What is Inclusive Education?

The National Association for Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Division for Early Childhood (DEC)
define inclusive education as the right of every infant and young child and his or her family, regardless of ability,
to participate in a broad range of activities and contexts as full members of families, communities, and society.

Inclusive preschool classrooms are in the best interest of all young children: including children with disabilities
results in greater empathy and acceptance of differences among all children and in improved academic, social,
and behavioral outcomes for children with disabilities. Regardless of ability levels, high expectations are
expected for all children.

All children learn best in a developmentally appropriate program that offers them the supports they need to
participate successfully alongside their classmates. Many children with disabilities, and many without, benefit
from simple accommodations and modifications.

Accommodations Modifications
 Alter how a student learns  Fundamental changes to the curriculum
 Does not change what the student is  Altering the standard expectations
expected to learn
 Alteration of the environment,
curriculum format, or equipment that
allows an individual with a disability to
complete a task
Practical Applications:
 Visual Supports such as daily schedule in pictures, mini schedules (circle time schedule), mini
circle time floor mat
 Tiered Assignments – assignments that are the same number in length, but differentiated
 Work System Assists such as a list of tasks that visually communicates what a child should do
and how to know when he or she is finished
 Behavior Modification Chart
 First/Then Chart for task completion or multistep directions
 Picture Exchange Communication System – a book that has visuals of items the student may
need or want to request
 Technology
 Jumbo paperclips on book pages to help students turn the pages
 Frequent breaks such as a walk down the hall and back
 Timers
 Fidgets such as stress balls or bungee cords underneath chairs
 Choice boards
 Modifying the length of an assignment or breaking it into parts
 Materials such as tabletop easels, pencil grips, golf pencils, puzzle piece knobs, etc.
The Referral Process:

Recognition

Pre-Referral

Referral for Testing

Recognition:

Begin by scoring the ASQ-3 and ASQ SE-2 parent questionnaires for any children that fall into the at-risk
category. Once school has begun, observe students, asking yourself the following questions:

Is the behavior constant?

Is the behavior consistent with age appropriate behaviors? To help guide you with developmental milestones,
use the CDC’s Child Development Guide as a resource.

For students that either fall into the at-risk category based on the parent questionnaires, or students that are
exhibiting behavior that is not consistent with age-appropriate behaviors, assistant directors will also observe
student behavior.

You can use anecdotal notes and checklists to record data.

Pre-Referral:

As a team of both teachers and your assistant director, create a plan of at least 3 different accommodations to
implement and record progress using an intervention checklist.

Referral for Testing:

Meet with parents to discuss data. Ensure that assistant director and possibly executive director are present for
meeting.

Dates for testing:

 October 2-4: Pre-K and 5/6 Speech and Language

 October 16-18: 2’s and 3’s Speech and Language
 October 23, 28, 29: Vision Screening
 November 4: Vision Screening
 December 5-9: Toddler Speech and Language
Additional Guidelines:

 Refrain from giving parents your diagnosis or discussing with parents in an informal manner. We are not
medical professionals and thus cannot diagnose children. The need to pursue testing or the
identification of special needs is a sensitive and confidential matter.
 While you are the expert on child development, parents are the experts of their children. Try to create a
partnership to help the child reach his or her full potential.
 Through this process, we want to keep an open communication with parents. Informal conferences are
a great way to do this, and the need for further assessments should not be mentioned for the first time
at semi-annual conferences. Through emails, phone calls and in-person discussions, share with parents
your observations of classroom behavior.
 Referrals must first go through assistant directors.
 Once a student is eligible for a formal referral, only strategic partners will be used.
 Kathy will give partners approval for evaluation and services based on release form, background check
and liability insurance coverage.
 Strategic partners will meet with students from either 8-9 a.m. or 12:30-1:30 p.m. and Kathy will assign
locations for services.

Additional Resources:

CDC Child Development Milestones – https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html

Resources for pictures to create accommodations – http://trainland.tripod.com/pecs.htm

Anecdotal Notes Example –

ABC Checklist –