Supporting Young Children's IEP Goals in Inclusive Settings Through Embedded Learning Opportunities

Abstract

A set of multiple case studies was conducted to assess the feasibility for teachers in inclusive early education programs supporting young children's learning objectives through embedded learning opportunities (ELOs). The examination of the ELO procedure included assessment of the teachers' planning and implementation, the impact on child performance of specific learning objectives, and the teachers' perceptions of the ELO strategy. These case studies were conducted in three separate inclusive early childhood education programs located in three different states and included four children with disabilities and their classroom teachers. All teachers demonstrated increases in use of instructional behaviors toward targeted objectives.Children demonstrated concomitant increases in performance of targeted objectives. In follow-up interviews, teachers reported generally favorable perceptions of the ELO procedure. There were, however, some clear differences between teachers (with resulting impacts on child performance) in the consistency and frequency of implementation of the instructional support strategies. Teacher interview data are used to aid in hypothesizing on why these differences occurred.The number of programs in which young children with disabilities are served alongside their typically developing peers continues to increase. Wolery and his colleagues Wolery, Holcombe-Ligon, et al., 1993) found that 70% of the early childhood programs responding to a national survey indicated that they included children with disabilities. This represented a doubling of children enrolled from just 5 years earlier. In a more recent survey of programs accredited by the National Association of Educators of Young Children (NAEYC), McDonnell, Brownell, and Wolery (1997) found that 58% of these high-quality programs included children with disabilities. However, of the teachers who reported that they currently served a child with disabilities in their classroom, only 25% reported working directly with an early childhood special educator. Wolery et al. (1994) also reported that only about one quarter of programs including children with disabilities in their sample worked with an early childhood special educator. Both studies reported that early childhood educators were not consistently a part of Individualized Education Program (IEP) development and implementation. This lack of involvement raises concerns about how consistently the targeted learning needs of children with disabilities are being addressed in inclusive settings.Even when early childhood and early childhood special educators work together, the IEP goals are sometimes viewed as separate and unrelated to the goals and objectives for all children in the class. This view is reinforced by the manner in which the IEP goals are developed and written (Goodman & Bond, 1993). Frequently, narrow though measurable objectives are developed that do not readily fit or adapt to the overall curriculum or context of the preschool program. However, an important function of the educational t...

Individualized Education Programs: Legal Requirements and Research Findings

“…Teachers increased instruction of the targeted IEP goals and students improved on targeted goals Horn et al, 2000 Increasing the quality and extent of participation and accommodation documentation on the IEP IEPs more complete in documenting assessment accommodations and reflected planned increases in student participation in state-wide testing Shriner & DeStefano, 2003 Improving the quality of transition components in students' IEPs…”

“…Horn and colleagues (Horn, Lieber, Li, Sandall, & Schwartz, 2000) implemented three case studies within early childhood inclusive education classrooms in three states using a singlecase, multiple baseline design. They used a three-step procedure to assist inclusive teachers in developing strategies for embedding instruction of targeted IEP goals for students with disabilities in their classrooms.…”

Individualizing Interventions for Young Children with Autism in Preschool

“…Oftentimes children with autism will need specific, systematic instruction beyond the general curriculum to meet their goals and objectives (Horn et al 2000). All strategies discussed previously can be systematically embedded in daily routines and throughout a school day to create learning opportunities focused on specific goals.…”

The initiation of early childhood inclusion in China: a case study from Beijing

“…Based on the foundation of a high quality programme, teachers can accommodate children's needs through modifying and adapting the curriculum. In addition, embedding learning opportunities is an effective intervention technique that teachers can use throughout daily routines in terms of addressing IEP goals and objectives (Daugherty, Grisham-Brown, and Hemmeter 2001;Horn et al 2000). Finally, individualised instruction using evidence-based practices, such as naturalistic teaching (Odom et al 2004) and positive behaviour support (Duda et al 2004), are necessary to teach individuals that require a more intensive level of instructional support.…”