Decision-making between professionals and families is an integral part of early intervention (EI), as reflected by family-centered philosophies and practices embodied in the Division for Early Childhood's (DEC, 2014) Recommended Practices. In this article, the author first briefly defines decision-making and two forms of decision-making relevant…

Inclusion is central to work in early intervention and early childhood special education (EI/ECSE) and reflected in the core beliefs and recommended practices of the field (Division for Early Childhood [DEC], 2014). Inclusion, according to the joint statement of the DEC and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (2009), means…

The separation between young children with disabilities and their peers is not merely physical but represents a deeper gap in opportunity, engagement, and understanding. True equity in inclusive education hinges on viewing disability not as an inherent limitation, but as a gap between personal capacity and the demands of the educational context --…

Families play a central role in EI services for young children with disabilities (Division for Early Childhood [DEC], 2014). Family coaching in early childhood is a core piece to providing services for young children with disabilities and their families (Rush & Shelden, 2011). It is an identified best practice method of service delivery that…

In Easy as 1, 2, 3, authors Katherine B. Green and Jacqueline P. Towson share an approach for integrating early math concepts and shared book reading to support positive outcomes for young children, including those with disabilities. The timing of this article is perfect, as it coincides with the availability of additional free and readily…

Families are the experts on their children. They often have the most knowledge about their children's strengths, support needs, and preferences. Furthermore, the family plays a critical role in their child's development, partnering with professionals in early intervention to identify child and family needs and to develop and implement strategies…

The purpose of this special issue is to introduce ways in which the field of early childhood special education can use the Initial Practice-Based Professional Preparation Standards for Early Interventionists/Early Childhood Special Educators (EI/ECSE) (birth through age 8). In this article, the following applications are identified and guidance is…

The first Early Intervention Conference was in Georgia in August of 2023. The first day of the conference was a tremendous success. Attendees called their friends and colleagues encouraging them to attend the following day. There was evidence of enthusiasm and enjoyment throughout the venue from snippets of networking conversations to selfies…

The global pandemic has meant that some schools are back in session with new and changing rules, and others are providing remote learning. The U.S. Department of Education has addressed specialized instruction through remote learning for children with disabilities, including addressing misconceptions about service delivery for children with…

The purpose of this article is to describe an approach that early educators can use to develop meaningful partnerships with families. Specifically, the authors describe their efforts to support teachers in developing home-school connections through a series of Family Projects that strengthened family-child relationships and created opportunities…

"Parrhesia," as shown in this article, is about speaking the truth. William Faulkner (1951) said, "Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world . . . would do this, it would change the earth." In this article, the authors rethink the…

Although research is somewhat limited, Rivera et al. (2019) provide some guidance for successful practices for young children who are culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) with significant cognitive disabilities (SCD), more specifically those who are identified as English learners. Across their literature review, common themes for…

Implementing evidence-based practices requires not only knowledge of various interventions and practices but also professional judgment in selecting and applying an intervention that best meets the needs of the child and the family. Previous work on decision-making in evidence-based practices has focused on describing evidence-based practices, how…

Grounded in the work of researchers such as Dunst, Trivette, and Deal (1988), the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children's (DEC) Recommended Practices in the area of working with families provide guidance to EI/early childhood special education (ECSE) practitioners on how best to support families of young children who…

Communication is an innate behavior people engage in to convey one's thoughts, needs, and interests to others (Knapp, Hall, & Horgan, 2014). Recommended Practices from the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children (DEC, 2014) encourage teachers to partner with families to implement strategies that support…