Key Resources

Books/Publications    Videos    Web Sites   

NECTAC Natural Environments & Inclusion Bibliography Database

Books/Publications

• Administrator's Guide to Preschool Inclusion (PDF: 3,420kb)
Ruth Ashworth and Samuel L. Odom
This guide for administrators of inclusive programs addresses some of the issues raised, discusses barriers and roadblocks and presents practical solutions. To order.
• An Early Childhood Inclusion Kit (Toolkit) a product of the Early Childhood Connections Project in New Hampshire with more than a dozen multi-media resources and resources for providing tips for parents and providers when exploring community options.
• Building Blocks for Teaching Preschoolers With Special Needs
Susan R. Sandall and Ilene S. Schwartz
This book provides explicit suggestions for curriculum modifications to meet individual children's needs so that they can successfully participate in a preschool program.
• Child Care+ newsletters
These newsletters are from the Child Care+ Project at the Rural Institute on Disabilities of the University of Montana. Each issue contains feature articles, answers questions from practitioners, and provides examples of inclusion in action.
• Children with Special Needs: Lessons for Early Childhood
Marjorie J. Kostelnik, Esther Onaga, Barbara Rohde, Alice Whiren
Using a case history approach each chapter introduces a child with special needs, and then provides information and resources to support that child.
• Coming Together for Children with Disabilities: State Collaboration to Support Quality, Inclusive Child Care (PDF: 52kb)
Jennifer Mezey, Katherine Beh Neas, and Kate Irish
This report developed by The Center for Law and Social Policy and Easter Seals, presents the challenges low income families have in attempting to access quality child care for children with disabilities. The report discusses barriers to collaboration and suggests policy recommendations.
• Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs
revised edition, Ed(s): Sue Bredekamp, Carol Copple, 1997
This NAEYC publication spells out the principles underlying developmentally appropriate practice and guidelines or classroom decision making. For all engaged in the care and education of infants and toddlers, 3- through 5-year-olds, or primary-grade children, this book offers an overview of each period of development and extensive examples of practices appropriate and inappropriate with children in that age group.
• DEC Recommended Practices in Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education
Susan Sandall, Mary McLean and Barbara Smith
This resource from the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) was designed to bridge the gap between current research and practice, providing guidance to parents and professionals who work with young children with disabilities. This book outlines goals families and educators share for improving the development and learning outcomes for children with disabilities, as well as the meanings associated with outcomes, including improved social competence, independence, problem solving, and enhanced family functioning.
• Early Childhood Inclusion: Focus on Change
Michael Guralnick, ed.
This book comprehensively evaluates early childhood inclusion over the past 25 years and recommends an agenda for change.
• IDEA and Early Childhood Inclusion (PDF: 2,956kb)
This resource is produced by the Collaborative Planning Project and provides a comprehensive overview of the provisions in IDEA for providing services in least restrictive environments and in natural environments and how they relate to the inclusion of young children with disabilities.
• The Inclusive Early Childhood Classroom
Patti Gould and Joyce Sullivan
This book is designed to support teachers in modifying classrooms and approaching activities to help children with special needs become successful and actively engaged. Each chapter focuses on a learning center or a time of day with special emphasis on needs of children with certain disabilities (i.e., developmentally delayed, orthopedically impaired, autism/Pervasive Development Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder, behavioral issues, motor/planning problems or visual impairments).
• A Road Map for Facilitating Collaborative Teams
Peggy Hayden, Linda Frederick and Barbara J. Smith
Promote change in early childhood and educational systems with this step-by-step guide to creating and sustaining collaborative teams. Administrators, technical assistance staff, and Interagency Coordinating Councils (ICCs) will gain practical insights and creative ideas from actual teams as they cover such terrain as: understanding the Collaborative Planning Project (CPP) model; facilitator role and selection; stakeholder relationships; priorities and action planning; and evaluation accomplishments.
• Technology for Students with Disabilities: A Decision Maker's Resource Guide
This guide is a publication from ITTE (Education Technology Programs Department of NSBA), a program of the National School Boards Association designed to advance the wise use of technology in public education. This publication is written to help education leaders understand and support the application of technology in their work. Chapter IV, "Resources for Information Services," is outlined on this Web site.
• Widening the Circle, Including Children with Disabilities in Preschool Programs
Samuel L. Odom, ed.
This book explores barriers and influences on inclusive education settings for young children. The book is based on the 5 year research study conducted by the early Childhood Research Institute on Inclusion.
• Young Exceptional Children Monograph Series No.2 Natural Environments and Inclusion
Susan Sandal and Michaelene Ostrosky
The Council for Exceptional Children has made available a collection of eight articles from Young Exceptional Children that highlight inclusive, family-centered service delivery in natural environments as developmentally appropriate practices. Practical solutions are provided to assist practitioners in improving the quality of services and opening the door for children and their families to participate successfully in early intervention programs. A helpful list of resources is also included.

Videos

• Child Care and Children with Special Needs
This two-video set, distributed by NAEYC, is designed for use as an in service training tool for program director's and caregivers to inspire and inform them in meeting the challenge of caring for children with disabilities. To order, call NAEYC at (866) 623-9248.
• "Just Being Kids: Supports And Services For Infants And Toddlers And Their Families In Everyday Routines, Activities, And Places"
This video developed by Colorado's Part C program illustrates how supports and services for infants and toddlers with special needs can be provided in the context of families' everyday routines, activities, and places (also known as "natural environments"). Each of the six stories on this 50 minute video demonstrates recommended practices as therapists and early childhood specialists work collaboratively with families to achieve meaningful goals for their children in everyday routines and activities. The video comes with a 55-page companion Facilitator's Guide.
• Reflections on Early Childhood
Three young adults with disabilities share their reflections on how their success and self-determination was shaped by their childhood experiences. This 10:46 minute video is available on CD or VHS cassette. (The full transcript is available.)
• It Makes Sense: Providing Services in the Natural Environments
This videotape shows early interventionists providing services to families of young children with disabilities, birth to three years, in a variety of daily routines, family activities, and settings (i.e., swimming pool, feeding, playground, music and movement class). The resource may be used as a training video to show how early interventionists take advantage of the many learning opportunities to promote family and child skills. A nice feature of the videotape are the experiences shared by families in receiving services in the natural environment.

Web sites

• Coaching in Natural Environments
This Web site, a project of the Puckett Institute, is designed to share information and resources about where, how, and why to provide services for infants, toddlers, and their families who are eligible for services under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in natural settings. In addition, this Web site provides follow-up web-based training and support for state and early intervention program leaders who are participating in the personal development and ongoing continuous improvement model for service delivery in natural environments. As part of the Web site, a bibliography on natural environments has been developed. This bibliography on Natural Environments was developed by the TaCTICS project.
• IFSPWeb
This Web site is a self-paced tutorial, developed by Nebraska, designed to help parents and professionals to create better individual family service plans (IFSPs) for young children with disabilities.
• Preschool Inclusion Connection
The purpose of this Web site is to showcase early childhood programs that are incorporating the "Best Practices" as proposed by National Association Education for Young Children (NAEYC) and Division for Early Childhood (DEC).