Resources
- Evidence-Based Practices - The resources provided here are supported by research and evidence. Topics include assessment, child development, curriculum & instruction, family involvement, inclusion, and transition.
- State/Federal Organizations - This page provides national and state level initiatives and organizations relevant to early childhood special education.
Showing Results 51 - 100 of 281
Description: Children with IEPs, Ages 2-5 In 2015, 12,111 children In 2016, 12,515 children In 2017, 13,035 children In 2018, 13,497 children In 2019, 13,799 children In 2020 (Covid-19), 11,021 children (2020 total decreased of 2,778, 20%) In 2021, 11,535 children (2021 total decrease of 2,264 from 2019, 16%)* *Prior years were increasing by 3% In 2022, 13,389 children (16% increase from 2021) Children with IEPs, by Age Ages 0-2: 917 children with IEPs Age 3: 4,598 children with IEPs Age 4: 6,409 children...
Description: As educators interact with children with disabilities, they connect in ways that cultivate emotionally supportive relationships, engage learners in ways that create a context for learning, and leverage instructional support tailored to the needs of each child in order to inspire learning. The resources on this page are designed to guide efforts to use CLASS to capture these interactions.
Description: Developed by the VDOE’s Training and Technical Assistance Centers (T/TACs), Improving Inclusive Practices & Outcomes for Preschoolers (IPOP) is a systems change approach to support school divisions in the development, expansion, and/or improvement of inclusive placement opportunities for preschoolers with Individual Education Programs (IEPs). IPOP is designed to help local school divisions meet federal and state mandates requiring young children with disabilities to be educated in the...
Description: Part 1: The Essential Messages of Trauma Responsive Practices (Recorded): What does it mean to be trauma-informed and trauma-responsive, and how do these concepts apply to children with special education needs? In this first session of a three-part webcast series, we will discuss the Essential Messages of a trauma-responsive practice as defined by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. As part of this series, you will develop a personal trauma-responsive action plan so you can identify how...
Description: While there is no universal panacea for preventing challenging behaviors, there are several broad-based early intervention strategies that researchers suggest to prevent challenging behaviors. These strategies include:(a) arranging of the classroom environment, (b) scheduling, and (c) implementing rules, rituals, and routines. This article provides a brief overview of each of these prevention strategies.
Description: Programs can support education staff and families by using the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) Pyramid Model as a framework for understanding children's behavior. Many strategies can support healthy social and emotional development and prevent or reduce behaviors that could negatively affect children's development and learning. Education managers, child development specialists, home-based supervisors, mental health consultants, and coaches can help...
Description: Why is DEC taking a stand? Challenging behavior often can interfere with the development of social-emotional competence. Conversely, children with low social-emotional competence may develop challenging behavior as a way to communicate their needs. Punitive practices don’t teach children needed social and communicative behaviors. Additionally, punitive practices, such as corporal punishment, suspension, and expulsion disproportionately affect young children of color. Professionals and...
Description: These Quality Improvement Modules, created by Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (VECF), provide general information on including children with disabilities. Topics include: Building Cultural Competencies High Quality Interactions Including Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs Introduction to Intentional Teaching Play-Based Learning Environments Resources for Working with Families Supporting Kindergarten Transition
Description: Social communication is a core area of difficulty for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Children with ASD express fewer gestures to communicate and may be less engaged with others. This webcast will review early core challenges in social communication, including joint attention, among young children with ASD and describe different types of engagement states. As educators play a role in teaching gestures and joint attention, this webcast will also review how to support the development of...
Description: Children with IEPs, Ages 2-5 (5 year olds in Kindergarten Removed) In 2015, 12,111 children In 2016, 12,515 children In 2017, 13,035 children In 2018, 13,497 children In 2019, 13,799 children In 2020 (Covid-19), 11,021 children (2020 total decreased of 2, 778, 20%) In 2021, 11,535 children (2021 total decrease of 2,264 from 2019, 16%)* *Prior years were increasing by 3% Children with IEPs, by Age: Ages 0-2: 940 children with IEPs Age 3: 3,722 children with IEPs Age 4: 5,497 children with IEPs...
