Sharing Web Resources

I decided to change my organization, I want to learn more about special education and early intervention programs so the organization I will be researching and reporting on is the Division of Early Childhood.  Their work focuses on helping children with special needs and their families.  Their website link is: http://www.dec-sped.org/

One current issue/trend from the website that caught my attention is from their latest posted news.  The post is a revised set of DEC recommended practices for early intervention and early childhood special education.  These act as guidelines for early childhood professionals as well as families.  Among these recommendations, in the topic of environment they used a term I had never heard of before, “Universal Design for Learning”.  They ask for practitioners to consider the main principles of this theory when creating “accessible environments” (DEC, 2014).   Upon further research I found out that UDL focuses the “what, how and why of learning” to differentiate curriculum based on brain networks that address these questions (National Center on Universal Design for Learning, 2012).  This is a very practical approach to learning for any child and I see how the DEC would recommend it specifically for children with special needs.

Related to diversity, I also learned that the DEC recommends that assessments be done “with use assessment materials and strategies that are appropriate for the child’s age and level of development and accommodate the child’s sensory, physical, communication, cultural, linguistic, social, and emotional characteristics” (DEC, p.7).  I was surprised but glad that they mentioned cultural characteristics as they are sometimes left out.  Furthermore they recommend that “Practitioners build trusting and respectful partnerships with the family through interactions that are sensitive and responsive to cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic diversity” (DEC, p.9).  There are many different types of diversity and it important to keep them in mind when working with children and families.

References

Division for Early Childhood. (2014). DEC recommended practices in early intervention/early childhood special education 2014. Retrieved from http://www.dec-sped.org/recommendedpractices

National Center on Universal Design for Learning.( 2012).  What is UDL? [web page]. Retrieved from http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/whatisudl