Early intervention for handicapped children: Efficacy issues and data for school psychologists

Providing early intervention services for handicapped children is a relatively new endeavor for school psychologists. Because of the recency of this activity, most school psychologists have not received formal training—yet are providing evaluation and intervention services to preschool children. It is necessary that school psychologists fully understand the efficacy issues and data pertinent to this service to benefit preschoolers and provide accountability data for this service. This article presents the major efficacy issues and the subsequent research data on early intervention for young handicapped children.     

Globalisation,global English: ‘futures trading’ in early childhood education

This paper explores my thinking about the issues which surround globalisation and Global English and their connections with the literacy practices, literacy events and futures for young children in home and out‐of‐home communities or institutions such as kindergartens, childcare or the early years of school. Exemplars from Australia and Singapore are provided to highlight these issues and the possible risks or benefits for children and families that seem to flow from globalisation processes. Central to the purpose of the paper are provocations for the field of early childhood education in order to further the discussions on how we respond to the challenges of connecting between the local and the global in our role as policy‐makers, parents, teacher educators or early childhood teachers.     

Moving to Inclusive Pre-Kindergarten Classrooms: Lessons from the Field

In this article, the authors share a framework for preparing for and implementing inclusive Pre-kindergarten classrooms based on their experiences working with an interdisciplinary study group comprised of two Pre-K teachers, one early childhood special education teacher, and two university professors, one traditional early childhood and one specializing in early childhood special education. The study group was organized to explore and then document the benefits and challenges of providing inclusive early education to young children with and without disabilities in a public school Pre-K setting. Five key issues are addressed, collaboration and role definition, program decisions, instruction, child outcomes, and necessary resources.     

Gender issues in early childhood science and technology education in Australia

Science and technology education within the early childhood field has received the minimum of attention by the general research community. As a result, early childhood educators have had to look to their better established colleagues in the primary and secondary fields, where some research information is currently available. Early childhood practitioners in Australia have little information available to guide them in the implementation of recently introduced technology curricula.

In this paper, the findings of a research study investigating conceptual change during the teaching‐learning process of young children is presented. The results indicate the need to show caution in the introduction of technology education within the early childhood area. Three issues are reported. Firstly, the need to define a more useful mediating role for the teacher in the process of teaching technology within a constructivistic model. Secondly, the need for technology to be introduced in a socially contextualized manner. Thirdly, the sex‐role stereotyping that becomes evident when the former two are not addressed.     

Efficacy of an early intervention education program for moderately handicapped infants

This paper focuses on the evaluation of special education services for handicapped infants. The research question posed is whether early intervention programming results in reduced need for specialized services when children are age-eligible for elementary school. The primary focus of the paper is the development of a predictive model which may be useful in assessing the efficacy of early intervention services. The predictive model is applied using longitudinal data from a small sample of moderately handicapped infants. The preliminary findings support the contention that earlier intervention results in a lessened need for special education services in subsequent years. The paper also discusses the benefit-cost issues related to the efficacy question under investigation.     

Early childhood inclusion in the land of the long white cloud: a way forward for New Zealand

To examine the current status of early childhood inclusive education in New Zealand, this article highlights the country's overall structure of inclusive education and other services for individuals with special needs. The unique features of early childhood special education services are also highlighted. Challenges to enhance the quality of education and services for young children with special needs, as well as future possibilities in New Zealand, are also discussed.     

Children, Families and Change: International Perspectives

This special issue draws from several disciplines, including early childhood care and education, social and family policy, and economics to examine global trends affecting children and their families in rapidly changing environments. Authors' and guest editors' experiences and data drawn from ten countries help frame issues of importance to early childhood researchers, educators, policy-makers, and advocates. As the end of the century approaches, such cross-national perspectives on issues affecting the lives of children and families become increasingly relevant to our field. The introduction provides several contextual and theoretical frameworks through which to make connections between the articles in this special issue.     

有关幼儿双语教育重要问题的探讨

4～5岁是幼儿开始学习英语的最好时期,外语学习不仅不会影响幼儿智力,反而会促进幼儿智力的发展。双语师资是实施双语教育的关键,双语教育实践的开展离不开理论的科学指导,因此有必要进一步加强双语师资的培养和双语教育理论研究。     

Inclusion Means Everyone! The Role of the Early Childhood Educator when Including Young Children with Autism in the Classroom

The impact of the emphasis on inclusion in special education has resulted in a higher frequency of young children with autism being included in early childhood programs with typically developing peers. Many early childhood educators have risen to face the challenge, and this has resulted in enhanced learning for young children with autism in the regular classroom. This article focuses on the multiple roles of early childhood educators as they work with the diverse needs of young children with autism in their classrooms.     

Special Educational Placement Decisions for Handicapped Children: An Initial New Zealand Study

An examination was made of the case records and special educational placement decisions for a sample of 40 children, all of whom had been tested and/or reviewed by school psychologists during the year preceding the study and classified within one of the traditional special educational categories: intellectually handicapped, mentally backward, physically handicapped, hearing handicapped, visually handicapped, and emotionally maladjusted. It was found that very few children receiving special education were being returned to regular classes, and that factors other than the child's ability and/or learning/behavioural characteristics were strongly implicated in special educational decisions for mentally backward (mildly retarded) children, but to a lesser extent in decisions reached for children in other special educational categories. The study highlighted a difficulty likely to arise in a wide range of situations involving parents and children, where research access to case information must be balanced against parents’ rights to privacy and confidentiality of information disclosed in casework. Implications for the present results are considered, together with the need for alternative research strategies in this and related areas of enquiry.     