Description: The Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program (VKRP) aims to build a more comprehensive understanding of school readiness. As an assessment system, VKRP adds measures of mathematics, self-regulation, and social skills in Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten to complement Virginia’s statewide assessment of literacy skills (Pre-K Language and Literacy Screener and PALS K-3). VKRP uses the Early Mathematics Assessment System (EMAS) to measure children’s mathematical thinking. The EMAS is a...
Description: IDEA Child Outcomes Highlights for FFY 2020 summarizes data that states report annually to the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) on three child outcomes for IDEA Part C Early Intervention and Part B Preschool programs: social relationships, use of knowledge and skills, and taking action to meet needs. The ECTA and DaSy Centers produce this annual illustrates national child outcomes data for children exiting Part C and Part B preschool and national trends over time and provides a...
Description: The Virginia Assistive Technology, Tools, and Strategies (VATTS) Resources will guide the IEP team through the consideration and documentation process. These resources replace the previous versions of the AT Consideration and Resource Guide. VATTS: Consideration and Assessment Guidance Document (PDF) - Guidance for school divisions in the consideration and assessment of AT, including planning and implementing those services for students with disabilities. VATTS: Consideration...
Description: The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Head Start are releasing new documents to encourage collaboration between state educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), and Head Start programs to effectively meet the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requirements. These documents make clear that SEAs, LEAs, and Head Start programs all have responsibilities for...
Description: Joint attention is a critical skill that develops early in life for typically developing children, however, those with ASD may struggle with this skill for many years. VCU-ACE has developed a fact sheet on joint attention to help families and professionals support the development of this skill.
Description: This page supports high-quality Child Outcomes Summary (COS) ratings by helping teams connect their observations of children's functional skills and behaviors with the three child outcomes. Effectively aligning functional skills and outcomes will help Part C early intervention and Part B, Section 619 preschool special education program teams improve their outcome measurement. By making connections between provider and caregiver observations with the three child outcomes, it becomes increasingly...
Description: This practice guide, developed in conjunction with an expert panel, distills contemporary early childhood and preschool education research into seven easily comprehensible and practical recommendations. The guidance will help to prepare young children to benefit from the learning opportunities they will encounter in school.
Description: Preschool LRE Reference Points and Discussion Prompts is a summary of the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) provisions of the IDEA as it applies to preschool aged children with disabilities can be used as both a quick reference guide and training tool. Topics under the five sections outline reference points and discussion prompts. Reference points are drawn from several sources such as IDEA regulations and Federal Register comments. Discussion points are intended to help state and local teams...
Description: This guide highlights evidence-based practices to be used by adults or, in some instances by other children, to facilitate children’s participation in everyday routines, learning experiences, and activities. Each section (e.g., prompting, scaffolding, modeling, descriptive talking, wait time, and reinforcement) includes a description of the practice, examples of how it might be implemented, and links to additional information.
Description: A Guide to Adaptations - Adaptations, such as those shared in this guide, can ensure that each and every child, including young children with disabilities, can fully participate and engage in STEM [and other] learning opportunities and experiences at home, in early childhood programs, and in the community.
Description: Learning Paths are small collections of curated activities that focus on an early intervention topic. To learn about the topic, you will complete each activity on the path. Activities might include reading an article, taking an online module, watching a video, etc. Once you complete the learning path, you will take a final quiz to earn a certificate documenting the professional development hours earned. Autism Pathways Functional Assessment Pathways Transition from Early Intervention Pathways...
Description: This booklet defines Special Education Terms (Birth to 22) as well as General Disabilty Terms.
Description: When including children with disabilities in regular early childhood programs, it is important to carefully consider class size and the proportionate amount or limits to the number of students with IEPs. This resource outlines requirements and regulations that impact the number of students with IEPs placed in a classroom as well as offers guidance for best practice. This resource should be used to plan and schedule for inclusive classes. This can include VPI, Head Start, Title 1,...
Description: Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is excited to share a new tool that will help state, regional, and local partners better understand supply and demand of publicly-funded early childhood services in their local communities. The Early Childhood Access Calculator estimates the number of potentially eligible 3- and 4-year-olds in each city or county relative to available publicly-funded slots and enrollment. Please note that children in publicly-funded ECSE classrooms are included in data...
