ITAP FORUMS

Frog and Toad are Friends

Laurie Dabney — Sun, 17 May 2009 22:32:09 GMT

Using Childrens Lit to Support Social-Emotional Development

Lobel, Arnold (1970). Frog and Toad are Friends: The lost button. New York: Barnes and     Noble Publishing, Inc.

    The Frog and Toad are Friends Books are intended for children between 4 and 8 years old, and thus would be appropriate in many preschool classrooms, as well as kindergarten and first grade. I love this series of books because from the beginning kids fall in love with Frog and Toad and the stories of their friendship. The stories often involve some sort of tension of conflict that is resolved through appropriate means, so not only are they fun, but they also teach children how to be good friends to one another. In using the story The Lost Button, several skills could be targeted, specifically skills related to developing and maintaining friendships. These include helping friends when they are in need, being a helpful member of a community, and doing nice things for our friends when they have been nice to us. All of these skills are related to building a community, so this book could fit into a yearlong theme of being a classroom family, or being part of the classroom or school community. There are many expansion activities that could be used to take this book further, as well. For example:
    In this story, Toad loses his button after he and Frog have gone on a long walk. Toad is concerned, and Frogs immediate response is to suggest that together, they go look for the button in all of the places they have been. As a follow up activity, have the teacher or an aid bring a vest or jacket that is missing a button. (It is a good idea to use large buttons so they are safe.) Prior to the activity, hide buttons around the classroom or playground and pose the problem: Oh no! I too have lost a button! What should we do? Let the children brainstorm ideas, and use the book as the reference. Let the children search the classroom where they will find all sorts of buttons until they find the one that matches. Talk about the way the students helped you fix your jacket.
    As a follow up to this activity, let the children make jackets (cut a jacket out of colored paper, or outline on a larger piece) and paste buttons all over it, like the jacket Toad makes in the book for Frog. From the beginning, help the children think of someone they would like to make the jacket for, perhaps a parent, sibling or friend, who has done something nice for them. Offer to write thank you _______ for ______ on their art project.
    Another possible activity is to make felt figures of Frog, Toad, and the other animals in the story. Toads jacket would be missing a button. Collect buttons that match the descriptions of the other buttons in the book, or create them out of felt. Hand these pieces out to the children, and read the book interactively with the children, allowing them to be the animals who offer the different buttons to try and help Toad. After it is over, talk about the way the animals work together to help Toad and Frog, and ask children to share a time when they were helpful to their friends, or when someone was helpful to them. Talk about how this is an important part of being a family/ community.
If I were to change anything about this book, I would add actual dialogue between Frog and Toad that would serve as an example of actual words that friends can use with each other to help or to express gratitude to someone else who has been helpful.

Forum: Stories From The Field-Social-Emotional

Children's Literature for supporting social emotional development: Giraffe's Can't Dance

Ross Harold — Sun, 03 May 2009 19:26:36 GMT

Andrae, G, & Parker-Rees, G (2001). Giraffes can't dance. Hong Kong: Orchard Books.
Ages: 3-8.

What I appreciate the most about Giraffes Cant Dance is that it expressly encourages and celebrates acceptance of individuality and diverse individuals. It also has some great rhyme and alliteration throughout. The social emotional concepts that can be addressed are acceptance of diversity, what to do when you are upset, being kind to others, and empathy.
While reading this book with children, I often discuss how Gerald (the giraffe) must feel when his friends are not kind to him and how that makes him feel. At the end of the book, we discuss how the rest of the jungle animals are excited to see him share his unique talent. Everyone has their own talents and they should be appreciated.

Following the reading, there could be a discussion about each students talents. This could start with the teacher identifying some talents that s/he notices in the classroom and then lead to the students sharing the different talents and abilities of their classmates.

This book could also be helpful to read in a class where children are being unkind to their peers. Following the reading, the class could have a discussion of times when their classmates were being unkind and how that made them feel. Following that, the students could transition to an art activity where they are encouraged to draw or paint how they feel when someone is unkind to them.
Each child could draw a picture of themselves doing something that makes them special. After they finish, they could share with their small group.

The only thing I would consider changing (but only if I had to) would be to make the book a little shorter so that children with lower language abilities could more easily interact with the text.

Forum: Stories From The Field-Social-Emotional

How Are You Peeling

Katherine Snape — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 04:28:18 GMT

Book Activity
Using Childrens Literature to Support Social Emotional Development

Book Information:

Elffers, J., & Saxton, F. (1999). How are you peeling? Foods with moods. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

Appropriate Age Group: Reading level 4-8

What I liked most:
What I love most about this book is its simplicity. The pages consist of photographs of fresh produce with attached eyes. The absence of setting and plot helps the reader focus on the current page and the specific facial expression of the food. Each photo highlights the eyes, mouth, and other prominent facial features expressed during specific emotions. The brightly colored backgrounds and enlarged produce photos instantly grab your attention and interest. Although the book could stand alone with only pictures, the rhyming text prompts further discussion. The text offers multiple labels for emotions such as "How are you when friends drop by? With someone new... a little shy?"

Social Emotional Skill opportunities:
    Imitate emotions during dramatic play (independent or with peers)
    Show awareness of their own feelings
    Identify and articulate current emotions
    Self-regulation
    Express awareness of other people's feelings

Activities:
    Individual activity: Using a digital camera ask a student to show a face for each emotion (happy, sad, mad, tired etc.). Print the pictures of the child and create a How are you Feeling book for the individual child. Add the emotion word or a sentence to describe when the child feels each emotion.

