Topics in Early Childhood Special Education

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of parent training on parent implementation of functional communication training (FCT) in the trained routine and in a novel routine. Three young children with developmental delays and their parents participated. A multiple-probe across parent-child dyads was used to evaluate the impact of parent training on parent fidelity of FCT. The data indicated that verbal and written instructions with performance feedback resulted in accurate implementation of FCT during the trained routine. The generalization assessment suggested that instructions and performance feedback promoted generalization for one parent and an additional training component was needed for another parent. The third parent did not complete the generalization assessment. The results suggest verbal and written instructions and performance feedback can lead to accurate implementation of FCT during the trained routine, but additional training components may be necessary to facilitate generalization to a novel routine.

In this pilot study, we describe emergent literacy skills and factors related to literacy for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A total of 38 parents and their children (n = 18 with ASD; n = 20 typically developing) participated in this study. Our analyses revealed great variability in emergent literacy performance across the ASD sample, with many children demonstrating strengths in code-focused skills combined with difficulties with focused-meaning skills. Moderate to strong correlations were found between emergent literacy skills and indices of communication and cognition for the children with ASD. Although we did not detect overall group differences in parental beliefs related to literacy, moderate to robust relationships were identified between parental attitudes about literacy and various child developmental indices. Implications for the nature and timing of intervention and future research directions are discussed in light of these findings.

We conducted an exploratory study to investigate teachers’ confidence and agreement with children when teachers and children identified close classroom friendships. Participants comprised six kindergarten teachers and 110 children, including 26 children with disabilities. Data were gathered from a friendship nomination questionnaire completed by teachers and a friendship nomination task completed by children. On average, teachers accurately identified one peer that a target child also named as a “best friend.” Teachers also identified children selected as “very best friends” for 59% of their students when using a less conservative definition of very best friendship. Teachers reported being confident in identifying friendships, on average, for 39% of their class. However, greater confidence did not equate with more accurate reports. Although teachers were slightly more confident in their friendship reports for children with disabilities, they were also less accurate. Implications for supporting friendship development and future research are discussed.

Universal screening and progress monitoring measures are increasingly of interest to early interventionists who make decisions about the services provided to young children. A measure of infant-toddlers’ growth in early movement, the Early Movement Indicator (EMI), was reported in 2002. However, the EMI has remained an experimental measure based on a small sample and not used broadly by practitioners in real-world programs. We addressed this limitation by advancing knowledge the EMIs scalability through a website and improved psychometrics in a large sample. Results indicated that the EMI was (a) scalable evidenced by a large volume of early childhood staff users in programs in five states with 628 children and 2,258 individual EMI assessments, (b) sensitive to growth over time, (c) comprised of a complex continuum of skill development, and (d) influenced by moderators (i.e., home language, Individual Family Service Plan [IFSP] status). Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Having strong alphabet knowledge early in life is a powerful predictor of long-term reading and academic outcomes. Upon tracking the alphabet knowledge of 172 children enrolled in their first year of Head Start, we identified that most of the children could name fewer than 10 letters at the beginning of the academic year. Approximately, one third of the children with low alphabet knowledge in fall made significant progress and demonstrated mastery of 10 or more letters in spring. For the children who started the year knowing fewer than 10 letters, receptive vocabulary was the best predictor of who would make gains in alphabet knowledge throughout the year. In addition, most children who entered Head Start knowing fewer than 10 letters knew letters from their first names and the letters A, B, or O. Implications for the management of emergent literacy skills for children at-risk for academic difficulties are discussed.