LSHSS
Clinical Forum
Prologue
Perspectives From the Field of Early
Childhood Special Education
Joan N. Kaderavek
The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH
S peech-language pathologists (SLPs), general edu-
cation teachers, occupational therapists (OTs),
physical therapists (PTs), and early childhood
special educators (ECSEs) work together to influence academic
outcomes for young children who are at risk or who have special
needs or disabilities. Despite professionals’ best efforts to read
ABSTRACT: Purpose: Positive academic outcomes for young
children with special education needs can best be facilitated
when a combination of professionals including speech-language
pathologists (SLPs), general education teachers, occupational and
physical therapists, and early childhood special educators (ECSEs)
work together. However, it can be challenging to read across
disciplines to maintain expertise within the domain of early
childhood education because each profession has specialized
intradisciplinary terminology. This clinical forum provides an
up-to-date summary of the field of early childhood special
education, with articles from experts from related professions
describing current issues and trends in the field.
Method: This prologue introduces the concepts of universal
design, differentiated instruction, and embedded learning oppor-
tunities. The prologue also outlines the roles, responsibilities, and
accountability of professionals who work in early childhood
special education.
Conclusion: SLPs can work toward strategic alliances with ECSEs
when they understand the field from the perspective of related
professions in early childhood special education.
KEY WORDS: early childhood special education, universal design,
differentiated instruction, embedded learning opportunities
LANGUAGE, SPEECH, AND HEARING SERVICES IN SCHOOLS • Vol. 40 • 403–405 • October 2009 * American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
0161-1461/09/4004-0403
broadly across related disciplines, each profession has unique
intradisciplinary dialogue, terminology, and current “hot button”
issues. This clinical forum provides an up-to-date summary of the field
of early childhood special education, with a particular focus on in-
clusion of preschool-age children in community-based early child-
hood programs. The goal is to allow experts in the field of early
childhood special education to describe current issues, framing a per-
spective that helps SLPs understand the most relevant topics in the
field. Although many, if not most, of the concepts articulated in this
forum will be familiar to SLPs, the perspective and emphasis of par-
ticular concepts and practices vary. For example, Jackson, Pretti-
Frontczak, Harjusola-Webb, Grisham-Brown, and Romani discuss
in their article how ECSEs tend to focus on classroom context, class-
room routines, and group goals in contrast to highlighting child-as-
individual goals. This may be a novel perspective for many SLPs.
The field of early childhood special education has evolved over
the past 25 years to address the unique needs and challenges that are
facing young children from birth to age 8 and their families. The
field of early childhood special education recognizes that young
children with disabilities face challenges that set them apart from
typically developing young children as well as older individuals
with disabilities; the field blends knowledge and information from
the fields of early childhood education and development and special
education. ECSEs work with a variety of professionals, including
SLPs, OTs, and PTs. ECSEs also strongly value partnerships with
parents and family members.
An overarching topic of interest to most facilitators of early
childhood special education is the provision of high-quality services
in inclusive settings such as community-based preschool and kin-
dergarten programs. Many factors affect the degree to which in-
clusive early childhood education is successful for young children,
both those with and without disabilities. These factors include the
403
quality of the early childhood setting (including aspects of the
physical environment), roles and responsibilities of personnel who
work with young children with disabilities, efficacy of child-focused
interventions that are designed to address individualized education
program (IEP) goals, and approaches to assess children and monitor
progress. This forum on early childhood special education high-
lights some of the most critical issues facing ECSEs and other
professionals who work with young children with special education
needs in inclusive settings.
As mandated by federal law, young children with disabilities
are required to have access to the general education curriculum.
In addition, inclusion is a principle that is highly valued in the
early childhood and special education communities (Division for
Early Childhood, 1996). Currently, approximately one third of all
young children with IEPs receive specialized instruction in general
early childhood programs, such as child care centers, preschools, and
Head Start classrooms (Individuals With Disabilities Education
Act Data, 2007). Given the value that the field places on inclusion
and the numbers of young children receiving specialized services
in community-based settings, it is critical to articulate aspects of
early childhood special education.
Universal Design for Learning
and High-Quality Environments
Universal design is a concept that has its roots in architecture
and product design. The concept of universal design reflects the
importance of designing environments that are flexible and versatile
in order to meet the needs of individuals with a wide range of
abilities and characteristics, as opposed to modifying environments
once individuals have difficulty accessing them. The classic exam-
ple of universal design is the curb cuts that are standard in side-
walk construction. Not only are curb cuts essential for individuals
who use wheelchairs, but individuals without mobility problems
also benefit from the elimination of the physical barrier. In this
forum, Horn and Banerjee discuss universal design and demonstrate
how designing early childhood environments to accommodate the
needs of children with disabilities proactively ensures that early
childhood classroom environments are developmentally and in-
dividually appropriate for all children.
Differentiated Instruction
The concept of differentiated instruction is, in many ways, related
to that of universal design because it emphasizes the importance
of helping learners access the curriculum in meaningful ways.
Differentiated instructional practices, as interpreted by ECSEs,
reflect the ability to think about learning and teaching broadly and
the creation of a range of learning opportunities that are relevant for
all children in the class. Not only must a range of learning oppor-
tunities be available, but teachers must also incorporate assessment
strategies that are flexible enough to allow children to demonstrate
what they have learned in meaningful ways. Issues related to dif-
ferentiated instruction are discussed in this forum by Horn and
Banerjee, Case-Smith and Holland, and Jackson et al.
