New Grant for DARES Will Help Prepare Early Childhood Professionals Better Meet the Needs of Children with Problem Behavior
In a new project funded by the U.S. Department of Education, CFS and Florida State University, Departments of Special Education and Communication Disorders will work together to improve educational supports and services for young children with challenging behavior. State-of-the-art instructional technology will be developed for professionals in early childhood special education programs.
"The support of students with disabilities who have challenging behavior is an overwhelming national concern," said Lise Fox, CFS project director. "The number of children identified as having 'severe emotional disturbance' has increased at a rate of 60% greater than the rate of growth of overall student enrollment. (According to the 20th Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of IDEA, 1998).
"With proper training, early childhood educators can play an important role in helping to improve behavior disorders," said Lise. "However,"she added,"if they are unskilled or insensitive to young children's needs, they can aggravate an emotional or behavior problem."
The project, Meeting the Challenge: Building Capacity of Early Care and Education Providers, will consist of developing, evaluating and disseminating information for preservice early childhood educators and inservice instructors. The following topics, which outline ways to meet the needs of young children with problem behavior-preventing the development of more serious challenging behavior&endash;are the six instructional modules to be developed:
1. Promoting communication and social skill development;
2. Problem behavior has meaning;
3. Positive behavior interventions and supports;
4. Teaching skills in natural environments;
5. Supporting families, and;
6. Providing collaborative consultation to support children with challenging behavior.
"These instructional modules will be available in a variety of formats including an instructional DVD, a multimedia package including VHS tapes and Powerpoint slides, and through a project web page," said Lise. "They will be developed in partnership with families and community programs to ensure the inclusion of 'real world' case studies and video vignettes." The dissemination list will include the Division of Early Childhood, the Teacher Education Division of Council for Exceptional Children, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, Head Start, the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, and The Autism Society of America.
The Department of Child and Family Studies (CFS) is a department of the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida. The faculty and staff of CFS are committed to enhancing the development, mental health and well-being of children and families through leadership in integrating research, theory & practice.For additional information, Lise Fox can be reached at 974-6100.