Adapting Early Childhood Curricula for Children with Disabilities and Special Needs (10^th Ed.)

Adapting Early Childhood Curricula for Children with Disabilities and Special Needs uses a developmental focus, rather than a disability orientation, to discuss typical and atypical child development and curricular adaptations. The integrated, non-categorical approach assumes that children are more alike than different in their development. The inclusive focus assumes that attitudes, environments, and intervention strategies can be adapted so that all young children with disabilities or other special needs can be included.

An essential text for today, and a valuable resource to take into the classroom tomorrow, this practical guide provides daily activities, evidence-based how-to strategies, and realistic lesson modifications that help facilitate truly inclusive classrooms. Aspiring educators will also learn to develop their collaboration and problem-solving skills to effectively work with families, colleagues, and paraprofessionals in supporting every child?s positive development.

The 10th Edition is updated to include enhanced discussions on working with families, children, and professionals of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds and lifestyles; new tips for integrating Division for Early Childhood Recommended Practices; updated requirements for writing IEP goals and recommendations; and more.

Brief Contents

1. Educating Young Children with Disabilities: The Challenge
2. In Partnership with Families
3. Developing Individualized Intervention Plans and Programs and Monitoring Progress
4. Designing Instructional Programs
5. Considerations for Teaching Children with Specific Disabilities
6. Promoting Emotional and Social Development
7. Helping Young Children Develop Motor and Self-Care Skills
8. Nurturing Communication Skills
9. Encouraging the Development of Cognitive Skills and Literacy
10. Teaming: Collaboration, Problem Solving, and Inclusion Support

Appendix A: Chart of Typical Development

Appendix B: Strategies for Helping Children with Specific Disabilities Participate in Inclusive Settings

Appendix C: Common Sequence of Training Steps Used in Milieu Approaches

Appendix D: Inclusion Support Itinerant Procedures

Appendix E: Roles and Responsibilities of the Special Education Staff as Related to General Education Staff in Inclusive Educational Settings

Appendix F: Professional Competencies in Early Childhood Special Education

About our authors

Dr. Ruth Cook is professor emerita at Santa Clara University. After completing a Ph.D. in developmental psychology at UCLA, Dr. Cook had the then unique opportunity of being the director of two campus childcare centers that were pioneers in the inclusion of children with special needs. These directorships allowed her the opportunity to field test many of the ideas that form the practical core of this text. As Dr. Cook was also developing graduate level programs designed to prepare early educators who could work effectively with young children with disabilities, this textbook originated from a desire to meet the needs of both students whose prior learning was in typical child development and students whose background was in atypical child development. As an author, she was able to combine her knowledge of typical child development with co-authors whose expertise was and is in various areas of special education. Besides this text, Dr. Cook has had the privilege of co-authoring 2 other books in the field: Strategies for Including Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Settings (2018, Cengage) and The Art and Practice of Home Visiting (2008, Brookes).

Dr. Diane Klein is professor emerita at California State University, Los Angeles, where she served over 30 years as professor and coordinator of the M.A. program in Early Childhood Special Education. She was also the project director for several federal grant projects in the areas of mother-infant communication, early childhood special education teacher training, and development of preschool inclusion support strategies. With degrees in speech-language pathology and developmental psychology, she has a long history of working in the areas of severe disabilities and early language development, beginning as a volunteer in high school in the 60s, as a speech pathologist working with children with severe and multiple disabilities in the 70s, and workin

Hallmark features of this title

• The text teaches readers to apply classic theories of Piaget, Vygotsky and others to teaching young children.
• A developmental focus discusses typical and atypical development and curricular adaptations that facilitate inclusion.
• An inclusive focus shows how attitudes, environments and intervention strategies can be adapted to include young children with special needs.
• An emphasis on family-centered practices helps readers understand the role that collaborative family partnerships play in development.
• A team-based approach provides practical strategies for working with colleagues, paraeducators and therapeutic specialists.
• In-depth coverage of communication skills, including ACC, prepares special educators to use the most effective technology available.