Designing Preschool Interventions

This practical text delineates the basic steps of developing effective interventions for learning and behavior difficulties in children aged two to five. The authors set forth an ecological framework that stresses identifying problem situations rather than classifying individual children as disabled or at risk. The core components of naturalistic intervention design are covered in depth, including teacher and parent interviewing, classroom observation and functional assessment, team-based problem solving, strong accountability methods, and legal and ethical safeguards. Solidly grounded in empirical research, the book presents examples of successful interventions for fostering social competence and language skills and improving interactions with parents, teachers, and peers.

This book captures the essence of what it takes to provide high-quality intervention services to preschoolers experiencing developmental delays and disabilities, as well as those who are at risk. The information is practical, research-based, conceptually systematic, and accessibly presented. The book assumes we must understand children's behavior and development in the context of their unique environments if we are to intervene effectively, and this assumption receives more than lip service. In short, this book should be read by every early intervention professional. --Mark Wolery, PhD, Investigator, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel HillThis remarkable volume provides a wealth of information on interventions whose effectiveness has been documented with research. I know of no other resource that so carefully and systematically has carried out this task. The authors also provide a clear model for designing effective interventions and evaluating outcomes. Their step-by-step coverage of the process of assessment, intervention, and monitoring intervention effectiveness is outstanding. The book will be of great utility to practitioners, and is a very important text for courses in school psychology and early childhood special education. --Judith J. Carta, PhD, Juniper Gardens Children's Project, University of Kansas, Kansas City, Kansas - Thoughtful and thorough....Provides an interweaving of theory and practice that can be directly applied to intervention settings. The authors are committed to a naturalistic intervention design; the least intrusive interventions in natural settings based on best practice with continual outcome evaluation....This is a sound presentation geared for researchers, doctoral students, and child care consultants. --Readings, 8/3/2002