Resources within Reason
Resources to Support Instructional Practices
Camille Catlett April 2019
The DEC Recommended Practices remind us that “instructional practices are a cornerstone of early intervention and early childhood special education. . . to maximize learning and improve developmental and functional outcomes for young children who have or are at risk for developmental delays/disabilities.” This issue of Resources within Reason highlights free resources for learning about and using the recommended practices for instruction.
Visit the instruction section of the ECTA RP website to discover a variety of tools. Checklists are available to support naturalistic, embedded, and systematic instructional practices. Practice guides for families and professionals look at following a child’s lead and other naturalistic and embedded instructional practices. All resources are available to view or download, and family practice guides are also available in Spanish.
This online module focuses on sharing both the evidence and the applications for effective instruction for young children with and without disabilities. Video examples to help define instructional practices, including the five common characteristics across all types of instructional practices. The four phases of learning are also covered, including how they might apply to a family with a home language other than English. Resources for instructors are included in a separate learning guide.
Ever wonder what children who learn differently are expecting of us? This video clearly conveys those expectations.
This section of the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center highlights specialized, intentional, and systematic teaching and learning opportunities that support the education and development of young children, especially those at risk for or diagnosed with disabilities. Videos, archived webinars, matrices, and handouts highlight how practitioners and families can support each and every child, and especially those at risk for, or diagnosed with, disabilities.
One of the most effective ways to support instruction for young children with disabilities is to embed specific learning targets within daily opportunities and inter-actions. The Embedded Learning Opportunities section of the Head Start Center on Inclusion website offers information, examples, forms, handouts, and videos, in English and Spanish.  
This brief video shows how a teacher and speech therapist have worked together to embed one child’s goals into an activity that all the children enjoy. For more examples, check out CONNECT Module 1.
Want more resources on Instruction ? Consider Effective Strategies to Support, Engagement, Learning, and Outcomes which may be purchased at the DEC Bookstore .

Resources within Reason is a free one-way listserv provided by the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children (DEC). All resources are evidence-based, readily available and free.

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