Parents of 82 mainstreamed preschoolers were interviewed about their interactions with other parents. Parents of handicapped preschoolers indicated they interacted equally often with parents of nonhandicapped and handicapped children, but parents of nonhandicapped reported more interaction with parents of nonhandicapped children. Results had…

Preparing handicapped preschoolers for mainstreamed kindergarten should focus on developing kindergarten survival skills. Comparison of survival skills identified by teachers with skills measured by common preschool assessment instruments indicated only slight congruence. Programs should emphasize teaching such survival skills rather than…

Direct instruction (DI), a predetermined and systematic approach to the teaching/learning process, is advocated for teaching precise responses in the most efficient way to preschool handicapped students. Planning for DI includes specifying task sequences leading to a terminal behavior. Specific steps are followed in the presentation and curriculum…

The final report reviews accomplishments of an outreach project designed to provide technical assistance and training to early childhood programs for handicapped children. The project features the Cognitively Oriented Preschool Curriculum, a developmental approach based on Piagetian theory and explained to build on the child's accomplishments. A…

The final 1980-81 report of Project PEECH (Program for Early Education of Children with Handicaps) Outreach provided technical assistance to Texas sites replicating the PEECH model. The model emphasizes training teachers to train parents to continue the individualized educational program activities with their mild to severely handicapped children…

The article reviews trends in the assessment of preschool children by comparing preschool assessment with the assessment of other populations and discussing its current status, recent advances, and future needs. Specific areas of assessment such as cognition, adaptive behavior, and social and emotional functioning are addressed. (Author/DB)

Although social development is a commonly cited educational goal, little systematic programming occurs for the development of social skills among the preschool handicapped, especially for the development of interpersonal skills. Insight into the reasons for this neglect leads to suggestions for correcting it. (Author/CL)

Results of a study of social interactions of 33 developmentally delayed preschoolers suggested the existence of major deficits in peer-related social interactions for delayed children and the absence of specific individual social behaviors highly associated with peer-related social competence. (CL)

Integration practices of handicapped children at preschool level and the service model for therapeutic and social assistance in Arezzo, Italy are examined. Case studies of three severely handicapped integrated preschoolers illustrate the model's functionings. Theory and research supporting the model are noted, as is continuing research through…

A structured small group instructional setting helps to teach mainstreamed handicapped preschoolers the skills necessary to interact with the classroom materials without direct supervision. Examples are cited of individualized play activities with puzzles, paint, and play dough. (CL)

Questionnaires completed by 50 states and the District of Columbia revealed that many teachers currently working with handicapped preschoolers are specialists in other teaching areas, many states are not developing a specific certificate for this population, and that there is a discrepancy in definitions and criteria from state to state. (CL)

Recent studies on the integration of handicapped with nonhandicapped preschoolers and its effect on social interactions are reviewed. Studies include those reporting the spontaneous occurrence of social interactions between young handicapped and nonhandicapped children and those reporting the need for structure and training to facilitate…

In an investigation of effects of adult-directed play on handicapped preschoolers' functional use of toys and interactions with other classmates. Results revealed that adult-directed play increased the handicapped preschoolers' functional use of toys; interactions were increased for two of the three subjects. (Author/CL)

Developmental stages in causal reasoning and causative expression are outlined to provide comparison with preschool handicapped children. Three stages within the preschool range are defined in terms of changes in causal schemes, field of centration, and experimental attitude and skills. Suggestions for assessment and special education are made.…

Three early transitions are significant for young children with disabilities and their families: (1) into Early Intervention, (2) between that program and preschool services, and (3) from Early Childhood Special Education into kindergarten special education. Each of these transitions is significant for families in terms of obtaining appropriate…