This qualitative study used naturalistic methods to compare a local implementation of a state funded early intervention program (EIP) with its stated goals. A large suburban elementary school began serving academically at-risk students through small, self-contained classrooms after funding for more inclusive practices was cut from the state budget. This study took place within two fifth grade classes, situated within a non-Title I elementary school. Participants included EIP teachers, system administrators and mother/child dyads. Each participant was interviewed twice. Information from a pilot study, classroom observations, program guidelines and archival records were used to provide additional depth to interview data using recursive strategies. Data analysis procedures included constant comparison among interview data, formal and informal observations, ongoing dialogue with participants, and archival data. This research study was informed by constructivist learning theory, literature on classroom environment, parent involvement, and educational policy. Findings suggested students were placed in self-contained classrooms based on informal data, either from teachers or past educational performance, rather than formal criteria from the state department of education. Results highlighted the impact of classroom context, student-teacher relationships, and the impact of state policy at the local level. Participant satisfaction with the program was influenced by the student-teacher relationship. Two groups of students, thrivers and survivors emerged. The former were students who developed strong teacher relationships, which seemed to benefit academic performances as well as peer status. Parents and teachers of these students felt the small group EIP was beneficial. In contrast, the second group, the survivors, had less positive relationships with teachers. These students demonstrated less engagement in the classroom dialogue and expressed little understanding of their learning strengths or weaknesses. Parents of survivors described placement in the EIP self-contained as having a negative impact on their child’s achievement and self-esteem.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) mandates services from birth through age 21 for children with disabilities and their families (U.S. Department of Education, 2004). Children experience significant transitions between formal parts of special education, including the transition from birth-to-age-three services, to age-three-to-five services (Fowler, Donegan, Lueke, Hadden, & Phillips, 2000). Barriers, problems, and positive factors in these transitions (Christenson, 2004; Feinberg, Beyer, & Moses, 2002; Mitchell & Sloper, 2002; Valle & Aponte, 2002) include stress, satisfaction/dissatisfaction in professional-parent interactions, resistance of professionals to working with parents, and agreement/disagreement over service provision (Christenson, 2004; Ladwig, 2003; Minke & Scott, 1995; Park, 2003; Valle & Aponte, 2002). The nature of the interactions and the quality of relationships between special education professionals and parents can facilitate or hinder the process and outcomes of special education (Gould, 2002; Hanson et al., 2000; Hoover, 2001). Previous studies have examined the positive and negative experiences of parents. Further inquiry into the relationships and viewpoints of both professionals and parents could assist in enhancing the quality of services, decreasing the need for conflict resolution, reducing stress, and making team interactions more cohesive and productive. However, more information is needed before such goals can be achieved. This study examined the experiences and perceptions of special education professionals and parents of children with disabilities who are in the process of transitioning from early intervention services (IDEIA, Part C) to special needs preschool services (IDEIA, Part B, Section 619). The perspective of African American parents is lacking in the research literature and was one focus of this study. A phenomenological qualitative investigation was conducted (Creswell, 1998). This research sought to examine: (a) the perceptions and experiences of three African American mothers across the transition process; (b) the perceptions the African American mothers had of the professionals they had contact with throughout the transition process; and (c) the perceptions professionals had of the African American mothers during the transition process. Results showed that cultural factors including parenting practices and developmental differences were more salient to participants than race. Professionals expected parents to be knowledgeable about their child, but uninformed about the process of transition. The three parents generally met this expectation. Parents and professionals viewed transition as a process about paperwork rather than focused on relationships or interactions, and viewed this process as primarily child-centered. Results also suggested that while all participants accepted that transition requires process, positive interactions and rapport were desired and helped to minimize difficulties throughout the transition.

This thesis presents an ethnographic action research study of Deaf and hearing parents and infants participating in a family American Sign Language (ASL) literacy program in Ontario. The thesis documents the context for parents and children’s learning of ASL in an environment where resources for supporting early ASL literacy have been scarce. At the time of the study, restrictions were placed on young Deaf and hard of hearing children’s learning of ASL, as the Ontario government’s Infant Hearing Program frequently did not provide ASL services to children who received cochlear implants or auditory-verbal therapy. This operational language policy of Ontario infant hearing screening and early intervention services was maintained despite evidence for the benefits that learning ASL confers on spoken and written language development in Deaf children. In this context, participation in a family ASL literacy program is a means for both supporting emerging ASL literacy in young children and resisting pathologizing Discourses (Gee, 2008) regarding signed language and Deaf identity. Through semi-structured interviews and observations of six individual families or parent-child dyads, the study documents participants’ encounters with gatekeepers who regulate Deaf children and their families’ access to ASL. At the same time, the setting of the ASL Parent-Child Mother Goose Program is presented as a Deaf cultural space and thereby a counter-Discourse to medical Discourses regarding Deaf identity and bilingualism. This space features the Deaf mother participants’ ASL literacy and numeracy practices and improvisations of ASL rhymes and stories to enhance their suitability for young children. The practices of the ASL Parent-Child Mother Goose Program leader also serve to define and support emergent ASL literacy in young children. In addition, a Deaf cultural space inside a broader context of public services to young Deaf children provides a means for the hearing mother participants to facilitate critical inquiry of issues surrounding bilingualism, ASL, and a Deaf identity. Collectively, the findings from this study highlight the benefits of emergent ASL literacy in Deaf children and their families, and provide an evidence-based rationale for Canadian governments and government agencies to better support this development.