学前特殊教育:创建和谐社会不应忽视的领域

学龄前特殊幼儿处于弱势群体的底层,学前特殊教育因此成为教育公平的起点,对创建和谐社会具有重要价值。英美等发达国家都注重通过制度和经费支持,切实推动学前特殊教育的发展。我国应通过以下措施加强学前特殊教育的发展:提供经费支持,改进学前师资培养,变革学前教育机构的组织,鼓励家长和社区参与。     

Training of early childhood education and care staff

This chapter examines the training of early childhood education and care workers, taking six countries (Denmark, France, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, and the United States) as cases to explore variations and issues. It is argued that country approaches to staff training need to be understood in relation to the structure, purposes, and underlying values of services in that society, and the dominant constructions of young children and early childhood workers. The chapter identifies subjects meriting further investigation and considers options for future policy development.     

Revealing the research ‘hole’ of early childhood education for sustainability: a preliminary survey of the literature

In 2007, Environmental Education Research dedicated a special issue to childhood and environmental education. This paper makes a case for ‘early childhood’ to also be in the discussions. Here, I am referring to early childhood as the before‐school years, focusing on educational settings such as childcare centres and kindergartens. This sector is one of the research ‘holes’ that Reid and Scott ask the environmental education community to have the ‘courage to discuss’. This paper draws on a survey of Australian and international research journals in environmental education and early childhood education seeking studies at their intersection. Few were found. Some studies explored young children’s relationships with nature (education in the environment). A smaller number discussed young children’s understandings of environmental topics (education about the environment). Hardly any centred on young children as agents of change (education for the environment). At a time when there is a growing literature showing that early investments in human capital offer substantial returns to individuals and communities and have a far‐reaching effect – and when early childhood educators are beginning to engage with sustainability – it is vital that our field responds. This paper calls for urgent action – especially for research – to address the gap.     

从早期教育谈教育公平

文章首先对我国早期教育现状做了简单分析;接下来分别从三个方面分析了早期教育存在不公平的原因:地区发展的差异导致早期教育机会不均等;教育者、家长教育观念的差异和经济原因,导致婴幼儿早教机会不均等,总的来说地区发展差异是影响教育公平的根本原因。     

Public Law 99-457: a new challenge to early intervention

Congress enacted and President Reagan signed into law on October 8, 1986, P.L. 99-457, the Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments. These amendments reauthorize the Education of the Handicapped Act (EHA) and include a rigorous national agenda pertaining to more and better services to young special needs children and their families. This agenda was fueled by the recent recognition of the needs and competence of infants, the importance of early life experiences and by the documentation of the benefits of early intervention and preschool services. P.L. 99-457 recognized the unique role of families in the development of handicapped children. The most sweeping changes to EHA since P.L. 94-142, these amendments expanded the provisions of P.L. 94-142 to include handicapped infants and preschool children. The enactment of P.L. 99-457 provides a challenge to the filed of education of the deaf and to early childhood educators to re-examine basic assumptions about the range of services, the professionals providing those services, and the role of families who have children with hearing impairments.     

Career perspectives of male students in early childhood education

While, in some professions, the gender balance seems to be changing in the direction of equality, the participation of males in early childhood education has not expanded because of stereotypical perceptions of this occupation, low salaries and status, and fear of being accused of sexual abuse. Males may make important contributions to the field of early childhood education as well as female teachers. Male teachers could provide support for children as nurturing adults. It is critical to improve the perceptions about gender‐related issues in the profession of early childhood education. This study aimed to explore the perceptions and thoughts of male students. Five main categories were identified: attitudes towards male teacher identity; the advantages and disadvantages of being a male teacher; the future positions of male teachers and their future plans related to their job. The main issue was the identification and perception of early childhood teaching as “women’s work”.     

Diversity Competencies within Early Childhood Teacher Preparation: Innovative Practices and Future Directions

With classrooms becoming increasingly diverse due to children’s various cultural backgrounds and varying abilities, early childhood teacher education programs face the challenge of how best to prepare the workforce. Various initiatives have been implemented in teacher preparation programs to prepare early childhood educators to become competent in relating to all children and families. Infusing components of diversity into all courses and field experiences and engaging in community–university partnerships, as well as unifying early childhood education (ECE) and early childhood special education (ECSE) program components, are promising practices for the field. An examination and evaluation of these initiatives are discussed in this article, as well as future directions for research and practice.     

Early childhood education in India: History,trends, issues,and achievements

The changes in the social and economic structure of India have intensified the need for universal early childhood education. The formidable challenges before the Indian Government are: to provide high quality early childhood education programs; to preserve indigenous practices such as multilinguality, family/community involvement, participation of older children as caretakers of their younger siblings; and to provide early childhood education to all children despite serious financial constraints. This article presents a brief overview of the traditional childrearing practices in India, chronicles government initiatives in early childhood education, describes the range of programs available in India, and identifies goals that will shape the future of early childhood programs in India. Portions of this article will appear in Isenberg, J.P., & Jalongo, M.R. (Eds.). (1997, in press).Trends and issues in early childhood: Challenges, controversies, and insights. New York: Teachers College Press.