    Small group activity: Provide a vegetable and 2 eyes for each student. Tell the students to glue the eyes onto the vegetable; add a mouth or nose if necessary. Then, ask each child identify which emotion their fruit is expressing. Label the vegetable with a nameplate. Take a picture and compile them into a classroom book.

    Whole group activity: While reading, have students identify what might make them feel a range of emotions (happy, sad, excited, mad, etc.). List their ideas on chart paper and post on the wall. As children encounter these emotions, help the children identify the emotion they are feeling. Add the event to the chart paper. For example, when Johnny falls, you can identify that he feels sad. Ask if Johnny wants to add this to the sad list: I can see you feel sad, when you feel better should we put that on our sad wall?

Changes:
This book fosters social emotional development by displaying a range of emotions. However, children may have difficulty processing an emotion on a vegetable. Children on the Autism Spectrum, for example, have difficulty processing human expression; therefore, it may be a challenge to identify it on the vegetable faces. Pairing each fruit/vegetable face with a human face may help children make the connection between the emotions.

Forum: Stories From The Field-Social-Emotional

Literature for Coaching Emotions

Jonah Davenport — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:26:02 GMT

This is a short book review and some lesson ideas for supporting social/emotional development.

The Way I Feel by Janan Cain

Age Group This book is appropriate for 0 to 10 year olds if you are creative with the older students.

What I like most This book depicts seven different emotions: silly, scared, happy, sad, angry, excited and proud. There are many things to appreciate about this book but the most impressive is the art. Each emotion has art that complements the mood: happy has warm colors and a vibrant scene, sad has dull colors and even muted text arrangement.

Targeted skills Because this book contains just emotions with short descriptions, it is an excellent foundation book for emotional identification. This book can provide an introduction to a range of social and emotional lessons as are attempted below.

Activities

1. Prereading of book: When you miss your mom, how do you feel? How do you feel when tomorrow is your birthday? How do you feel when you just learned how to tie your shoes? Modify questions depending on the language abilities of your children. The youngest may not get any prereading. Some children may be ready for yes/no questions (Do you feel happy when you bump your head?), others may be ready to relate times when they felt happy. As always, individualize.

2. Read the book: Attend to appropriate tone to match the emotion. Give enough time for all to see the art.

3. Cains suggestions at the back of the book: similar questions to prereading, how to deal with emotions, what can be done to change the circumstances leading to an unwanted emotion, and naming emotions throughout the day while noting subtle similarities (jealousy v. anger).

4. An art project where a sad scene is depicted (for example).

5. A play where different characters embody different emotions may surround short vignettes (playing soccer, building a block tower, etc.).

If I were to change one thing about the book I would want it BIGGER! There is so much to see that a big book would help the art deliver the emotive message.

Forum: Stories From The Field-Social-Emotional

Unlike Hootie, I believe in time

Jillian Minarich — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:08:39 GMT

As a full time teacher who feels like each day needs to be at least 30 hours long, it seems to surprise that I don't feel I have enough time for quality play with my children in the classroom. Research says that children need at least 45 minutes to an hour to truly benefit from play and become engaged in valuable play. When all of your children have an IEP or IFSP and the majority receive services for which they will undoubtedly be pulled from the classroom for, and when your schedule has to work around the schedules of the cafeteria, the art teacher, the PE teacher, and reservations for the playground, finding a way to have a solid hour of play is difficult.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to ensure a block of play time, or how to get more out of a smaller period of time? I know asking service providers to integrate services into the classroom is a great idea, but its not always possible.

Forum: Play Now More Important Than Ever

showing parents the value of play

Eva — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 19:35:12 GMT

As early childhood educators, we are all well aware of the importance of play for children and informed about why play is important and how it benefits children. However, this is something that is often difficult for parents to understand, especially parents who are programed to believe that children need to achieve academic milestones as early as possible in order to be successful in school. Educators can easily (and often) tell parents that play is important but in order for parents to really value play, they need to be shown how much children benefit from self directed play. To me, this is a challenge; it is diffficult to find ways to actually show parents how children learn from play. I can point out ways that children learn through specific activities. For example, I can explain to parents the skills that are practiced through playing with blocks or tell them that children learn to sort and match when they play with different colored manipulatives. However, I don't like feeling as if I'm preaching to parents about play and would love to find ways to better SHOW them how much children learn during play. Any ideas?

Forum: Play Now More Important Than Ever

Social Stories

Paula Philips — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 11:06:19 GMT

Social Stories The Strategy

Lynch and Simpson (2005) define Social Stories as a written narrative that specifically tells how to negotiate a problem situation. (p32) Bibliotherapy, or using books to help people solve problems, has been used for hundreds of years. Wallin (2004) says that Social Stories are a tool for teaching social skills to children with autism and related disabilities. However, the literature discusses its effectiveness with any young child as s/he learns to negotiate the social environment of the classrooms and successfully master developmental challenges. The goal of the story is to increase the individuals understanding of, make him more comfortable in, and possibly suggest some appropriate responses for the situation (Wallin, 2004). It is used to help children learn the classroom routine, how to participate in specific activities such as Circle Time, how to use the bathroom, to develop the concept of sharing or taking turns and how to say goodbye to a parent at the beginning of the day.

Alignment with State Standards

This practice will meet several of Virginias Foundation Blocks for Early Learning: Comprehensive Standards for Four-Year-Olds (2007). The primary area is that of Personal and Social Development and it will also fulfill some of the Literacy Foundation Blocks.

Personal and Social Development Foundation Block 1 Self-concept

o Begin to recognize and express own emotions using words rather than actions.

o Demonstrate self-direction in use of materials.

o Develop increased independence in school activities throughout the day.

Personal and Social Development Foundation Block 2 Self-control

o Follow rules and routines within the learning environment.

o Manage transitions and adapt to changes in routine.