Embedded Learning Opportunities
Within the field of early childhood special education, there is
an emphasis on instruction that is embedded within the context of
404 LANGUAGE, SPEECH, AND HEARING SERVICES IN SCHOOLS • Vol. 40 • 403–405 • October 2009
embedded learning opportunities (ELOs). Naturalistic child-focused
interventions include those interventions that (a) capitalize on
children’s interests and motivations, (b) include the systematic
provision of support from an adult or more accomplished peer, and
(c) provide natural or logical consequences that serve as incentives
to increase the desired behavior (McWilliams, Wolery, & Odom,
2001). ECSEs recommend that ELOs be delivered within the context
of everyday routines or learning opportunities, such as mealtime,
play, and other typical preschool activities. The use of ELOs in early
childhood special education and the role of ELOs for individualized
instruction are highlighted by Horn and Banerjee as well as by
Dinnebeil, Pretti-Frontczak, and McInerney.
Roles, Responsibilities, and Accountability
of Personnel Supporting Inclusion
By virtue of their IEPs, young children with disabilities are
entitled to specialized instruction and services that enable them
to access the general curriculum. Depending on a child’s special
needs, a variety of personnel might provide these services, includ-
ing SLPs, ECSEs, and other related services providers. For chil-
dren who receive services in general education classrooms, such as
typical preschool or kindergarten classrooms, the general education
teacher is an important part of the team because this individual
spends the most time with the child. Understanding the roles and
responsibilities of all team members is essential to supporting in-
clusion. In this forum, Dinnebeil et al. present a discussion regard-
ing the role of the itinerant ECSE. The issues facing itinerant ECSEs
will be familiar to SLPs, who also are challenged to provide ser-
vices within the classroom context. Dinnebeil and her colleagues
also highlight the need for ECSEs to use adult learning principles to
serve as a “coach” to the general education teacher. The roles of
ECSEs and SLPs in decision making and assessment are presented
in the article by Case-Smith and Holland.
Also in this forum, Hebbeler and Rooney discuss issues related
to accountability and the development of performance goals and
indicators for children with special needs. They highlight how
functional goals and assessments contribute to state outcome doc-
umentation. The authors also provide information regarding federal
reporting categories. This information underscores the need for
SLPs who work in inclusive settings to use naturalistic methods
to gather information about the child’s everyday functioning and
to be cognizant of the role of ongoing progress monitoring as it
pertains to state outcomes.
Final Comments
This forum represents the voices of experts from the fields of
occupational therapy, early childhood curriculum and environ-
mental design, early childhood special education, itinerant early
childhood special education provision, and early childhood special
education policy. Together, these articles allow SLPs to consider
early childhood special education from a slightly different perspec-
tive. I believe that a more encompassing perspective helps SLPs
provide better interventions to young children.
One of the important steps to “scaling up” (i.e., taking evidence-
based practices into real-life settings) is ensuring that all stake-
holders understand and value the same innovations and outcomes.
Scaling up is both a technical and a social endeavor (Dunst, Trivette,
Masiello, & McInerney, 2006). General education teachers, ECSEs,
and other early childhood professionals are important stakeholders
in the implementation of high-quality early childhood interventions.
SLPs are more likely to build strategic alliances that facilitate the
adoption of early childhood evidence-based practices when we
understand the field from the perspective of teachers and ECSEs.
REFERENCES
Case-Smith, J., & Holland, T. (2009). Making decisions about service
delivery in early childhood programs. Language, Speech, and Hearing
Services in Schools, 40, 416–423.
Dinnebeil, L., Pretti-Frontczak, K., & McInerney, W. (2009). A consul-
tative itinerant approach to service delivery: Considerations for the early
childhood community. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in
Schools, 40, 435–445.
Division for Early Childhood. (1996). DEC’s position statement on inclu-
sion. Retrieved February 22, 2008, from http://www.dec-sped.org/pdf/
positionpapers/PositionStatement _Inclusion.pdf.
Dunst, C. J., Trivette, C. M., Masiello, T., & McInerney, M. (2006).
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Horn, E., & Banerjee, R. (2009). Understanding curriculum modifications
and embedded learning opportunities in the context of supporting all
children’s success. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools,
40, 406–415.
Individuals With Disabilities Education Act Data. (2007). Retrieved
February 22, 2008, from http://www.ideadata.org/TAMaterial.asp.
Jackson, S., Pretti-Frontczak, K., Harjusola-Webb, S., Grisham-Brown,
J., & Romani, J. M. (2009). Response to intervention: Implications
for early childhood professionals. Language, Speech, and Hearing
Services in Schools, 40, 424–434.
McWilliams, R. A., Wolery, M., & Odom, S. L. (2001). Instructional
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Received February 28, 2008
Accepted July 17, 2008
DOI: 10.1044/0161-1461(2008/08-0019)
Contact author: Joan N. Kaderavek, Mail Stop 954, University of
Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606. E-mail: Joan.Kaderavek@utoledo.edu.
Kaderavek: Prologue 405