This article describes a framework for assessing young children with severe multiple disabilities that was developed by Dr. Jan van Dijk and colleagues in the Netherlands. The assessment is guided by the lead of the child as it looks at the underlying processes of learning including biobehavioral state, orienting response, learning channels, approach–withdrawal, memory, interactions, communication, and problem solving. Through the use of two case studies, each of the learning processes is described along with suggestions for assessment and intervention. A sample protocol with observations, child strengths and needs, and suggestions for intervention is included.

This study investigated the effects of naturalistic, teacher-mediated intervention strategies on increasing levels of active engagement in young children with developmental delays. All interventions occurred in the context of ongoing child-selected play activities in inclusive preschool classrooms that used developmentally appropriate practices. Results showed that the intervention strategies were effective in increasing the level of active engagement in identified areas of need for all three children. Additional data on classroom ecological factors suggest that classroom social and ecological characteristics important to developmentally appropriate practices were maintained during intervention sessions. Checklists on the acceptability of the intervention to classroom teachers and parents are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to provide a preliminary examination of an intervention strategy designed to teach sound-letter correspondence and spelling of consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) combinations to young children who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). A multiple baseline probe design across behaviors was used to assess the effects of the intervention on the percentage of correct responses provided by two participants on the target skills during free-choice play activities in the literacy center of inclusive classrooms. The results of this study provide preliminary support for the use of the intervention strategy within inclusive classrooms.

A national mail survey of preschool teachers (N = 500, return rate of 55.2%) employed in programs accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children was conducted to gain descriptive information about (a) the teachers' preparation and program organization and (b) their experience with children with disabilities, the IEP process, special educators, and other specialists. Results indicated that more than half of the respondents currently had a child with disabilities in their classroom and had participated in an IEP meeting. The majority of teachers were not certified in early childhood or early childhood special education, and only 25% of them currently worked with a special educator concerning one or more children in their classroom. Implications for practice, personnel preparation, and research are included.During the last few years, the largest early childhood and early childhood special education professional organizations have adopted a position statement supporting the inclusion of young children with developmental delays and disabilities in a variety of natural settings, including family homes, preschools, childcare facilities, and other community settings in which children without disabilities would be found (e.g., Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children [DEC], 1993). A key point of the position state-

Best practice" guidelines drawn from recent advances within the field of disability are reviewed and synthesized for the purpose of defining exemplary early childhood special education services. With both empirical and ideological support, the paper identifies six major characteristics of exemplary programs. Such programs provide services that are (a) integrated, (b) comprehensive, (c) normalized, (d) adaptable. (e) peer and family-referenced, and (f) outcome-based. Programmatic guidelines are addressed for each characteristic. 0 With the passage of Public Law 99-457,Congress has adopted the most significant changes in educational service delivery to handicapped children since the Education for All Handicapped Children Act was signed into law in 1975. A major provision within the new law requires that by 1990 all states will have to assure a free and appropriate public education (as defined by PL 94-142) to every eligible handicapped child between 3 and 5 years of age. Given such sweeping reforms, it seems a particularly appropriate time to review the &dquo;best practices&dquo; literature in early childhood services, and to examine the implications for further model development, implementation, and evaluation.Prior to Public Law 99-457, the only federal program recognizing the need for extensive model development efforts in early childhood special education was the Handicapped Children's Early Education Program (HCEEP), funded in 1968 under PL 90-583. A number of model development and outreach projects were awarded through HCEEP with the express purpose of increasing the quantity and quality of early childhood services (Gentry & Olson, 1985). In spite of the numerous contributions made by these HCEEP projects (e.g., assessment, curriculum development, parent training materials, instructional and evaluation methodology), few replicable models have emerged to fill current and projected service delivery needs. Unfortunately, comprehensive early childhood model development seems to have lost its momentum, with many of the major model innovations now more than a decade old