Research based preschool interventions Three areas of focus Social and emotional/Social skills Language and communication School readiness/Early literacy Can be provided at Tier I (classroom wide) Tier II (small group) Tier III (individual)

Social-emotional/Social Skills Tier II Goal is to provide training in basic academic supporting behaviors and problem solving Should begin as Social skills training in the classroom (Tier I) and then move to small group (Tier II) as needed Stop and Think Social Skills Program Skill-streaming in early childhood http://www.pbis.org/news/New/Newsletters/Newsletter3.aspx http://challengingbehavior.fmhi.usf.edu/ http://www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel/preschool.html

Naturally occurring strategies for behavior These four are considered the starting place for interventions. They can be used easily effectively, but also can be easily misapplied. Should be the focus of interview and observations. Differential or systematic attention Planned ignoring Modeling Reprimands

Other intervention strategies Reinforcement Prompts Shaping and chaining Pre-attending skills Opportunities to respond Differential reinforcement Time out Response cost Overcorrection

Language and Communication Tier II Goal is to improve listening comprehension and oral language vocabulary (linked to later reading outcomes) Increase future school success for children at risk by focusing on language skills and pre-literacy skills. Should begin as classroom-based training (Tier I) and move to small group (Tier II) as needed Example: Building language throughout the year: The preschool early literacy curriculum

Natural language training Mand-model present material, ask open ended question, model for child, praise Brief time delay wait of 5-15 seconds/time delay to increase language use Incidental teaching encourages elaboration

School readiness/Early literacy Tier II Early literacy: Policy and practice in preschool years (see handout) http://www.readingrockets.org/ Review of preschool early learning standards (ODE website) http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEPrimary.aspx?page=2&TopicRelationID=1391

Preschool Tier III Interventions Individual interventions based on child’s individual needs Individual social skills training, behavior plan, language training, school readiness training Must consider if intervention is developmentally appropriate Make sure include elements of good intervention Model, role play, performance feedback, transfer and generalization of skills

Best Practices with Parents of children with disabilities Having a child with a disability will affect a family’s functioning, but will not necessarily result in a dysfunctional family. Adaption of the families varies greatly and is influenced by a number of factors. Families are considered “n of one” and therefore, why we again have to think ecologically when addressing child needs and family needs.

Factors affecting the family Economics Daily care Socialization and recreation Future planning Parent response

Variables affecting family response Nature of disability Cultural background Family system Life cycle position Adaptive coping Background and training of school persons

Best practice procedures Education/information sharing Advocacy Support Facilitation of healthy family functioning Individualization of services Group approaches Other procedures

Barkley’s parent training Why children misbehave Pay attention Increasing compliance to commands and requests Decreasing disruptiveness- increasing independent play When praise is not enough Time out and extending time out Managing non-compliance in public places Handling future behavior problems

Parent training activity Using the materials you received, create a one page handout and be prepared to give a 5-10 minute presentation for your classmates. In your handout, provide the brief outline provided at the beginning of your session chapter (i.e., goals, materials, outline, homework) and add a final section, “trainer points/reminders.” In this section, you are to list important reminders for the trainer based on what you read in the chapter. Your handout cannot exceed one page.

References Barkley, R. A., (1987). Defiant children: A clinician’s manual for parent training. New York: The Guilford Press. Barnett, D. W., & Carey, K. T. (1992). Designing interventions for preschool learning and behavior problems. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Fish, M. C. (2002). Best practices in collaborating with parents of children with disabilties. In A. Thomas, & J. Grimes (Eds.). Best Practices in School Psychology IV. Bethesda, MD: The National Association of School Psychologists. Lybolt, J., Armstrong, J., Techmanski, K. E., & Gottfred, C. (2007). Building language throughout the year: The preschool early literacy curriculum. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brooks Publishing Company. Websites (noted in presentation)