacher's aptitudes. 107 teachers were categorized into the four types answering the questionnaires an their teaching methods and belief system. Each type of teachers were compared on age, the experience of child rearing, and caring activities on "difficult child". The item mean scores and the factor analysis revealed that teaching methods varied according to the cases and teachers' caring experiences. The findings were discussed with reference to teachers' resources and belief