Description: The Making Sound Preschool LRE Decisions guidance document lists important actions in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) development process that should inform placement decisions for young children with disabilities. Organized by important actions within the IEP process. It includes reference to the corresponding IDEA rules and regulations to each action. A guiding principle is listed within each action, followed by additional guidance and resources. Most of the principles in this...
Description: The Early Childhood Virtual Town Hall held on April 19, featured State Superintendent Jillian Balow, Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera, Deputy Secretary of Education McKenzie Snow, and was moderated by Deputy Superintendent Jenna Conway.
Description: The VDOE Early Childhood Special Education Consortium grant provides tuition support for teachers pursuing a Master’s degree or fulfilling requirements for their provisional Birth-5, Children with Disabilities license. The grant is through Radford University (RU) and the University of Lynchburg (UL). Eligible students are those who are non-degree seeking (just taking courses to fulfil their license) or degree seeking (pursuing a Master’s degree). All courses are offered online, both...
Description: The Ready B5 Recap newsletter will focus on how we work together to support all Virginia children- from birth to age five - to enter school ready. All programs that serve children from birth to age five including schools, Head Starts, child care centers, family day homes, preschools and faith-based programs, will be included. With this quarterly newsletter, we seek to: Appreciate – Ready B5 Recap highlights the incredible work happening in early childhood in Virginia. Build community...
Description: The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), with the collaboration and support of Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Center and Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems (DaSy) (for Sections II and III), developed this voluntary self-assessment tool to help local education agencies (LEAs) strengthen their child find system. The goal is to ensure that children eligible for special education and related services are referred and enrolled. This toolkit can also be used by state...
Description: Transitioning from early childhood programs to kindergarten involves a lot of moving parts for all young children. However, transitioning from the preschool to kindergarten classroom for the child with ASD can be especially tricky. This process involves the child, their family, the preschool teacher, the receiving kindergarten teacher, and a multitude of other people including related service providers such as speech and language pathologists (SLPs), occupational therapists (OTs), and other team...
Description: The Just the Basics course is designed for early childhood care and education professionals who want to expand their knowledge of best practices for young children with ASD. Families and community members are also welcome to take this course. This course is designed to be the first step in pursuing goals towards improved practices in early care and education for young children with ASD. At the end of this Just the Basics course, you’ll be prepared to create an individualized learning path...
Description: A standards-based Individualized Education Program (IEP) describes a process in which the IEP team has incorporated state content standards in its development. The IEP is directly linked to and framed by Virginia’s course content Standards of Learning (SOL) for the grade in which the student is enrolled or will be enrolled. The components are the same as the traditional IEP. It should be noted that in a standards-based IEP, the PLOP and some or all of the annual goals are...
Description: This document includes a list of currently approved early childhood curricula options. This document will be updated on a monthly basis. Find information on the curriculum vetting process on the Early Childhood Curriculum webpage.
Description: This Q&A document on Child Find Under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) reaffirms the importance of appropriate implementation of IDEA’s child find obligations, which requires the identification, location and evaluation, of all children with disabilities in the states. An effective child find system is an ongoing part of each state’s responsibility to ensure that free appropriate public education (FAPE) is made available to all eligible children...
Description: Specifically designed with school administrators in mind, this module offers guidance on how to support and facilitate the development and implementation of high-quality IEPs, including the monitoring of student progress (est. completion time: 2 hours). If you have not done so already, consider completing the following module: IEPs: Developing High-Quality Individualized Education Programs
Description: The Inclusive Classroom Profile (ICP) complements the CLASS by providing a more in-depth look at the strategies that support young children with disabilities in inclusive settings. These documents share the correlation between ICP and CLASS areas, providing examples of what it looks like in the classroom.
Description: In this course, you will learn about building trusting family-professional partnerships when working with families of young children by: Describing effective practices for developing trusting family-professional partnerships in early care and education programs. Using a decision-making process to select partnership-oriented practices linked to developing an initial friendly relationship, making shared decisions, and developing a trusting partnership with families to address challenging issues....
