Inclusion Strategies for Young Children
A Resource Guide for Teachers, Child Care Providers, and Parents

Second Edition

Edited by:

Lorraine O. Moore

Other Titles in:
Inclusive Education | Special & Inclusive Education

April 2009 | 152 pages | Corwin

Written for adults who work with children inthe Early Years, this user-friendly resource provides more than 350 proven strategies to promote success for young learners. Comprehensive in its approach, Inclusion Strategies for Working With Young Children offers the latest brain research about learning and behaviour challenges and provides teachers with developmentally appropriate practices to help children:

- Increase large and small motor skills

- Develop emotionally and socially

- Acquire better communication, listening, and attending skills

- Work towards self-management of behaviors

- Develop preparatory reading, writing, and math skills

Preface

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Introduction

1. Working With Young Children

Major Findings From Brain Research

"Whole Child" Perspective

Developmentally Appropriate Practice

Cycles of Learning

Phase I: Awareness

Phase II: Exploration

Phase III: Inquiry

Phase IV: Utilization or Application

Environmental Considerations

Testing and Labeling of Young Children

Working With Parents

Teaching From the Heart

2. Inclusion: The Right to Equal Educational Experiences

Children With Special Needs

Types of Special Needs

Labeling of Young Children

Legislation That Supports Inclusion

Inclusion

Benefits of Inclusive Education

Barriers to Inclusive Education

Summary

3. General Strategies for Working With Young Children

Expectations

Time

Environmental Conditions

Nutrition and Learning

Multi-Sensory Activities

Basic Categories of Modification

Brain Balancing

4. Communication Strategies

Basic Communication Strategies

Attending Strategies

Listening Strategies

Attaching Meaning to Print and Words

Strategies for Children With a Hearing Impairment

Strategies for Children With a Visual Impairment

Strategies and Information for Children With Limited Speech and Expressive Language

5. Large and Small Motor Development

Strategies for Large Motor Development

Strategies for Small Motor Development

6. Emotional/Social Development

Strategies for Supporting Emotional Development

Strategies for Supporting Social Development

7. Guiding and Modifying Children's Behavior

General Strategies for Guiding Children's Behavior

Strategies for Modifying Children's Behavior

Strategies for Children With Attention Problems

Strategies for Aggressive and Withdrawn Behaviors

Strategies for Problem Solving

8. Preparatory Writing, Reading, and Math Skills

Preparatory Writing and Reading Skills

Preparatory Math Skills

9. Assessing Young Children

Characteristics of Young Children That Affect Assessment

Developmental Patterns

Purposes for Assessing Young Children

Assessment Tools and Techniques

Observation

Interviews

Standardized Tests

Other Assessment Procedures

Assessment of Children With Special Needs

Summary

10. Learning in the 21st Century

Brain Research

Nutrition and Learning

Other Needs of the Brain and Body

Environmental Factors and Learning

Expanded View of Intelligence

Responsibility

Appendix A: Forms and Activities

Form 1: Profile of Development

Form 2: Cycles of Learning

Form 3: Behavior as a Function of the Interaction of the Child in His Environment

Form 4: General Strategies for Working With Young Children

Form 5: Categories of Modifications

Form 6: Creating a Personal Dictionary of Familiar Objects

Form 7: Mazes

Form 8: Learning About Feelings Through Working With Animals

Form 9: Sharing and Talking About Feelings

Form 10: Learning About Feelings Through Dramatic Play

Form 11: Learning About Empathy

Form 12: Settling Conflicts Peacefully

Form 13: Steps for Problem Solving

Form 14: Steps in Changing Behaviors

Form 15: Charting Frequency of Behaviors

Form 16: Child Observation Form

Form 17: Examples of Observation Forms

Form 18: Interview About the Child

Appendix B: Bibliography

Appendix C: Resources

Appendix D: Glossary

Index

"Takes a topic that many preservice teachers find intimidating and makes working with children with special needs doable. The easy-to-read lists inform teachers what they need to do to begin working with children with different needs."

Deborah Diffily, Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education

Southern Methodist University

"Provides insightful and useful strategies for all educators, no matter what the composition of their classroom. This book offers a plethora of hands-on and practical activities presented in a straightforward, user-friendly manner."

Denise Metiva Hernandez, Gifted Educator

Pontchartrain Elementary School, Mandeville, LA

"Professionals working with children will find the plethora of forms particularly useful and adaptable to address the assessment and activity needs of the children they work with. The recommendations address the specific needs of certain types of children as well as general recommendations that would be helpful for all children."

Diana D. Coyl, Assistant Professor of Child Development

California State University, Chico

"This book makes inclusion a much easier way to work with children than the resource room of the past. It places the responsibility of adaptation on the teachers and the school system versus the old method of pounding a square peg into a round hole. I truly appreciated the detailed description of the learning cycle and will use it in my own lesson plans beginning tomorrow!"

Stacey B. Ferguson, Multiage Teacher

North Bay Elementary School, Bay Saint Louis, MS

Key features

A unique feature of this book is the inclusion of many reproducible handout masters for students, parents, and record keeping options for educators. These can either be used as they appear or act as a springboard for creating other handouts.

Throughout this book an emphasis is given to working with children who have special needs. Special education teachers and regular education teachers find this up-to-date resource invaluable in helping them guide and support the needs of all young children as they journey through the learning process. Parents have also found this book helpful in supporting their child/ren in the learning process.

The revised edition of Inclusion Strategies for Working with Young Children provides several new strategies and an expanded resource section of books, Web sites, and organizations for all educators and parents to access. Clarification and update of the INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (IDEA) makes the revised edition more useful for adults in understanding and working with children with special needs.

The new sections appearing in this revised edition include: Categories of Development, Assistive Technology, How the Brain Works, and Mind/Body/Heart Interdependence. Other additions of new content throughout the book, along with reproducible forms for class and personal use, make this edition an invaluable resource for all adults who work and or live with children.