Literacy Foundation Block 1 Oral Expression

o Listen with increasing attention to spoken language and stories read aloud.

o Correctly identify characters, objects, and actions in a picture book, as well as

stories read aloud, and begin to comment on each.

Literacy Foundation Block 2 Vocabulary

o Use new vocabulary with increasing frequency to express and describe feelings and ideas.

o Expose children to a wide-variety of experiences to build vocabulary

Literacy Foundation Block 5 Print and Book Awareness

o All the objectives for this Block.

Evidence for the Practice

Evidence for the Use of Social Stories

Wallin, Jason M. (2004). Social Stories. An Introduction to Social Stories. Retrieved September 25, 2008, from Polyxo.com; Teaching children with autism: http://www.polyxo.com

This article discusses the use of Social Stories with children on the autism spectrum because the defining characteristic of their challenge is a marring of the quality of their social interactions that arises from their inability to understand that others have their own thoughts, feelings, plans and points of view. As a consequence, these individuals experience difficulty in understanding the expectations of others, and are unable to predict what they will say or do in social situations. Social Stories give individuals the others perspective thus helping them to predict what they think and feel and expect. These stories help because the information about social situations is presented in an ordered and reliable manner. Using pictures and text help even more as these children will not have to rely on observation or speech to get the information about social situations. The article is a wide-ranging guide to developing and using Social Stores to assist children of different ages and skill levels. The ideas about how to implement, monitor and fade out the use of these stories is comprehensive and well thought through.

Lynch, S., Simpson, C. G. (2005). Social Stories: Tools to Teach Positive Behavior. Dimnesions of Early Childhood , 32-36.

For generations teachers and parents have used stories such as Aesops Fables to teach children social behaviors, morals and values that help children become more aware of their feelings and those of others that are difficult to talk about. This article defines Social Stories, outlines the writing process that teachers can adopt and discusses specific skills that have been successfully addressed by using these stories. It is a simple written guide with several current references and citations that concludes with guidelines about the use of the strategy in the classroom with young children who are typically and atypically developing.

Briody, J., & McGarry, K. (2005). Using Social Stories to Ease Children's Transitions. Young children. Washington DC: NAEYC

Briody and McGarry (2005) used short, personalized Social Story books to help two young children with the challenge of transition. The article gives a brief history of use of these stories and cites studies that demonstrate their use and outcomes. It described how by following the guidelines of the originator two sotries were developed for a toddler and a preschooler who expereinced difficulties with transitons. In the case of the toddler the story helped make his morning routine predicatable and so reduce his anxiety, he experienced shared social experiences when he read the story with his caregiver and it helped him become a part of the group in his class when he shared it with his peers. The preschoolers transition was helped by the teachers reading the story for him, then he began to read it to himself, eventually he joined the morning activity with having the story. This article offers two anecdotal accounts of the success of the strategy along with references and citations of publications that support its use.

Conclusion

One study, Soenksen and Alper (2006), can be classified as meeting evidence-based standards with reservation because the design and execution were appropriate. However, as stated in the report of the study, it was conducted on only one child so even though the methodology was rigorous the generalizability of the study may be questioned.

The above mentioned papers were informative and provided detailed guidelines for developing and implementing this strategy, however, the paper by Briody and McGarry (2005) which described and tracked the effectiveness of using Social Stories was an anecdotal account, not solid basis for consideration as evidence-based practice, and so does not meet the standards. This is also the case with the other papers discussed. They provide enough information for operationalizing terms related to the topic and so would be a starting ground for someone to conduct research that would provide evidence that would meet the standards.

Very little research seems to have been conducted on the use of the practice of creating and using Social Stories with young children. Many textbooks make reference to it and Young Children had an article that discussed its use in the early childhood general and special education settings. There are many website that provide information about using this practice and provide story ideas and clip art for creating the stories.

Future Use of Social Stories

Based on the evidence and references and also on personal use, I would continue to

implement this strategy with young children. It supports relationship building, it develops early literacy skills and it strengthens the childs self-awareness, self-control and consequently, self-esteem. Implementing this practice effectively also relies on other evidence based practices such as referential language as the childs feelings and actions are identified; scaffolding, as the stories provide graduated cues to assist the child through problem solving; responsive communication, as developing and using the stories entail following the childs cues in supporting attempts to communicate and talk about things that personally significant; and the stories model and demonstrate skills and desirable ways of behaving or performing procedures in the social-emotional, cognitive and language domains.

Bibliography

Bailey, B. (1996). There's gotta be a better way: Discipline that works! Orlando, FL: Learning in Action.

Batshaw, M. (. (2007). Children with disabilities. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

Briody, J., & McGarry, K. (2005). Using Social Stories to Ease Children's Transitions. Young children , ?

Cook, R. E., Klein, M. D., & Tessier, A. (2008). Adapting early childhood curricula for children with special needs. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Crozier, S. &. (2005). Encouraging positive behavior with social stories. Teaching Exceptional Children , 26-31.

Engel, S. (1996/97). The emergence of story telling during the first three years. Zero to Three Journal .

Fox, L. D. (2003, July). The teaching pyramid. A model for supporting social competence and preventing challenging behavior in young children. Young Children .

Gartrell, D. (2003). A guidance approach for the encouraging classroom. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Learning.

Joseph, G. &. (2006). Helping young children control anger and handle disappointment. In C. o. Learning, Social EmotionalTeaching Strategies (pp. H 2.7 1-5). Urbana-Champaign, IL: University of Illinois.