Description: IECMHC is a prevention-based approach that pairs a mental health consultant with adults who work with infants and young children in the different settings where they learn and grow, such as child care, preschool, home visiting, early intervention and their home. Mental health consultation is not about “fixing kids.” Nor is it therapy. Mental health consultation equips caregivers to facilitate children’s healthy social and emotional development.
Description: Early Childhood Recommended Practice Modules (RPMs) are free modules developed for early care and education, early intervention, and early childhood special education faculty and professional development providers. The modules support the implementation of the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Recommended Practices. In Module 6 on Instruction, you will learn effective instructional practices and why intentional and systematic instruction is crucial for children with disabilities.
Description: Early Childhood Recommended Practice Modules (RPMs) are free modules developed for early care and education, early intervention, and early childhood special education faculty and professional development providers. The modules support the implementation of the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Recommended Practices. In Module 3 on Environment, you will learn the components of a child’s natural and inclusive environment and why attending to the environment is crucial for children with...
Description: Early Childhood Recommended Practice Modules (RPMs) are free modules developed for early care and education, early intervention, and early childhood special education faculty and professional development providers. The modules support the implementation of the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Recommended Practices. In Module 1 on Interaction, you will learn to support children’s learning and development through quality adult-child and child-child interactions.
Description: Instructional practices are a cornerstone of early intervention and early childhood special education. Teachers, other practitioners, family members, and other caregivers use instructional practices to maximize learning and improve developmental and functional outcomes for young children who have or are at risk for developmental delays/disabilities. Included on this page are "Instruction Checklists" and "Instruction Practice Guides for Practitioners" for Naturalistic Instruction, Embedded...
Description: Sensitive and responsive interactional practices are the foundation for promoting the development of a childs language and cognitive and emotional competence. These interactional practices are the basis for fostering all childrens learning. For children who have or are at risk for developmental delays/disabilities, they represent a critical set of strategies for fostering childrens social-emotional competence, communication, cognitive development, problem-solving, autonomy, and persistence. This...
Description: Young children who have or are at risk for developmental delays/disabilities learn, play, and engage with adults and peers within a multitude of environments such as home, school, child care, and the neighborhood. Environmental practices refer to aspects of the space, materials (toys, books, etc.), equipment, routines, and activities that practitioners and families can intentionally alter to support each child's learning across developmental domains. This page include Practice Checklists,...
Description: All young children (Birth to 5) with and without disabilities have the right to experience settings, relationships, and interactions that will support and futher their development and learning. This infographic from VCPD helps families to understand the importance and value of inclusion in early childhood.
Description: This guidance document is designed to assist Virginia’s school divisions and early childhood communities in identifying, developing, and sustaining inclusive opportunities within high-quality early childhood programs for young children with disabilities. The guidelines are presented in three sections: 1. Why Inclusion? 2. What is Inclusion? 3. How to Implement Inclusion. In addition to other changes, the revised guidelines contain important updates to the research supporting early...
Description: In this webinar, learn how staff can monitor individual children and classrooms or programs to ensure that children are making adequate progress toward school readiness. Listen as presenters discuss the benefits and liabilities of two different types of approaches to monitoring progress: observational curriculum approaches and direct general outcomes approaches.
Description: The following three documents are a series of briefs about ongoing assessment for individualizing instruction. Prepared for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation “What Does it Mean to use Ongoing Assessment to Individualize Instruction in Early Childhood?” provides a conceptual framework that shows practitioners and researchers how practitioners can use ongoing assessment for...
Description: Coaching is a promising professional development strategy that can be used to support the implementation fidelity of evidence-based practices by early childhood educators and early interventionists. This document describes the use of practice-based coaching that was developed from the literature on effective coaching elements and has been used with classroom teachers and early intervention personnel (National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning, 2012; Snyder, Hemmeter, and Fox, 2015). What...
Description: The 2017 Learning Lab on Coaching for Practice Change provides a remote learning opportunity to explore how coaching can be supported by states and used within programs to improve implementation of evidence-based practices. The Learning Lab provides information, resources, implementation approaches, and thoughtful discussions with experts and colleagues. Session 1: Implementing Coaching for Practice Change: Innovations for the delivery of coaching Session 2: Coaching for Practice Change:...