Families raising young children diagnosed with multiple disabilities encounter experiences that are often unique and extend well beyond the early childhood years due to the intensity and severity of their child's needs. The contexts of these families must be understood to provide meaningful services and supports, particularly during the child's transition from early intervention to preschool services. In this transcendental phenomenological inquiry, 10 parents of young children with multiple disabilities who transitioned from early intervention into preschool services participated in a brief survey and a semistructured interview. Findings highlight two thematic categories experienced by participants: (a) the transition from early intervention to preschool services, and (b) the importance of social contexts. Implications emphasizing effective partnerships with families, teacher preparation program enrichment, and development of accessible community supports are discussed.

We conducted a systematic review and summarized the outcomes of single-case research design studies conducted in the last decade that have implemented peer-mediated interventions (PMI) to address the social competence needs of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) younger than 8 years of age. Eighteen studies with 53 children with ASD were included. Data from those studies were extracted independently by two coders and coded for characteristics of children with ASD, characteristics of peers, characteristics of the intervention, risk of bias, and success estimate. Findings suggest that PMI are effective for increasing interactions between children with ASD and peers but may not be as effective for increasing initiations made by children with ASD or increasing responses made by children with ASD to peers’ initiations. Researchers should prioritize conducting studies that seek to promote positive interactions initiated by children with ASD, possibly by modifying PMI to include preferred stimuli identified through systematic assessments.

he authors of "Getting Ready Strategies for Promoting Parent-Professional Relationships and Parent-Child Interactions" have built on the set of evidence-based Getting Ready practices delineated by Sheridan et al. (2008) by translating them into an informative article that highlights daily opportunities to implement those practices. On page 3 of the article, they remind us that Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children's (DEC) recommended practices explicitly focus on interactions and encourage early childhood professionals to support family members in "learning sensitive and responsive ways to interact with the child and promote the child's development" (DEC, 2014, p. 14). Read on to discover some additional ways in which to apply the sensitive and responsive ideas from this article into your daily interactions.

M rs. Gaines, who holds a dual credential in early childhood and early childhood special education, teaches in an inclusive preschool classroom serving children and families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. At the beginning of the school year, all 15 children in Mrs. Gaines' classroom sit around a large oval rug as she leads the morning circle time routine by singing familiar songs and clapping to the rhythm. One paraeducator, Mr. Lopez, writes observations, while another paraeducator, Ms. Wilson, models circle time expectations. Most children follow along with Mrs. Gaines' singing and clapping, while some children engage in other ways. For example, Min Joon voices the beginning sounds of familiar lyrics and rocks his body back and forth. Another child, Julieta, remains silent as her hands rest in her lap and she gazes at peers. A third child, Draymond, listens carefully to the song lyrics as he leans toward Mrs. Gaines, cupping his left hand behind his ear. After circle time, Mrs. Gaines, Mr. Lopez, and Ms. Wilson discuss their observations. Mr. Lopez expresses concern that some children, including Min Joon, Julieta, and Draymond, may not understand the circle time routine. The team identifies that spoken communication 845644Y ECXXX10.1177/1096250619845644Pairing Sign With Spoken Word / Waters research-article2019

M s. Caroline is the lead teacher of an inclusive preschool classroom in a suburban school district that serves children and families from lowincome backgrounds. Yan Alberto, a 3-year-old boy, is one of 15 children in Ms. Caroline's class. He is monolingual, communicates with two-to three-word utterances in English, and follows two-word requests. In the mornings, many centers are available and up to five children participate in each center. Ms. Caroline observes that Yan Alberto engages in parallel play during these centers. He plays with the toys available in each center, stays close to his peers, and appears interested in what his peers are doing. However, he hardly initiates toward them. Yan Alberto's parents have also observed this behavior with his older sibling and during family gatherings. Ms. Caroline and Yan Alberto's parents feel he would like to interact with peers but that he does not know how to initiate those interactions. In consultation with a behavior specialist from the school district, she learns that peer-mediated interventions (PMIs) may help teach Yan Alberto to initiate and respond to his peers.