Joseph, G. E., & Strain, P. S. (n.d.). Promoting Children's Success: Building Relationships and Creating Supportive Environment. Building Positive Relationships with Young Children. Retrieved September 26, 2008, from Vanderbilt University, Peabody College, Learning Sciences Institute: htttp://www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel/modules/module1/handout5.html

Lynch, S. &. (2005). Social Stories: Tools to Teach Positive Behavior. Dimnesions of Early Childhood , 32-36.

Wallin, J. (2004). Social Stories. Retrieved September 25, 2008, from Polyxo.com; Teaching children with autism: http://www.polyxo.com

Forum: Stories From The Field-Standards

Shared Book Reading

Teanna Mainzer — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 15:23:46 GMT

Please see attachment.

Forum: Stories From The Field-Standards

Phonological Awareness Training

Jonah Davenport — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 01:58:00 GMT

Phonological Awareness Training

Phonological awareness is the ability to detect or manipulate sounds in words and word parts. This includes phonemic awareness which is the ability to detect and manipulate the smallest units of sound, or phonemes. For example, a child with solid phonemic awareness can combine the sounds /c/, /a/ and /t/ to form cat. The same able child can also reverse the process and segment cat into each sound he hears in the word. Other phonemic skills are addition, deletion, identification and isolation. Phonological awareness also includes other practices such as onset and rime, syllabication and alliteration. Phonological Awareness Training is a general practice focused on the above skill sets to enhance early text decoding ability. Note that this training is performed independent of word meaning.

DC State Standards (Prekindergarten):

PK.BR-PA.8 Identify words that rhyme in songs, nursery rhymes, poems, and stories.

PK.BR-PA.9 Produce (make up) rhymes

PK.BR-PA.10 Hear syllables in words.

PK.BR-PA.11 Discriminate sounds as being the same or different. Manipulate sounds. Blend individual phonemes to form words.

Research

Institute of Education Sciences, Intervention: Phonological Awareness Training, http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/early_ed/phono_aware/research.asp

Majsterek et al. (2000) compared a phonological processing outcome for an intervention group that participated in rhyme detection training with a group that participated in semantic training. The study included 40 low-income 3-5 year olds. Four groups were randomly assigned to intervention and comparison conditions. The intervention group focused on the concepts of rhyming and rhyme detection. The children were introduced to these concepts using pictures from DaisyQuest software and objects from a rhyme box. Children generated rhyming words for the objects in the box. The comparison group participated in training with a semantic emphasis (i.e., a focus on word meaning), with activities focusing on synonyms, comparative-superlative, position in space, and reasoning. Each group participated in nine 10-minute sessions over a four-week period. The findings of the study favored the intervention group but were not statistically significant. The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) categorized this study as substantively important and positive.

O'Connor et al. (1993a, b, c) involved a sample of 47 children, 80% of which had significant language delays and some had additional disabilities. Children were blocked by mean age and cognitive ability and then randomly assigned to one of four groups: blending, segmenting, rhyming, or a no-treatment comparison. The same comparison group was used in all of the O'Connor et al. studies. The blending intervention group (a) focused on learning one specific blending task (e.g., blend two to three phonemes when presented as continuous sounds) then learned about other blending tasks (e.g., blend words with separated sounds and blend onset-rime). The segmenting intervention group (b) was instructed to separate sounds by stretching each sound in a two-to-three phoneme word as they said the word slowly. Later, the children were taught three skills: separate words into onset-rime, say each sound in a word, and indicate which sound is the first. The rhyming intervention group (c) was given examples of rhyme, allowed to rhyme in a group, and were asked to make a rhyme. Later, children were asked to continue to make rhymes and additionally were asked to identify if pairs of words rhyme and to select a word that does not rhyme from a trio of words. The children were taught in small groups and met for 10 minutes four times a week. The comparison group children participated in routine preschool activities, such as listening to stories read by their teachers or "circle time" oral language activities. The blending and segmenting group outcomes were statistically significant and positive. The rhyming group was categorized as substantively important and positive.

Yeh (2003) compared variations of Phonological Awareness Training to each other. The study included 44 low-income four- to five-year-old children from two Head Start programs in the Boston area. The children in the phoneme segmentation group participated in training concerning the segmentation, blending, and substitution of phonemes. The activities for this group were developed based on the Phono-Graphix program. To support children's learning, teachers modeled the expected behaviors (e.g., by exaggerating pronunciation), encouraged participation, and reinforced correct responses until eventually children were able to match sounds and graphemes and sound out words on their own. The children in the rhyming/alliteration group was required to rhyme and give words that have the same first consonant. They were also taught through bookmaking activities, during which they glued pictures into blank books and told stories to accompany the pictures. Instruction was conducted in small groups of three to five children for 20-25 minutes a week over a nine-week period. The structure of the study does not allow Phonological Awareness Training to be assessed with a control group, and thusly deemed scientifically determinant. Yet the segmentation group outcomes were stronger than the rhyming/alliteration group yet not statistically significant. The differences are categorized as substantively important and positive according to WWC criteria.

Conclusion

The WWC rated Phonological Awareness Training as having Positive Effects. This means that two studies were shown to be statistically significantly positive and no studies showed negative effects. The evidence from the research is sufficient to warrant this unconditional rating. Majsterek et al. (2000) and each study from OConnor et al. (1993a, b, c) were statistically significant and positive. The Yeh ((2003) study did not isolate Phonological Awareness Training versus a control group and thus cannot be statistically valid for this method. But the comparison between the two methods chosen is instructive for teacher planning. Again, the segmentation group was substantively better than the rhyming/alliteration group. The subject/student populations were properly leveled for age and randomized. Confounding variables were accounted for and removed from concluding assessments. These studies prove the methods used in this type of training to be highly effective on phonological processes, an essential component of decoding and early reading.

