The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children What Do I Do with the Evidence? Putting DEC’s Recommended Practices to Use Beth Rous Sarah A. Mulligan Susan Sandall

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children What is DEC? The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children What is DEC? Membership Organization Membership Organization Birth through 8 years Young children with disabilities and other special needs Promotes policies and advances evidence-based practices

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Today we will focus on….  What are Recommended Practices?  How were they developed?  Why are they important?  How can the practices be used to ensure program improvement and high quality services?

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Setting the Context  Scientifically-based Practices  validated by research  Evidence-based Practices  best available research  professional wisdom & experience  consumer values  Recommended Practices  set of practices designed to inform decisions about services

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children History of Recommended Practices 1991 Focus groups Focus groups Field validated Field validated Book of Book of Recommended Recommended Practices Practices 2000 Focus Groups Focus Groups Analyses & Coding of Analyses & Coding of Research Literature Research Literature Synthesis Synthesis Field Validation Field Validation Multiple Products and Multiple Products and Dissemination Efforts Dissemination Efforts

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Investigators  Barbara Smith  Division for Early Childhood  University of Colorado – Denver  David Sexton and Marcia Lobman  LSU Health Sciences Center  Mary McLean  University Of Wisconsin – Milwaukee  Susan Sandall  University of Washington

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Experience & Professional Wisdom Research- Based Practices Field Validation Identifying Recommended Practices

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Overarching Goal Build on and extend the foundation of quality programs for all children to meet the specific needs of children with disabilities.

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Synthesize And Syncretize Practices  Integrate Literature Based Practices and Stakeholder Focus Group  Which Practices Have Research Evidence to Support?  Which Practices are Supported Only by Experience or Values?

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Field Validation of Practices  Verification Among Experts  Field Validation  200 Family Members  400 Practitioners  200 Administration/Higher Education  Respond to:  This is a recommended practice (importance)  Extent to which see the practice (usage)

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Resulting in:  240 Recommended Practices  Across 5 Direct Service Strands and 2 Indirect Support Strands

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Strand 1 - Assessment (Neisworth and Bagnato)  46 Practices  Professional and family collaboration  Individualized and appropriate to child and family  Provides useful information  Information is shared in respectful and useful ways  Meets legal and procedural requirements

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Strand 2: Child-Focused (Wolery)  27 Practices  Adults design environments to promote children’s safety, active engagement, learning, participation, and membership.  Adults use ongoing data to individualize and adapt practices to meet each child’s changing nature.  Adults use systematic procedures within and across environments, activities, and routines to promote children’s learning and participation.

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Strand 3: Family-Based (Trivette & Dunst)  17 Practices  Families and professionals share responsibility and work collaboratively.  Practices strengthen family functioning.  Practices are individualized and flexible.  Practices are strengths- and assets-based.

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Strand 4: Interdisciplinary Models (McWilliam)  19 Practices  Teams including family members make decisions and work together.  Professionals cross disciplinary boundaries.  Intervention is focused on function, not services.  Regular caregivers and regular routines provide the most appropriate opportunities for children’s learning and receiving most other interventions.

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Strand 5: Technology Applications (Stremel)  22 Practices  Professionals utilize assistive technology in intervention programs with children.  Families and professionals collaborate in planning and implementing the use of assistive technology.  Families and professionals use technology to access information and support.  Training and technical support programs are available to support technology applications.

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Strand 6: Policies, Procedures & Systems Change (Harbin and Salisbury)  43 Practices  Families and professionals shape policy at the national, state, and local levels.  Public policies promote the use of Recommended Practices.  Program policies and administration promote:  family participation in decision making,  the use of Recommended Practices,  interagency and interdisciplinary collaboration.  Program policies, administration and leadership promote program evaluation and systems change efforts.

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Strand 7: Personnel Preparation (Miller and Stayton)  66 Practices  Families are involved in learning activities.  Learning activities:  are interdisciplinary and interagency.  are systematically designed and sequenced.  include the study of cultural and linguistic diversity.  Learning activities and evaluation procedures are designed to meet the needs of students and staff.  Field experiences are systematically designed and supervised.  Faculty and other personnel trainers are qualified and well- prepared for their role in personnel preparation.  Professional development activities are systematically designed and implemented.

