1 / 21

Maximizing Preschool Inclusion: Benefits, Practices, and Strategies

Explore the evidence supporting high-quality inclusive settings in early childhood education, along with effective practices and challenges. Learn about the impact of social outcomes and the importance of fostering friendships. Discover strategies for successful inclusion programs.

amerrill
Download Presentation

Maximizing Preschool Inclusion: Benefits, Practices, and Strategies

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Preschool Inclusion: What’s the Evidence, What Stands in the Way, and What Do the Stellar Programs Look Like? Phil Strain, Ph.D. University of Colorado denver

  2. Some Bottom-Line Considerations Regarding Early Childhood Inclusion

  3. Bottom Line Considerations… • High quality inclusive settings are the only environments with data consistently supporting children’s superior learning AND non-inclusive environments have been shown to negatively impact children’s learning. • Fully inclusive options beat the alternative at a ratio of about 15 to 1.

  4. Bottom Line Considerations… • Fully inclusive options have been shown to work for children across disability groups and levels of severity (children with developmental delays, mild to severe; children with ASD; children with multiple disabilities; children with significant social and emotional needs; children with hearing impairment; children with limited mobility).

  5. Bottom Line Considerations… • Fully inclusive options tend to be of higher quality in general • Greatest magnitude of effect is social (but also significant differences in communicative and cognitive skills)

  6. So What’s The Big Deal About Social Outcomes?

  7. What Having A Friend In Preschool Means For Later In Life Success • Better academic skills • Higher high school graduation rates • Fewer special education services • Better adult employment status • Greater chance of independent living • Better adult mental health • Less drug/alcohol use in teen years

  8. It’s Not Magic: Here is what friends do for each other • Always involve and include their friend • Look out for their friend’s best interest • Encourage exploration/learning new things

  9. And What About Typically Developing Children? • Equal or greater cognitive and language skills • Fewer challenging behaviors • More advanced social skills • More accepting attitudes toward individuals who are different

  10. Given All of These Data, Why Doesn’t Everybody Do Inclusion As the First Placement Option? • Myths are powerful things • Too expensive • Illegal to blend funds • Children need to be ready (developmentally) to benefit • Parents do not want it • Harm typical child learning • Cannot deliver necessary intensity of instruction • Too stimulating

  11. What Do The Better Inclusion Settings Look Like And Operate Like?

  12. More Typically Developing Peers • Ilene Schwartz – DATA Project • Gail McGee – Walden Project • Phil Strain – LEAP Preschool • All began with 50:50 ratio and abandoned that for 2 or 3:1 ratio • Enhances generalization opportunities in social domain • Minimizes behavioral contagion effects around challenging behavior and “autistic-like” behaviors • Minimizes “Buddy Burn-Out”

  13. Everyday, all day long!

  14. Transdisciplinary Service Model • Maximizes instructional generalization opportunities • IEP & IFSP goals get addressed everyday all day • Maximizes consistency of adult-child interactions

  15. Full Utilization Of Peer Influence • Initiate social interactions • Invite others to activities • Take their hand and lead them there • Respond to social bids • Pass-out & Pick-up materials, props • Model desired actions • Praise, compliment peers • Give play directions • Help others complete a task/activity (give assistance)

  16. Predictable, Comprehensible Routines Daily Schedule Opening Circle Calendar • Arrival • Table Time • Opening Circle • Centers • Story Circle • Snack • Outside • Small Groups • Closing Circle • Greeting Song • Calendar • Child Choice Song • Social Skill Lesson • Choosing Centers • Clap the Month • Days of the Week Song • Add Today • Motor Cube • Pattern • Review

  17. Hundreds Of Learning Opportunities Embedded Across The Day

  18. Wide Range Of Evidence-based Practices Used And Their Efficacy Assessed Frequently

  19. End of 3rd Grade Outcomes

  20. Resources from the ECTA Center http://ectacenter.org/topics/inclusion/default.asp

  21. Federal Resources • Department of Education website www.ed.gov/early-learning/inclusion • Department of Health and Human Services website www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ecd/inclusive-high-quality-early-childhood-programs Questions about resources: ECInclusion@ed.gov

More Related