Reflection

I have used this type of training in my practice as a teacher and will again. The term Phonological Awareness Training is perhaps a bit misleading as it is used as a general term and not specific to activities or a curriculum-embedded program. Reading Rockets, Reading Recovery and DaisyQuest are a few of the commercially produced sources for specific activities. What I draw from this study is a reaffirmation that activities such as phoneme segmentation and blending are beneficial to early reading, especially in light of the economically or developmentally disadvantaged population from which these studies drew. The determining factor of phonological activities is the presentation to children. Viewed from a research perspective, all one has to do is ask a child to segment cat four times a week for nine weeks and then he can read. The research tells us that this type of training is worth doing, but you will need to do more research to figure out how.

References

Majsterek, D. J., Shorr, D. N., & Erion, V. L. (2000). Promoting early literacy through rhyme detection activities during Head Start circle-time. Child Study Journal, 30 (3), 143151.

O'Connor, R. E., Jenkins, J. R., Leicester, N., & Slocum, T. A. (1993a). Teaching phonological awareness to young children with learning disabilities. Exceptional Children, 59 (6), 532546. (Study: blending intervention versus no-treatment comparison group.)

O'Connor, R. E., Jenkins, J. R., Leicester, N., & Slocum, T. A. (1993b). Teaching phonological awareness to young children with learning disabilities. Exceptional Children, 59 (6), 532546. (Study: segmenting intervention versus no-treatment comparison group.)

O'Connor, R. E., Jenkins, J. R., Leicester, N., & Slocum, T. A. (1993c). Teaching phonological awareness to young children with learning disabilities. Exceptional Children, 59 (6), 532546. (Study: rhyming intervention versus no-treatment comparison group.)

Yeh, S. S. (2003). An evaluation of two approaches for teaching phonemic awareness to children in Head Start. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 18 (4), 513529.

Forum: Stories From The Field-Standards

Shared Book Reading

Jessica Walsh — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:10:22 GMT

Shared Book Reading

Strategy Definition
    There are many different intervention strategies that parents and professionals alike choose to use within early childhood education. Shared book reading is one such strategy that aims specifically to enhance young childrens language and literacy skills and their appreciation of books (WWC, 2006). This particular practice usually involves an adult reading a book to either a small group of children or a single child in an environment that encourages children to engage in a dialogue with the adult. There are several strategies used within this practice to develop the areas of literacy, adult-child interaction, generalization of language concepts, and social and cultural influences. For example, children can be asked to describe their feelings about the book, children can be allowed to choose the books that are to be read, and children can maintain control during the activity. Additionally, the adult can respond to the childs interests and attention in the book, monitor the use of text read to maintain low levels of linguistic demand (i.e., properly scaffold the level of the book to the childs level and needs), and encourage conversation about the story after it is read (Kaderavek & Justice, 2002). There is a vast literature on the use of shared book reading as language intervention both with typically and atypically developing children. It is an attractive strategy that, according to various studies, provides a natural opportunity for to facilitate young childrens learning and at the same time provides an optimal environment for a child to learn language (Arnold & Whitehurts, 1994; Van-Kleek, Gillam, Hamilton & McGarth, 1997 as cited in Davie & Kemp, 2002). In addition to promoting receptive and expressive language skills, shared book reading also utilizes routines and introduces structure into the reading environment (Davie & Kemp, 2002).

State Standards
    The state of Georgia has a very comprehensive set of standards called Georgia Early Learning Standards (GELS). The following are the standards (and subsequent indicators) for three-year-olds that shared book reading equates to in this particular state:
    Language and Literacy
    The child will begin to construct meaning from spoken words. (receptive language)
o    Responds to spoken words
o    Follows directions and requests
    The child will begin to express thoughts with sounds, words, and gestures. (expressive language)
o    Communicates nonverbally, using motions and gestures
o    Demonstrates oral language skills, using words
    The child will begin to express thoughts with sounds, words, and gestures. (expressive language)
o    Uses oral language in social situations
o    Uses oral language for creative expression
o    Asks questions
    The child will begin to develop foundations for reading.
o    Acquires story sense
o    Shows book awareness
o    Builds print awareness
o    Begins to distinguish the different sounds of language (phonological awareness)

    The state of Virginia also has a very impressive set of standards for four-year-olds called Virginias Foundation Blocks for Early Learning: Comprehensive Standards for Four-Year Olds. The following are the foundation blocks and their respective standards that align with the shared book reading strategy:
    Literacy
    Oral Expression:
o    Listen with increasing attention to spoken language, conversations, and stories read aloud
o    Correctly identify characters, objects, and actions in a picture book, as well as stories read aloud, and begin to comment about each
o    Make predictions about what might happen in a story
o    Use two words to ask and answer questions that include actions
o    Use appropriate language for a variety of purposes, e.g., ask questions, express needs, get information
o    Engage in turn taking exchanges and rules of polite conversation with adults and peers
o    Listen attentively to stories in a whole-class setting
    Vocabulary:
o    Use single words to label objects
o    Listen with increasing understanding to conversations and directions
o    Follow simple, one-step oral directions
o    Engage in turn taking exchanges with adults and peers
o    Use new vocabulary with increasing frequency to express and describe feelings and ideas
    Phonological Awareness
o    Discriminate similarities and differences in sounds (environmental, letter)
o    Identify words that rhyme, generate simple rhymes
o    Successfully detect beginning sounds in words
o    Listen to multi-syllable words
    Letter Knowledge and Early Word Recognition
o    Correctly identify 10-18 alphabet letters by name in random order
o    Select a letter to represent a sound
o    Correctly provide the most common sound for letters
o    Read simple/familiar high-frequency words
o    Notice letters around him/her in familiar, everyday life, and ask how to spell words, names or titles
    Print and Book Awareness
o    Identify the front of a book
o    Identify the location of the title of a book
o    Identify where reading begins on a page (first word or group of words)
o    Demonstrate directionality of reading left to right on a page
o    Identify part of the book that tells the story (print as opposed to pictures)
o    Turn pages one at a time from the front to the back of a book

