Topics in Early Childhood Special Education

The shortage of highly qualified speech language pathologists (SLPs) with specialized training in early intervention and early childhood special education (EI/ECSE) is a pressing issue facing the field and dramatically impacts young children’s social and academic success. SLP personnel preparation programs focused on training specialists in EI/ECSE are crucial to building a highly qualified workforce to meet the needs of young children with disabilities and their families. The purpose of this manuscript is to describe the design and implementation of one such program. The guiding principles, competencies, and practica experiences of this federally funded program are illustrated. Outcomes are delineated in terms of student competencies, feasibility of implementing an early childhood specialization within an SLP graduate program, and the impact on the local community and EI/ECSE workforce.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of a Distance Mentoring Model (DMM), including performance-based feedback and technology support, on expanding the use of recommended home visiting practices by early interventionists. Data from 18 early interventionists indicated that participation in the DMM approach was associated with increased use of various caregiver coaching strategies and routine contexts. Specifically, participants spent significantly less time in child-focused intervention and more time using specific coaching interactions with the caregiver and child as a dyad after participating in technology-supported, performance-based feedback. All participants reported that they would participate in technology-supported, professional development opportunities again in the future.

An item-by-item comparison of states’ certification standards and/or competencies for Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) with those of national professional association standards (i.e., Council for Exceptional Children [CEC] Common Core, Division for Early Childhood [DEC] of CEC ECSE, and the National Association for the Education of Young Children personnel standards when relevant) is reported in this article. Results of the content analysis are reported specific to the percentage of national standards met by states’ policies overall and the percentage of national standards met for each of the five major certification models found to be used by states for certifying personnel to work with young children with delays and disabilities. Descriptive information is also provided as to the professional association standards most and least likely to be included in state standards. Implications for state and professional association policy are provided, as well as recommendations for further research.

Results of the field validation survey of the revised initial and new advanced Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Division for Early Childhood (DEC) early childhood special education (ECSE)/early intervention (EI) personnel standards are presented. Personnel standards are used as part of educational accountability systems and in teacher personnel preparation program accreditation to train highly qualified teachers. DEC and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) members were partners in the validation survey. The method and survey procedures are described along with the knowledge and skill standards selected as essential and retained in the final DEC ECSE/EI approved sets of standards. Purposeful sampling was used to select DEC respondents for their knowledge and expertise in personnel preparation and operation of ECSE/EI and early childhood education (ECE) programs. Results from the DEC and NAEYC respondents are compared and contrasted. Challenges and limitations are discussed.

This article describes the process for alignment of the personnel preparation standards developed by the Council for Exceptional Children and Division for Early Childhood with the standards developed by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The results identify areas of convergence across the two sets of standards and areas that were primarily addressed through only one set of standards. Areas of nonalignment may constitute specialized knowledge and skills within the disciplines of special education, early childhood special education and early intervention, and early childhood education. This standards alignment can be used by states and university and college personnel preparation programs to develop blended programs that highly qualified early childhood professionals to meet the needs of all children in a variety of settings.