Evidence Based Practice In The Early Childhood Field

The concept of evidence-based practice is helping early educators, special educators, early interventionists, child care professionals, mental health professionals, social workers, health-care professionals, and others work together more effectively to transform the services provided to children and families. This unique book defines the evidence-based practice movement and explains how it is empowering professionals to deliver the most effective interventions available. The authors examine how evidence-based practice is changing the way research is conducted, how research findings can be applied to solve real-world problems, and how research can be used to inform critical policy decisions.

This handbook discusses early childhood special education (ECSE), with particular focus on evidence-based practices. Coverage spans core intervention areas in ECSE, such as literacy, motor skills, and social development as well as diverse contexts for services, including speech-language pathology, physical therapy, and pediatrics. Contributors offer strategies for planning, implementing, modifying, and adapting interventions to help young learners extend their benefits into the higher grades. Concluding chapters emphasize the importance of research in driving evidence-based practices (EBP). Topics featured in the Handbook include: Family-centered practices in early childhood intervention. The application of Response to Intervention (RtI) in young children with identified disabilities. Motor skills acquisition for young children with disabilities. Implementing evidence-based practices in ECSE classrooms. · Cultural, ethnic, and linguistic implications for ECSE. The Handbook of Early Childhood Special Education is a must-have resource for researchers, professors, upper-level undergraduate and graduate students, clinicians, and practitioners across such disciplines as child and school psychology, early childhood education, clinical social work, speech and physical therapy, developmental psychology, behavior therapy, and public health.

This volume focuses on evidence-based practices (EBPs) , supported, sound research studies documenting their effectiveness with a target population. As such, EBPs have significant potential to improve the outcomes of learners with learning and behavioral disorders.

Evidence-based practice emerged as a result of the gap often seen between research and practice and gained momentum with the standards and accountability movement. Yet it originates in medicine. Healthcare professionals using evidence-based medicine determine a patient's treatment based on an assessment of evidence from the literature and current studies as well as clinical judgment and the patient's values. Drawing from medicine, the authors of a new book titled "Evidence-Based Practice in the Early Childhood Field" recommend a five-step process for evidence-based practice decision-making for the early childhood field: (1) Pose the question; (2) Find the best available research evidence; (3) Appraise the evidence quality and relevance; (4) Integrate research with values and wisdom; and (5) Evaluate. This snapshot also discuss how this process can help early educators, special educators, child care professionals, and others to transform the services provided to children and families. A proposed model for applying evidence to inform practice decisions is included with a list of websites that provide information on early childhood intervention research. [This snapshot is published by FPG Child Development Institute at UNC-Chapel Hill.].

Many Americans seem convinced that government programs designed to help the poor have failed. Social Programs That Work shows that this is not true. Many programs have demonstrably improved the lives of people trapped at the bottom of the social and economic ladder. Social Programs That Work provides an in-depth look at some of the nation's best interventions over the past few decades, and considers their potential for national expansion. Examined here are programs designed to improve children's reading skills, curb juvenile delinquency and substance abuse, and move people off welfare into the workforce. Each contributor discusses the design and implementation of a particular program, and assesses how well particular goals were met. Among the critical issues addressed: Are good results permanent, or do they fade over time? Can they be replicated successfully under varied conditions? Are programs cost effective, and if so are the benefits seen immediately or only over the long term? How can public support be garnered for a large upfront investment whose returns may not be apparent for years? Some programs discussed in this volume were implemented only on a small, experimental scale, prompting discussion of their viability at the national level. An important concern for social policy is whether one-shot programs can lead to permanent results. Early interventions may be extremely effective at reducing future criminal behavior, as shown by the results of the High/Scope Perry preschool program. Evidence from the Life Skills Training Program suggests that a combination of initial intervention and occasional booster sessions can be an inexpensive and successful approach to reducing adolescent substance abuse. Social Programs That Work also acknowledges that simply placing welfare recipients in jobs isn't enough; they will also need long-term support to maintain those jobs. The successes and failures of social policy over the last thirty-five years have given us valuable feedback about the design of successful social policy. Social Programs That Work represents a landmark attempt to use social science criteria to identify and strengthen the programs most likely to make a real difference in addressing the nation's social ills.

The long-awaited new edition of NAEYC's book Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs is here, fully revised and updated! Since the first edition in 1987, it has been an essential resource for the early childhood education field. Early childhood educators have a professional responsibility to plan and implement intentional, developmentally appropriate learning experiences that promote the social and emotional development, physical development and health, cognitive development, and general learning competencies of each child served. But what is developmentally appropriate practice (DAP)? DAP is a framework designed to promote young children's optimal learning and development through a strengths-based approach to joyful, engaged learning. As educators make decisions to support each child's learning and development, they consider what they know about (1) commonality in children's development and learning, (2) each child as an individual (within the context of their family and community), and (3) everything discernible about the social and cultural contexts for each child, each educator, and the program as a whole. This latest edition of the book is fully revised to underscore the critical role social and cultural contexts play in child development and learning, including new research about implicit bias and teachers' own context and consideration of advances in neuroscience. Educators implement developmentally appropriate practice by recognizing the many assets all young children bring to the early learning program as individuals and as members of families and communities. They also develop an awareness of their own context. Building on each child's strengths, educators design and implement learning settings to help each child achieve their full potential across all domains of development and across all content areas.

Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.

An authoritative guide to evidence-based treatment of infants and young children Evidence-Based Practice in Infant and Early Childhood Psychology is the first handbook of its kind to consider the complete psychological needs of infants and young children, from birth to early childhood. With a focus on evidence-based practice, the book provides a balanced perspective of diverse and ethical practice with research and educational recommendations interwoven throughout. Comprehensive in scope, Evidence-Based Practice in Infant and Early Childhood Psychology is divided into four sections: Foundations provides the framework for considering psychological and educational service provisions for young children and their families Assessment and Intervention includes chapters on assessing infants, toddlers, preschoolers, parents and families, and bilingual and multicultural children Evidence-Based Practice addresses evidence-based treatmentsfor particular issues such as autism, ADHD, health impairments, and more Contemporary Issues examines current perspectives on issues such as childcare, neuropsychology, Response to Intervention (RTI) and violence prevention

Examines systemic issues contributing to inequities in early childhood, with ways faculty, teachers, administrators, and policymakers can work to disrupt them.

"This volume is exemplary in synthesizing research and condensing pertinent data on early childhood services both for practitioners and policymakers." -Charles Bruner, Director, Child and Family Policy Center "Any school district struggling with low test scores, high mobility, and/or high poverty should consider the benefits of early intervention-and read this book." -Mathieu Aubuchon, Preschool Coordinator The Early Childhood Center at Gregory Hill, Westminster, CO Your research-based reference for developing quality early educational experiences! School and district administrators, as well as policymakers, are increasingly recognizing that early education and intervention services for young children have a direct and positive impact on later school performance and quality of life. But which programs and services should be operated and funded? To answer that question, this book highlights the principles that characterize effective practices and programs for children ages 3-8. Written specifically for busy administrators, Evidence-Based Practices and Programs for Early Childhood Care and Education synthesizes what works, what doesn′t, and what we still need to know based on the reviews of scientific literature by an expert panel of contributors. Key topics include: Definition and assessment of readiness of children and schools Early intervention for children in poverty, English language learners, and students with special needs Publicly funded, home-based, school-age, and out-of-schooltime programs The future of personnel preparation and professional development The result is a highly readable presentation of the evidence needed to make informed practice, program, and policy decisions in early care and education.