Evidence
    There have been several studies that examine the impact of shared book reading on various aspects of child development and learning. The What Works Clearninghouse cited three studies that met their standards for this practice. These three studies involved a total of 124 preschool children and examined the different effects the intervention had on the childrens oral language and phonological processing. Shared book reading was found to have mixed effects on oral language and potentially positive effects on phonological processing (WWC, 2006). The following are four additional examples of research about this specific intervention strategy and the research findings for each.

1. Horner, S.L. Observational learning during shared book reading: The effects on preschoolers attention to print and letter knowledge. (2004). Reading Psychology, 25, 167-188.

    This study was conducted in order to see what impacts shared book reading had on preschoolers use of questioning, their attention to print, and their knowledge of the alphabet. The reason the researchers were interested in doing so was because of the documentation and research showing that the majority of conversation during shared book reading experiences focus on the pictures or the plot. The participants were 127 preschoolers who attended a Head Start program in New York City. There were three sessions to the study: a pretest session then two treatment sessions of an alphabet task that was developed by the author to have seven subtests: printing uppercase and lowercase letters, naming uppercase and lowercase letters, giving a sound and word which correspond with each letter, and recognizing uppercase letters. There were four conditions: Print-Questions videoptape, Picture-Questions videotape, No-questions videotape, or no videotape (in three of the four conditions, the participants watched one of three videotaped modeling episodes). The results indicated that preschoolers who observe a model can learn to ask questions and focus their comments on individual letters in shared-book sessions. Children who observed a question-asking model asked 15 times more questions in the first reading session and 30 times more in the second. These findings support the use of shared book reading and the modeling this practice entails. However, there were no significant differences in letter-naming knowledge or the number of questions asked during either book reading session.

2. Evans, M.A. & Saint-Aubin, J. What children are looking at during shared storybook reading. (2005). American Psychological Society, 16, 913-920.

    This source actually cited two different studies that were conducted to determine what children fixate on during shared book reading. The first study involved five French-speaking children. Five storybooks were used. A light headband and three camera systems were used to track both eye and head position. The children sat on their parents laps for one session that lasted approximately one hour. It was found that childrens fixations on the text were scared and unaffected by the spatial arrangement of text or the illustrations. The second study was conducted based on the first there were more child participants (10) and a new calibration procedure. This version used two books instead of five. The results of the second study replicated those of the first. Together, the researchers found that the focus of young children is rarely actually on the text of the book. Therefore, it was concluded that shared book reading is probably not a major vehicle for developing childrens print-specific skills. One cannot conclude, however, about its impact on other language skills.

3. Liboiron, N. & Soto, G. Shared storybook reading with a student who uses alternative and augmentative communication: A description of scaffolding practices. (2006). Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 22, 69-95.

    This study reported on the use of specific scaffolding strategies found in shared storybook reading with a student who uses augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). There was only one participant an eleven-year old child with cerebral palsy who was studied interacting with a licensed speech and language pathologist. The shared reading of one book was digitally videotaped in order for the language samples to be transcribed and analyzed. A second transcriber independently coded 25% of the data to establish interrater reliability. There were 96 scaffolding strategies within 192 conversational turns recorded. The strategies included printer reference, cloze procedures, expansions, and constituent and comprehension questions. It was suggested that the dialogic session format and the use of many scaffolding strategies may have contributed to the 168 conversational turns initiated by the student.

4. Davie, J. & Kemp, C. A comparison of the expressive language opportunities provided by shared book reading and facilitated play for young children with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities. (2002). Educational Psychology, 22, 445-460.

    This study focused on the differences between the expressive language opportunities provided by shared book reading and facilitated play. Twenty-two children with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities were examined. These children were selected from 39, ranging from four to six years in age. Prior to testing, a facilitator interacted with the child for about twenty minutes in a facilitated play method to evaluate their language and play skills. The assessments took place in three locations: a large lecture room, a preschool classroom, and a small clinic room. The interactions were videotaped, and the assessments were conducted by three different facilitators with appropriate training and education. Checks were conducted for interrater reliability. The different areas that were looked at were conversational interaction, number of morphemes, and function of intelligible utterances. The researchers found that shared book reading produced significantly more utterances and more intelligible utterances than the facilitated play condition, but there was not a statistically significant difference found in the number of single morphemes produced.

Conclusions
    The studies on shared storybook reading highlighted above fall into the second category, Meet Evidence Standards with Reservations (WWC) / There is evidence for this practice, but the research does not provide solid evidence practitioners can rely on (Sped 267). There are a few reasons why this practice based on these few studies did not meet evidence standards. Firstly, the cited studies had very small numbers of participants and therefore very little diversity. This severely restricts the generalizability of the results beyond those who were actually involved in the study. Although the studies themselves were well conducted, they did not test a wide variety of participants from a variety of backgrounds. Secondly, the variables considered in the various studies were not always operationalized in a way that would be conducive to retesting. That is, the ability to replicate the studies is limited. Lastly, because of the small number of participants, there were not conditions examining the impacts of shared storybook reading in a variety of settings (e.g., with different ratios of adults and children, which parents versus other caregivers, etc.). Once again, the ability to generalize the findings beyond their own study is inhibited.

