Early Childhood Special Education and Assistive Technology Blog

Watch the following 5-minute interview with Dr. Therese Willkomm, ATP to learn about the difference between Assistive Technology vs. Instructional Technology and how it relates to Universal Design for Learning.  Dr. Therese Willkomm, ATP - Assistive Technology vs. Instructional Technology and Universal Design for Learning from Carrie Smart on Vimeo . Links to Interesting articles and materials to inform our thinking: AT in NH -  Website  and  YouTube 29 U.S. Code Chapter 31 – Assistive Technology for Individuals with Disability Assistive Technology and IDEA: Regulations Assistive Technology Laws What is Assistive Technology? How is it Funded? Assistive Technology Act Universal Design and Technology Universal Design for Learning and Assistive Technology Evaluating Apps – Instructional vs. Assistive Technology

Share a story about how IDEA has impacted you by click here. Watch live feeds of events in Washington D.C. on November 17th, 2015 starting at 9:30am. White House 40th Anniversary of IDEA event  - 9:30 to 11am U.S. Department of Education's IDEA Symposium - 3:00 to 4:00pm

Betsy Humphreys talks about her perspective on inclusive early childhood education. Watch and keep visiting our blog for more videos from professors and community members invested in early childhood. Perspectives on Leadership in Early Childhood Education - Part 1 from ec seat on Vimeo .

Summary and Notes written by: Carrie Portrie, M.Ed, EC-SEAT Project Coordinator On September 14th, 2015, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Education released a policy statement on inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood programs. The executive summary begins by identifying three landmark celebrations this year: 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities (ADA) Act 40th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 50th anniversary of Head Start and states: "All three efforts have been transformative in ensuring equal opportunity for all Americans. While tremendous progress has been made, the anniversaries of these laws are cause for reflection on the work that lies ahead" The joint policy notes a lag in inclusive opportunities for children as troubling and lists the following reasons: "Being meaningfully included as a member of society is the first step to equal opportu...

By: Carrie Portrie , M.Ed, EC-SEAT Project Coordinator and PhD Student in Education While perusing my Facebook feed this afternoon, I saw a post from Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families  on  2015 Baby Facts by State and Toolkit . As I jumped to the site, I began thinking about all the wonderful resources for families caring for and professionals working with infants and toddlers. Learning about and observing children's development early on is joyous and is also important for detection of potential concerns. When a potential concern, developmental delay or disability is detected families can access early intervention for their child. What is early intervention? The  Center for Parent Information and Resources (2014) overview  explains it is "Authorized by law. Early intervention is available in every state and territory of the United States. The  Individuals with Disabilities Education Act  (IDEA) requires it–Part C o...

By:  Sophia Fowler , EC-SEAT scholar, early childhood special educator, and parent.  Sophia is a dedicated early supports and services professional as well as a mother. For her final project, during the J-Term course Using iPads to Support Children with Disabilities , she worked with her son. She utilized Guided Access on the iPad so he could use the Mother Goose App with little interference from pop ups and ads. Watch Ollie navigate the app.   Final Project for Using iPads to Support Children with Disabilities - Mother Goose App and Ollie from ec seat on Vimeo .

Reviewed by: Maggierose Smith , EC-SEAT scholar 1. I reviewed the Complete Guide to Educational and Special Needs Apps ( oneplaceforspecialneeds.com ). Upon first glance, I enjoyed the site because of the coloration and white space it offers. Many times sites with vast amounts of information can be overwhelming, but the organization with the titles in blue and the information in black helps me better process the information. I also enjoy that it is organized by disability, type of activity and alphabetically, making it easy   to find apps that particular students may find beneficial. The search tool was extremely beneficial as it weeded through the apps for me, leaving a more succinct list to go through before choosing one. These aspects make the site very user friendly. I thought it was really cool how the search tool narrowed down apps based on a variety of criteria, making it easy to match student’s capabilities to the appropriate app. I do think it would be useful to have ...

Have you read the newest version of the Division of Early Childhood (DEC)'s recommended practices? Take a look. Here is a YouTube video DEC has on their  website .

Daily, our office receives emails about current news and information about early childhood. Here is a sampling of some resources we found interesting this week: News: 1.) The Calcasiau Parish School Board has utilized a state grant to build an Assistive Technology lending library. Read about this  lending library here .   2.) The New School Leaders' Standards were released on Monday, September 15th. Read more about major changes in standards focused on the social side of learning.  Resources for Professional Development: 1.) Ashley Frame from EduPlanet21 sent out the following professional development video link introducing a Module Series on New Hampshire’s Educator Support Evaluation System. Four other modules are available on the NH Department of Education Vimeo site .  2.) The National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning is hosting a webinar on September 22nd, 2014 about “Classroom-Based and Parent-Focused Interventions for Promoting Social and ...

By: Carrie Portrie , EC-SEAT Project Coordinator Recently, I have come across many free videos, modules, and webinars focused on early childhood special education and early intervention. Sue Goode from the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center provides eNotes  via email or the ECTA website  with relevant updates on early childhood education. This week I found two of her links quite interesting and thought I would pass them along. First the American Academy of Pediatrics has posted 5  training and education modules focused on early brain and child development. Each module has easily downloadable PowerPoints and PDFs. The topics include: "Building better brains," "Toxic Stress," "Adverse Childhood Experiences," "Supporting Parents and Cultivating Community Relationships," and "Early Brain and Child Development Advocacy." Additionally, the Colorado Department of Education has provided access to an online video library call...

Oftentimes so much time goes into supporting children with special needs, that there siblings may be inadvertently over looked and may need extra support and mentoring. Easter Seals recently did a study about siblings who will become the caregivers later on in life of their brothers and sisters with disability. Writer Rachel Adams shares in The New York Times’ her maternal reflections about the subject in her article Growing up With a Disabled Sibling . Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics also published a study in May 2013 testing “whether siblings of children with disability had higher levels of parent-reported behavioral and emotional functional impairment compared with a peer group of siblings residing with only typically developing children.” Children with disabilities and their siblings can have special relationships as we can see from this video from the King County (Seattle, WA) Developmental Disabilities Division of Early Intervention. ...