Students with Learning Disabilities Early Identification and Intervention

Early Childhood Education Beginning research –Skeels –Kirk –Intelligence and Experience –Stability and Change in Human Characteristics –Ramey and Ramey

Legislative Support 1964 – funding of Head Start 1968 – Handicapped Children’s Early Education Assistance Act 1975 – Public Law — Education for All Handicapped Children Act 1986 – amended to include infants and preschoolers 1990 – law renamed as Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 1991 – amended to expand services 1997 – IDEA reauthorized 2002 – No Child Left Behind

Issues in Early Identification Tenuous diagnosis Developmental differences Labeling Multiple influences on developmental progress Miscellaneous factors

Prediction Research in Early Identification Techniques –Battery of tests –Single instrument Language tests Readiness tests Perceptual-Motor tests Intelligence tests –Teacher perception

Important Issues to Consider Area of assessment Determining prediction procedures Better identification early on Criterion measure Index of suspicion

Early Identification Practice Assessment Model 1. Child-Find 2. Screening 3. Identifying 4. Planning programs 5. Monitoring performance 6. Evaluating program

Service Delivery Options Services in least restrictive environment Home-based –Parent is the primary teacher –Child is taught in a natural setting Center-based –Services provided in a facility Combination –Flexibility to best meet child’s needs

Curriculum Models Developmental Model Cognitive Model Behavioral Model Combination Model

Effective Practice in Early Intervention Quality programs for families Comprehensive and intensive Class-size important Structured programs with a combination of approaches provides improvements across a variety of objectives The earlier intervention starts, the better