Future Practice
    Based on the number of studies cited above, and despite a research article written by Kaderavek and Justice (2002) that highlights the potential pitfalls of this strategy, I do think that it is worth using in future work. The reason I believe this to be the case is because it seems as though the results of the studies vary significantly depending on the different strategies employed (such as scaffolding discussed by Liboiron and Soto, 2006) within the larger practice of shared storybook reading. That is, the general strategy of shared storybook reading has been shown to be beneficial in several different areas of language development, including asking appropriate questions, turn-taking, and production of intelligible utterances. I think that if the teacher or adult is knowledgeable enough in the benefits of modeling, enunciating, providing contingent responses, and scaffolding appropriately, this practice could really have benefits for children. It was certainly beneficial for me to have read about different uses of this strategy, and I look forward to having the opportunity to implement and try the practice of shared book reading in the future.

References

Evans, M.A. & Saint-Aubin, J. What children are looking at during shared storybook reading. (2005). American Psychological Society, 16, 913-920.

Davie, J. & Kemp, C. A comparison of the expressive language opportunities provided by shared book reading and facilitated play for young children with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities. (2002). Educational Psychology, 22, 445-460.

Horner, S.L. Observational learning during shared book reading: The effects on preschoolers attention to print and letter knowledge. (2004). Reading Psychology, 25, 167-188.

What Works Clearinghouse (September 28, 2006). Intervention: Shared Book Reading. October 1, 2008, from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/early_ed/share/#go1.

Kaderavek, J. & Justice, L.M. Shared storybook reading as an intervention context: Practices and potential pitfalls. (2002). American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 11, 395-406.

Liboiron, N. & Soto, G. Shared storybook reading with a student who uses alternative and augmentative communication: A description of scaffolding practices. (2006). Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 22, 69-95.

References cited in WWC

Irlen, S. M. (2003a). The impact of video viewing and retelling on preliterate children's narrative comprehension. Dissertation Abstracts International, 64 (04), 1174A.

Irlen, S. M. (2003b). The impact of video viewing and retelling on preliterate children's narrative comprehension. Dissertation Abstracts International, 64 (04), 1174A.

Lonigan, C. J., Anthony, J. L., Bloomfield, B. G., Dyer, S. M., & Samwel, C. S. (1999). Effects of two shared-reading interventions on emergent literacy skills of at-risk preschoolers. Journal of Early Intervention, 22 (4), 306322.

Forum: Stories From The Field-Standards

Interactive Shared Storybook Reading

Laura — Thur, 02 Oct 2008 10:28:01 GMT

Laura Walski

George Washington U

(Please see the attachment for formatted version)

Interactive Shared Storybook Reading

Definition:

Interactive Shared Book Reading refers to the practice of an adult reading a book with one child or a small group of children using interactive strategies to ensure increased student engagement in the text. This practice has theoretical foundations in constructivist theory. Theorist Vygotsky suggested that when an expert and a novice work together on the same activity (ie. an adult reader and an emergent reader sharing storybook reading together), the interaction triggers internal developmental processes in the novice which eventually become independent developmental achievements. In this model, readers are constantly scaffolding for students, making the activity highly diagnostic (Liboiron & Soto, 2006). Interactive Shared Storybook reading is addressed on the What Works Clearinghouse.

]Standard Link

The California State Early Learning Standards, Desired Results, address emergent literacy and language skills for students aged 3 to five years:

Desired Result 2: Children Are Effective Learners

Indicator: LIT Children Demonstrate Emerging Literacy Skills

Measure 32 - Concept of Print: Child shows an increasing

understanding of the conventions and physical organization

of print material and that print carries meaning

Measure 33- Phonological Awareness:

Child shows awareness of the sounds that make up

language, including the segmentation of sounds in words,

and recognition of word rhyming and alliteration

Desired Result 1: Children are personally and socially competent.

Indicator LANG- Preschoolers show growing abilities in communication and

language

Measure 14 - Express self through language

Measure 15 Uses language in conversation

Literature Review

Several studies have examined the validity and effectiveness of the Interactive Shared Storybook Reading (ISSR) evidence-based practice. The What Works Clearing House (WWC) cited 2 randomized controlled trials that met evidence standards. Lamb (1986) studied 36 preschool-aged students in a day care facility in Tallahassee, FL. This study had 3 intervention groups benefiting from ISSR techniques and a no treatment control group. In the areas of print knowledge and oral language development, the study suggests the interventions were substantively important and positive according to the WWC. The second study cited was Mautte (1991). This research also occurred in Florida (Tampa) in a centers-based setting for 53 at-risk low-income four-year-olds. The study compared two intervention ISSR groups to 1 control group with results favoring the intervention groups. WWC concluded the evidence was substantively important and positive in the area of oral language.

2 Additional resources on the topic will be reviewed here. One source comes from the general education perspective, while one addresses ISSR as a strategy for students with disabilities.

Using shared storybook reading to promote emergent literacy.

Authors Laura M. Justice and Joan Kaderavek (2002)

Teaching Exceptional Children Mar/Apr2002, Vol. 34 Issue 4

This resource examines Interactive Shared Storybook Reading strategies. Justice and Kaderavek site print salience, book interaction qualities and interactive adult reading behaviors as being paramount to the effectiveness of ISSR. Justice and Kaderavek found that books with distinguishing features (including large, bold and salient print, print embedded in illustration, flaps, textures, and rich illustration) lead to more interactive storybook sessions with pre-school aged children. The article reviews studies that suggest large, bold print help children attend to the story when an adult calls their attention to print while reading. Distinguishing features in storybooks are effective when presented by an adult reader.

