AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA)

·        Prohibits discrimination based on disability in employment, education, and “public accommodations,” including child care providers

·        Requires “reasonable accommodations” to be provided at no cost to the person with a disability

·        Requires child care providers to accept and serve children with disabilities if they can do so without substantively altering their program and without incurring “excessive cost”

·        Enforced by U.S. Department of Justice

SECTION 504 OF THE VOCATIONAL
REHABILITATION ACT (SEC. 504)

·        Prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities

·        Requires “reasonable accommodations” to be provided at no cost to the person with a disability

·        Requires child care providers to accept and serve children with disabilities if they can do so without substantively altering their program and without incurring “excessive cost”

·        Applies to organizations and institutions that receive federal financial assistance, directly or through state or municipal government (subsidized childcare providers, recreational programs, school-funded or sponsored before or after school programs and summer programs)

EARLY INTERVENTION

·        Provides services and supports for infants and toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities from birth to age 3, and their families

·        Services must be provided pursuant to an IFSP (Individualized Family Services Plan)

·        Services must be provided in “natural environments,” settings where infants and toddlers without disabilities would typically be found

·        Services may be provided in child care centers, directly by therapists & special educators or in consultation with therapists & special educators

·        Enforced by lead agency, NJ Department of Health & Senior Services

PRESCHOOL SPECIAL EDUCATION

·        Provides services and supports for 3-5 year olds with disabilities

·        Services must be provided pursuant to an IEP (Individualized Education Program)

·        Services must be provided in the “least restrictive environment,” starting with the regular setting with non-disabled peers

·        Services may be provided in child care centers or other early childhood settings, directly by therapists & special educators and/or in consultation with therapists & special educators

·        Enforced by lead agency, New Jersey Department of Education

QUALITIES OF A GOOD EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR

·        Respects children, and respects diversity among children

·        Believes all children can learn

·        Shows enthusiasm for children’s progress and accomplishments, great and/or small

·        Comprehends the process of sequencing developmental tasks

·        Is consistent and predictable, yet demonstrates flexibility as appropriate

·        Can improvise and adapt an activity to the individual or group needs at any moment

·        Encourages autonomy which gives children greater freedom to explore and experiment with their own behavior and own learning

·        Capable of setting positive limits and providing an environment that fosters health and safety

TEACHER AS FACILITATOR

·        Can capitalize on the child’s interest

·        Understands skill level progression and can “bump up” to the next appropriate level by modeling behaviors

·        Promotes social interaction among children and provides opportunities for children to learn social skills

·        Uses open-ended questions to encourage language expansion

·        Comments on activities or events to provide a “linguistic model”

·        Acknowledges verbal and non-verbal attempts to communicate

·        Provides adequate “wait time”

·        Uses environmental adaptations effectively by violating a routine, sabotaging the environment, withholding objects, violating object functions, and hiding the object

TEACHER AS COLLABORATOR & COMMUNICATOR

·        Establishing rapport

·        Recognizing differences in adult styles

·        Achieving “win-win” outcomes

·        Creating synergy

·        Positive side of conflict

·        Strategies for effective problem-solving

·        Gaining tools to enhance communication with families and creating true partnerships with families

·        Teambuilding with other partners: school staff, universities, community-based organizations, early intervention, etc.

EFFECTIVE TEACHING STRATEGIES

·        Teaching a Skill (Task Analysis Intervention)

·        Shapes new responses by beginning with what the child can do, then reinforcing successive approximations toward the mastery of a skill or task

·        Observe a child who is proficient at the task

·        Identify steps that are small, logical, sequential from simple to complex

·        Continue toward successive approximations to the desired skill

·        Use prompting, cueing, and fading to facilitate skill acquisition

·        Incidental Teaching

·        Using “teachable moments”

·        Always child-initiated

·        Meeting a child where her interests lie

·        Responding in a way that matches the child’s skill level

·        Introducing the bit of novelty that provides challenge for the child

·        Theme Teaching

·        Reflects children’s interests/abilities

·        Addresses variety of students’ needs

·        Provides opportunity for teachers to help some children link and generalize skills

·        Promotes dramatic play and expands language proficiency

·        Effective with a group and individual children

·        Activity-Based Teaching

·        Attention to the child’s motivation, interests and actions

·        Embedding of target objective in routine or planned activities

·        Logically occurring antecedents and consequences

·        Generalizes motor, social, self-help, communication and problem-solving skills that will permit independent functioning

·        Allows many opportunities for teaching episodes within playful interactional context

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