This qualitative study explored the changes in the practice of early childhood education (ECE) teachers in a specific Montessori program after a series of trainings. This study’s purpose was to compare the teacher practices in a Montessori preschool program before and after specific pedagogical training. The ECE teachers were trained in a four-week series of didactic sessions on Montessori philosophy and pedagogy. On week days the teachers were mentored by observation, direct feedback, and guidance of practice. Classes met 15 hours per week for a total of 60 contact hours. Prior to the beginning of the training classes a baseline of each teacher was established according to the qualities identified for the study. These qualities included the teacher’s subjective view of young children, their perception of their teaching role, and their performance with children. Following the end of the training period this process was repeated and any changes were reviewed and described. The information for this review was collected by interview, ongoing documented observation, personal narratives, and personal journals. Results of the study supported that specific Montessori training impacted the participant/teachers’ subjective view of young children, the perception of their teaching role, and their performance with children. As compared to the beginning of the study, after the four weeks of training the participant/teachers recognized a more constructivist view of how young children learn; they expressed a more reflective perception of their teaching role; and engaged in more responsive, facilitative, and less interruptive performance with children. Conclusions of the study were that providing Montessori pedagogical and philosophical training can improve the qualitative relationships of teachers with young children.

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In the United States of America, various manmade constructs such race, ethnicity, and social-economic status have been used to categorize members of society; however, there have been gaps in social conditions between subgroups. Critical race theory posits that public policy has played a role in these disparities (Chapman, 2011). Conditions in the United States of America matter as social cognitive theorist, Bandura (1989), posited that learning is socially constructed by triadic reciprocal determinism involving the person, environment, and behavior. Self-efficacy, a judgment of one's ability, and outcome expectancy or the judgment of whether engaging in an action will produced the desired effect are belief categories that have been reported to precede and predict behavior (Bandura, 1982). This study explored associations between 57 Voluntary Prekindergarten teachers' culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy and outcome expectancy beliefs located in urbanized Florida areas. An association between culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy and outcome expectancy beliefs and teacher demographics (i.e., age range, range of teaching experience in years, and degree level) were also explored. A Spearman's rho yielded a statistically significant, strong positive correlation between Voluntary Prekindergarten teachers' culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy and outcome expectancy beliefs. Results yielded no statistically significant associations between Voluntary Prekindergarten teachers' culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy or outcome expectancy and teacher demographics.

Substantial research supports the efficacy of early intervention services for children with developmental delays from birth to age 5. Federal legislation, IDEA, P.L. 101-476, now mandates that states provide services to infants and toddlers (Part C) and preschoolers ages 3--5 (Part B) using either categorical or noncategorical classifications.;Research relative to eligibility classifications and stability of classifications of preschool students transitioning to school age service is limited. The purpose of this study was to determine: (a) the initial eligibility classification at time of exit from preschool special education services, (b) the stability of classifications for students initially declassified and initially classified, and (c) the performance of students who were classified with mild disabilities in terms of attendance, disciplinary referrals, retention, math and reading achievement, and grade point average. Results of the study indicated that 86% of students who exited preschool special education continued to be eligible for special education services. Overall, 29% of the students maintained the original exit classification status over six years. Seventy-five percent of students originally declassified at time of exit were subsequently reclassified within the first three years following exit. No significant differences were found on variables of achievement between students originally declassified and originally classified. Examination of stability of school assignments indicated that students who were initially declassified and remained declassified experienced significantly fewer school assignment changes than all other groups.

Selective mutism (SM), an anxiety disorder wherein children have difficulty speaking or communicating when they are uncomfortable, is relevant for the early childhood population as symptoms often manifest upon school entry (Steinhausen & Juzi, 1996) and early treatment leads to better treatment prognosis (Oerbeck, Stein, Wentzel-Larsen, Langsrud & Kristensen, 2014). Bergman, Gonzalez, Piacentini and Keller, (2013) utilized an integrative behavioral treatment for children (ages 4-8) with SM and reported a 75% treatment responder status after 24 weeks of therapy. Their mothers are the focus of this study. This exploratory study examined the content of Five Minute Speech Samples at baseline and end of treatment condition for 9 mothers whose children had participated in the randomized controlled trial. Via a content analysis of language samples, this study examined emergent themes and a priori codes of Expressed Emotion (a construct associated with a variety of disorders) and parental overcontrol (a construct associated with the development and maintenance of anxiety disorders). Results revealed five categories of content expressed by mothers: (a) child characteristics (b) child's activities, (c) relationships with others, (d) difficulties other than SM, and (e) thoughts related to SM. Analysis revealed mothers who had children with SM had higher levels of expressed emotion and emotional overinvolvement than samples of mothers of children without SM. The implication of this finding is unknown and is a direction for future research. Overcontrol was overtly present in one mother and subtle in other mothers. Levels of expressed emotion largely remained unchanged over the course of treatment. Overall, information garnered from giving mothers the five minutes speech sample provides insight for therapists to design intervention. Giving the mothers a chance to discuss their views and experiences with their children is valuable in determining the behavioral and emotional support they need as they parent their child with SM.