Early Reading First is a federal initiative that seeks to buffer against the detrimental effects of poverty on children‟s academic outcomes by incorporating all of the elements supported by scientifically-based reading research to address the present and future reading gaps of high-risk preschool children. The tenets of ERF are teacher professional development, high quality language and print-rich environments, the teaching of emergent instruction of emergent literacy skills based on scientifically based reading research (SBRR) and the early identification of reading problems through the informed use of appropriate assessment measures. The present study was designed to assess the effectiveness of ERF enriched preschool classrooms located in a small city in a Southwestern state on both short- and mid-term early literacy outcomes of high risk preschoolers in a treatment condition and a comparison group. A total of 239 children participated in the study; 110 children in the ERF treatment group and 129 children in the "practice as usual" contrast group. The longitudinal effect of the ERF intervention on participating students (from pre-kindergarten through the middle of first grade) was investigated via multilevel modeling. Four multilevel models were developed for two subtests of the Tejas Lee (Francis, Carlson, and Cardenas-Hagan, 2006): Spanish alphabet knowledge (i.e, identificación de las letras) and Spanish story comprehension (i.e., comprensión auditiva); and two subtests of the Texas Primary Reading Inventory (TPRI; Center for Academic and Reading Skills, 2004): English Alphabet Knowledge and English Story Comprehension. Results of the present study support the findings reported by similar prior studies, indicating that while ERF effectively increases students' alphabet knowledge, greater effort is necessary toward programming for increasing student outcomes on story comprehension.

Early intervention is important on different levels and must be justified as a social and economic long-term investment. There is no doubt about the importance of early detection when helping children/students in need of support. What kind of support that is deemed suitable and who provides the support can be viewed from different perspectives and with different approaches. Seen from a relational perspective the special education process is a long-term process and affects not only the individual but the whole school culture and systems may need changing. This study intends to describe the importance of the learning environment and what efforts are initiated early for students in need of support from the special education point of view. As part of this, a study of a student health project was made. A triangular method of investigation was used, with document studies, questionnaires and interviews. This has been done in consultation with promoters and linked to the background by previous research but also for active educators and special educators. Although the result showed that the relational perspective is relevant to the work of early intervention in the learning environment, the categorical perspective often is associated with the concept of early intervention, both in theory and practice

The purpose of this study was to examine prevalence rates of several sleep disorders symptoms in young children, and the relationship between symptoms of pediatric sleep disorders and other childhood problems. Eighty-six children aged 3 to 5 years were studied through parent report and academic assessment. Children rated as high risk for having a sleep disorder displayed more externalizing and internalizing problems, less developed social skills, and lower scores on a measure of pre-academic skills, as compared to children whose sleep was rated in the normal range. It was found that 33% of children were at high risk for having at least one type of sleep disorder. Early identification and intervention is crucial in order to assist children suffering from sleep disorders.

Pediatric sleep problems are among the most common pediatric health issues faced by families today. Sleep problems can have a deleterious impact on children's academics, behaviors, social-emotional development, health, and/or safety. Once sleep problems are identified and treated, many of the associated negative impacts can be ameliorated. The purpose of the current study was to examine prevalence rates of symptoms of sleep disorders in young children, and the relationship between these symptoms and various behavior problems. One hundred and four children, ages 2 to 5 years, attending a pediatric health clinic served as the participants in this study. Data on sleep disorder symptoms were derived from the Sleep Disorders Inventory for Students, Children's Form. The Child Behavior Checklist was used to measure internalizing and externalizing behaviors, and adaptive behavior was assessed through ratings on the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, Second Edition. Results indicated that a total of 31% of the sampled children were at high risk for at least one type of sleep disorder. Children rated as high risk for having a sleep disorder displayed more externalizing and internalizing problems, as compared to children whose sleep was reported to be in the normal range. No significant differences were found between adaptive behavior scores and risk for having a sleep disorder. The implications of these results for school psychologists and directions for future practice and research are discussed.

Children with cerebral palsy that have severe motor impairments, and often co-occurring visual impairments, may often have an impaired ability in prelinguistic forms of communication. In order for children to establish intentional communication, research suggests that prelinguistic communicative competence must be in place. Access to alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) is not sufficient to enhance interaction if motivation to communicate intentionally does not exist. The purpose of this literature review is to discuss the important aspects of early assessment and intervention for children with cerebral palsy who have severe motor impairment. There is a wealth of information about the development, assessment, and intervention of prelinguistic communication in typically developing children and children with developmental delays; however, limited empirical research focuses on children with severe physical impairments. The aim of this project will be to draw conclusions from the available research in order to formulate a protocol for speech-language pathologists to use in assessment and intervention of prelinguistic communication in young children with cerebral palsy. / text

The purpose of this dissertation was to compare two methods of assessing challenging behavior in young children in the home setting and to determine if the two methods could result in the same outcome. Results indicated that there was full correspondence between the two assessment methods for three out of five participants, and among 19 comparisons, 16 agreements were made (84%). Future research should validate latency functional analysis via treatment evaluation with this population. / text

This study was designed to evaluate a parent training curriculum: Helping Our Toddlers Developing Our Children's Skills (HOT DOCS© ) using archival data collected between August 2006 and April 2007. The evaluation studied the impact of specific components of the parent training program on both participants' knowledge and attitudes and their perceptions of targeted children's behavior. One-hundred-forty-six caregivers of children between the ages of 14 months and ten years of age participated in the parent training program and were included in the analyses. Measures included a pre/post knowledge test, rating scales of child problem behavior, weekly progress monitoring forms for caregiver behavior at home, and a program evaluation survey. Results indicated significant increases in caregiver knowledge following participation in the program. Prior to participation, caregivers' perceptions of the severity of child problem behaviors and deficits in adaptive behaviors were significantly different from a normative sample. Following participation in the program, results showed significant decreases in caregiver perceptions of the severity of child problem behaviors, but no significant differences in child adaptive behaviors. Caregiver feedback indicated high levels of satisfaction with the program.