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children DEC’s Recommended Practices Each Chapter includes: Guiding Principles Organization of the Practices--the take home messages The Practices with examples Glossary Resources--print, video, web

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Why are Recommended Practices Important?  Represents collective wisdom  Identifies what practices work  Provides a framework to define quality  Supports positive outcomes  Applies to all settings

Quality Practices = Quality Service = Better Outcomes

Quality Practices for All Children Program Recommended Practices

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Practices related to Policies, Procedures & Systems Change: 1. Families and professionals shape policy at the national, state, and local level. 2. Public policies promote the use of Recommended Practices. 3. Program policies and administration promote family participation indecision-making. 4. Program policies and administration promote the use of Recommended Practices.

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Practices related to Policies, Procedures & Systems Change: 1. Families and professionals shape policy at the national, state, and local level. 2. Public policies promote the use of Recommended Practices. 3. Program policies and administration promote family participation in decision-making. 4. Program policies and administration promote the use of Recommended Practices.

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Policy Practice Example Program Policies and Administration PS12. When creating program policies and procedures, strategies are employed to capture family and community voices and to support the active and meaningful participation of families and community groups, including those who are traditionally under-represented.

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children What does PS12 look like?  Periodic family and community forums and surveys are conducted to obtain input on program policies and procedures, share information, and to collect satisfaction data.  Programs establish policy teams that are comprised of administrators, direct service staff, community providers, and family members. All policies are developed/revised by these teams based on data collected through evaluation procedures.

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Family-Based Practices: Take Home Messages 1. Family members and professionals jointly develop appropriate family- identified outcomes. 2. Practices strengthen family functioning. 3. Practices are individualized and flexible. 4. Practices are strengths- and assets- based.

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Family-Based Practices: Take Home Messages 1. Family members and professionals jointly develop appropriate family- identified outcomes. 2. Practices strengthen family functioning. 3. Practices are individualized and flexible. 4. Practices are strengths- and assets- based.

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Think/Pair/Share: F5. Family/Professionals/ relationship building is accomplished in ways that are responsive to cultural, language, and other family characteristics. With a partner, identify up to 5 examples of what this will look like in practice.

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Child-Focused Practices: Take Home Messages 1. Adults design environments to promote children’s safety, active engagement, learning, participation, and membership. 2. Adults use ongoing data to individualize and adapt practices to meet each child’s changing needs. 3. Adults use systematic procedures within and across environments, activities, and routines to promote children’s learning and participation.

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Child-Focused Practices: Take Home Messages 1. Adults design environments to promote children’s safety, active engagement, learning, participation, and membership. 2. Adults use ongoing data to individualize and adapt practices to meet each child’s changing needs. 3. Adults use systematic procedures within and across environments, activities, and routines to promote children’s learning and participation.

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Child-Focused Practice Example Design Environment C4. Play routines are structured to promote interaction, communication, and learning by defining roles for dramatic play, prompting engagement, prompting group friendship activities, and using specialized prompts.

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children What does C4 look like? Adults join children in their play to keep children playing

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children What else does C4 look like? Use the child’s preferences to increase engagement in a particular activity

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children What else does C4 look like? “…a teacher uses a child’s preference for trains by turning the dramatic play area into a train station. The child now interacts with peers to “purchase” train tickets, to take turns blowing the train whistle and turning on the train, and to help build a pretend train station…”

Dramatic Play

Free Choice & Sharing

Circle Time—When It’s Not Working

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Next Steps: Practitioners  Know what the evidence says  Base your work on the evidence we have  Sometimes you have to build the evidence It’s called innovation!

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Next Steps: Parents Research does matter! “Demand” that the services provided to your child and your family have the power of the entire field. Gently

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Next Steps: Researchers  Build the evidence  Continue to ask the questions  Stir up controversy

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Next Steps: Administrators  Know the practices — and practice them!  Focus the resources on practices that work  Monitor, measure, and account for quality

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children Next Steps: DEC  Continue to develop practical tools to ensure that Recommended Practices is widely used and understood.  Challenge practitioners, policy makers, administrators, family members, and researchers to continue to develop the practices.  Engage the field in ongoing dialogue and discussion about program improvement and high quality services.

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children DEC: Recommended Practices series The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children

DEC: Monograph Series The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children New!

Stay in Touch! Beth Rous Sarah A. Mulligan Special thanks to for the video clips! Susan Sandall

The End!