Early intervention is the area of practice specific to children aged 0–3 years old and is often made up of a team of professionals working towards similar goals for a child alongside the family. Many of these settings use a multidisciplinary approach. This study aims to create a transdisciplinary model for early intervention professionals to follow and implement in their practice settings. The Parent Empowerment Program (PEP) will share evidence that transdisciplinary practice in early intervention leads to better goal outcomes for children and families. The transdisciplinary approach entails that professionals collaborate and communicate to share knowledge within their area of practice and scope with the other members on the treatment team to create a shared knowledge pool. This allows early intervention strategies to be integrated between specialties, leading to a holistic and better supported carry over of home strategies when compared to multidisciplinary practices. Occupational therapists will be able to implement this approach in treatment teams to spread awareness of our scope of practice as well as share and teach occupational therapy strategies to other health care professionals. Transdisciplinary practices lead to better client and family outcomes in the efficiency of goal attainment, family involvement, and carryover of strategies from therapy session to the home environment. This approach to practice will make occupational therapy well known and better understood for both service consumers and other health care professionals.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate three different teaching approaches that might improve the social functioning of young children with visual impairment and additional disabilities. These three methods included: (1) the arrangement of ecological variables (child-selected play materials), (2) peer-mediated training procedures, and (3) teacher-directed prompting strategies to promote and reinforce social behaviors. Of the four children studied, two failed to show changes in verbal and physical interactive behaviors across baseline and peer-mediated conditions. However, these same two students demonstrated increases albeit highly variable, during the teacher-prompting phase. For the other two students, physical and verbal interactive behaviors increased during both peer and teacher prompting conditions when contrasted to baseline phases. Overall, these findings suggest that teacher-prompting procedures may be an effective teaching method to improve social skills of young children with vision impairment and additional disabilities.

Research indicates that serious behavior problems begin during the early childhood years. The study examined the perceived preparedness of teachers related to behavior management as well as preschool teachers' usage of evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies. The data indicates that preschool teachers feel prepared for managing aggression in their classrooms and report utilizing evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies regularly. Additionally, the data shows a weak relationship between teacher variables and the likelihood of feeling prepared for managing aggression or utilizing evidence-based strategies. The results can be used to gain a better understanding of special education preschool teachers' training needs in regard to behavior management and managing behavior problems in the preschool classroom.

The purpose of this study was to first identify and describe the literary response behaviors exhibited by pre-schoolers in a literature rich setting. Next, the study examined these response behaviors as indicative of the characteristics of theorist Michael Benton's 'secondary world' of literary response (1983) and of psychologist D. W. Winnicott's 'third area' of play (1971). Finally, the study considered the possibilities inherent in these secondary worlds for the creation and exploration of meaning on the part of pre-schoolers. This study utilized ethnographic methods of participant observation, in-depth interviewing, informal conversations, field notes and videotaping. Validity was established and checked through trianglization using the adults in the setting and two outside readers. The findings of this study are culture specific. This ethnographic study offers ways of thinking about, considering and discussing how young children use their experiences of interacting with books and responding to books to create meaning for their lives. Response behaviors were identified, described and organized into three general categories: (1) Individual/dyadic response behaviors involving one child/book(s), two children/book(s) and a child/adult/book(s), (2) Communal response behaviors involving several children/book(s) or several children/adult/book(s), and (3) Guided/directed response behaviors which always involved several children, an adult and book(s), and, in addition, had a specific goal or objective. Response behaviors in each of these categories covered a broad range of activities and formed an integral part of the living and learning experiences of the pre-schoolers in this day care setting. Both physically and humanly this setting was an organized and supportive environment which expected and encouraged interactions with and response to books. Within this setting, reliable and trustworthy relationships were formed which both allowed and encouraged the creation of secondary worlds. Such secondary worlds were intermediate between inner psychic reality and outer shared reality, were dependent upon individual contributions and provided place and opportunity for the creation of meaning. The pre-schoolers used these secondary worlds to explore self identity, emotions, competency development and to expand and integrate their ways of being in the world.