Topics in Early Childhood Special Education

Infants and toddlers with complex medical needs are likely to receive early intervention (EI) services, which take place in children’s natural environments (NEs). Little is known about the NE of children with complex medical needs or how their EI services are implemented in consideration of their intersectional identities. In this case study, we explored the NE of one child with complex medical needs who was experiencing homelessness and how his EI services were embedded in his NE. We used multiple qualitative methods, including observations, interviews, document review, auto-photography, and photo-elicitation. Using thematic analysis, we developed five themes from the data: (a) description of the child’s NE, (b) the family’s planning and intentionality, (c) positivity and acceptance, (d) family expertise versus provider expertise, and (e) a continuum of practices. Implications relate to practices that align with a family’s unique circumstances and the need for research that addresses a family’s intersectional experiences navigating disability.

Family functioning and child participation are critical factors in recovery from traumatic brain injury (TBI) and academic and social outcomes. Using mixed methods, we investigated these factors in children who experienced early childhood TBIs and then entered formal U.S. schooling. Caregivers completed interviews and scales of family functioning and child participation. Their scores did not reflect problematic family functioning, but showed participation across settings was below average. Themes from interviews included: (1) early childhood TBIs can affect family functioning even years after the injury; (2) learning, academic, and social-emotional issues impact participation and family functioning following early childhood TBI; and (3) appropriate supports and accessible environments are critical for both family functioning and child participation across settings. Mixed methods analyses indicated convergence, divergence, and expansion between qualitative and quantitative results. Results enhance our understanding of challenges encountered after early childhood TBI and provide directions for future interventions.

Expulsion is unfortunately common in early childhood settings and has a negative impact on both children and caregivers. In this qualitative U.S. study, we conducted semi-structured interviews to learn about caregivers’ experiences with early childhood expulsion. We analyzed the data using a trauma-informed lens to examine how the experience of expulsion was potentially traumatic to children and caregivers. Our findings indicate that caregivers believed the experience of expulsion was deeply harmful for themselves and their children. The implications of this study highlight ways early childhood education systems and practices can improve to be more trauma-informed and prevent expulsion.

Young children with disabilities experience trauma at high rates. To mitigate and address the negative effects of trauma on young children’s development, systematic implementation of trauma-informed care is needed. In schools, it is important that all staff members at every level are trained to implement trauma-informed care. In this qualitative study, we explored the experiences of ECSE professionals in one U.S. center, including administrators, teachers, paraprofessionals, and related service providers, as they planned and implemented trauma-informed care. We used Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory to guide the design of the study. Our findings suggest that ECSE professionals are impacted by factors at the micro-, meso-, exo-, and macrosystem level of the environment, which influenced the extent to which they were able to successfully implement trauma-informed care.

We aimed to understand the relation between child maltreatment and special education (SPED) service evaluation referrals in U.S. childcare settings. Extant data (N = 1,354) from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN) was used to address the study aims. Results indicated that the odds of teacher-initiated service evaluation referrals at age 6 years were 2.5 times higher for boys than girls. Results for model 2 indicated that parental perception of the need for services was 2.6 times higher for children who were screened for developmental delays and 0.08 times lower for children who attended center-based childcare or preschool. Early identification and intervention are critical to improving the long-term outcomes for young children with disabilities. More research is needed to understand how to accurately make referrals for evaluation of SPED service needs and how to best support early childhood educators in accurately and effectively referring students for evaluation of SPED service needs.

The need for trauma-informed care in early childhood special education settings is well established. Previous research has suggested that training is a primary driver for use of trauma-informed care. However, not all U.S. states require training on trauma-informed care, suggesting that other factors might be influencing early childhood special education teachers’ use of trauma-informed care. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore what is influencing how early childhood special education teachers in Pyramid Model sites use trauma-informed care. In this qualitative research study, we recruited twelve early childhood special education teachers from Pyramid Model implementation sites to participate in two semi-structured interviews. We identified five main factors that participants shared as influences on their use of trauma-informed care: (a) school curriculums and frameworks, (b) experiences with children and families, (c) personal experiences with trauma, (d) previous training, and (e) colleagues. Implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed.

Trauma-informed approaches are increasingly being integrated within early care and education (ECE) settings due to the plethora of research linking adversity and trauma in early childhood (e.g., maltreatment, violence, and racial discrimination) to children’s social-emotional, behavioral, and academic well-being. However, despite widespread use of observational measures to assess ECE classroom and instructional quality, there is no existing observational measure of trauma-informed teaching practices or guidance on integrating existing measures of observational practices into evaluations of trauma-informed ECE approaches. The current conceptual article describes the need for an observational measure of trauma-informed teaching practices and identifies several recommendations for incorporating existing observational measures into trauma-informed ECE research.