A multiple baseline across participants design was used to investigate the impact of RECALL (Reading to Engage Children With Autism in Language and Learning) on the correct, unprompted responding and initiations of young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). RECALL is an adapted shared reading intervention based on dialogic reading. RECALL embeds systematic instructional procedures and supports known to facilitate the learning of children with ASD (e.g., prompting hierarchy and visual supports). Interventionists read aloud with a child with autism and a peer 3 days a week for approximately 2.5 months. Following intervention, all four participating children decreased the frequency of incorrect responding and gradually improved their correct, spontaneous responding to fact- and inference-based questions about story content. In addition, three of the four participants increased the frequency of their initiations. Findings suggest that young children with ASD can participate in and benefit from shared reading interventions with supports. Implications for the implementation of shared reading interventions with young children with ASD are discussed.

Mothers' experiences in parenting children with disabilities were examined in this 3-year longitudinal study. Thirty-five mother-child pairs participated in the study. Mothers and their children representing one of three disability groups (Down syndrome, hearing impairment, and neurological impairment) were observed wher the children were toddler age, age 3, and age 4 years. Parental stress and adaptation to parenting were documented using the Parenting Stress Index, the Inventory of Parent Experiences, and a clinical intewiew with mothers. Results showed significant relationships between maternal stress and parenting experiences. However, few differences across groups were noted with regard to reported stress or parenting experiences and adaptation. Findings are discussed in terms of their relationships to other study variables (e.g., child's developmental status, attachment, mother—child interaction) and with regard to implications for early intervention service providers.

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The purpose of this study was to explore the development of the complexity of block constructions of preschool children and to determine the effects of various factors on the children's block play. Sixty-five children were observed a total of 421 times, over the course of 3 years. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to determine the effects of disability, gender, and time the child was involved with block construction activity on the developmental complexity of block constructions. Results indicate that (a) the complexity of children's block constructions increase with chronological age, (b) time the child was involved with block construction activity has a positive effect on block construction complexity, and (c) gender did not influence block construction complexity. Implications of findings are discussed in relation to increasing understanding of children's development and to authentic assessment approaches.

The use of naturalistic teaching procedures to teach a variety of skills in developmentally appropriate early childhood settings was evaluated. Two single subject studies show the acquisition and maintenance of skills taught to preschoolers with disabilities within developmentally appropriate play contexts. The results of the research indicate that the use of naturalistic teaching procedures within developmentally appropriate activities can result in the acquisition and maintenance of targeted skills. These data offer support for embedding the instruction of skills within the context of play activities as a viable and effective way to teach young children with disabilities in programs that use Developmentally Appropriate Practice as a curriculum framework.