Adult behaviors in interactive storybook reading that positively impact children in ISSR include choosing books of interest to the child, pausing, letting the child pick the location of the reading session, opportunities for the child to physically manipulate the book, differentiation, child reading and predictable text reading. When presented as a highly interactive activity, the authors found that children were more motivated to participate.

Shared storybook reading with a student who uses alternative and augmentative communication: A description of scaffolding practices.

Authors: Nicole Liboiron and Gloria Soto (2006)

Child Language Teaching and Therapy; Feb2006, Vol. 22 Issue 1

This study reports descriptive findings of one study of shared storybook reading with a single child who uses augmentative communication techniques (AAC). An experienced speech language-pathologist engaged the child in shared storybook reading with rich scaffolding. The study recorded 96 scaffolding strategies within 192 recorded conversational turns. The strategies included asking questions, cloze technique (fill in the blank), language expansion, and referring to print on the page. The study suggests that scaffolding techniques aided in interactive participation of the student in the one on one setting.

Review

In review, the WWC noted studies, Justice & Kaderavek, and Liboiron & Soto provide grounds that Interactive Shared Storybook Reading has positive impacts childrens oral language development and early literacy skills. When adult reading behaviors support student interaction with stories and attention to print, students are more highly engaged. At this time, the only weakness I see in the strategy is that classrooms must have the capacity for small group reading instruction, a factor which may impact usefulness of the strategy schools with higher student: teacher ratios.

Impacts to Teaching Practice

I am a big believer in this evidence-based practice! As an inclusive special education teacher, I try to implement ISSR on a daily basis. I find that 1:1 and small group storybook reading is a powerful diagnostic part of my teaching practice. I can see emerging student interests growth areas that need to be addressed. In order to maximize the effectiveness of ISSR, I prepare lessons that hone on embedded vocabulary instruction, questioning, and attention to print/conventions of print. Ive found that repeated readings help students feel comfortable interacting with the story (including predicting story events and making text-to-self connections). In the future, I hope to make book choices that have interactive qualities to help students connect with the story even further.

References

What Works Clearing House

Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/pdf/WWC_ISBR_011807.pdf October 1, 2008

Forum: Stories From The Field-Standards

Dialogic Reading

Casey Hatcher — Thur, 02 Oct 2008 06:12:54 GMT

Dialogic Reading

Dialogic reading is a practice of involving children actively in the process of reading picture books. In this practice of reading the children are active participants and are encouraged to ask questions. This method of reading involves the adult and child taking turns being the story teller and listener. Students are asked to describe pictures and have a dialogue with the adult about the events they see in the pictures of the story. The adults prompt children to make their descriptions of the pictures more complex therefore enforcing language and involving them actively in the reading process. Dialogic reading can be taught to be parents, caregivers, teachers, and any other adult involved with the child and can be used at home or at school.
Dialogic reading relates to the following state standards from The South Carolina Early Learning Standards.

Approaches to Learning

Demonstrate eagerness and interest as a learner by questioning and adding ideas.
Understand how to accomplish a simple task.
Talk about prior events and personal experiences.
Demonstrate growing ability to predict possible outcomes based on prior experiences and knowledge.

Language Arts and Literacy

Repeat words or actions from a favorite story read aloud.

Use pictures and adult readers expression to experience mood and meaning of text.

Make relevant comments or appropriate responses to story events or characters.

Use pictures and words to make predictions regarding a story read aloud.

Retell one or two events from a story read aloud.

Recall story details that have personal meaning.

Recall some details in stories read aloud.

Explore books with an adult or another child.

Begin asking how and why questions when looking at texts.

Analyze texts during classroom discussions to make inferences.

Rehearse vocabulary by identifying familiar objects pictured in books.

Begin recognizing familiar books by their covers or pictures.

Use vocabulary acquired from a variety of sources.

Begin to recall and repeat familiar words and phrases.

Understand relationship between print and pictures on page.

Tells a brief story.

Ask how and why questions about things in books and their environment.

Look at books, pictures, and videos with interest.

Complete a thought or idea when communicating with others.

Social and Emotional Development

Demonstrate self direction by making choices among peers, activities and materials.

Interact easily with familiar adults by engaging in conversations, responding to questions and following direction.

3. Evidence for or against Dialogic reading

Morgan, P., & Meier, C. (2008). Dialogic Reading's Potential to Improve Children's Emergent Literacy Skills and Behavior. Preventing School Failure, 52(4), 11-16.

This article discusses the importance for children to have a good oral vocabulary in order to develop into successful readers. The article also discusses the disadvantage these children might have when it comes to being able to behave. Children who cannot express their ideas, wants, or needs through oral language are more likely to develop behavior problems. The article talks about repeating the story several times while injecting as much language into the childrens response as possible. There is a suggested schedule for school and home and how to embed dialogic reading throughout the day. PEER and CROWD are two strategies used in dialogic reading to elicit more words and longer responses from the children. PEER stands for prompt, evaluate, expand, and repeat) and this helps the caregiver that is doing the dialogic reading remember the steps involved in this process. CROWD stands for completion questions, recall questions, open-ended questions, wh questions, and distancing and helps the adult remember the types of prompting to do with the children. These two types of questioning and prompts help the adult stay on track when doing dialogic reading. This article shows how dialogic reading can improve oral language therefore encouraging children to have interest in reading. They also discuss how the development of oral language through dialogic read can solve some behavior problems of young children.

Kotaman, H. (2008) Impacts of Dialogical Storybook Reading on Young Childrens Reading Attitudes and Vocabulary Development. Reading Improvement, 45(2), 55-61.

This study was done with a group of 40 pre-school children and their parents. The study focused on improving reading attitudes and receptive vocabulary. The parents and their children were divided into a control and experimental group. The experimental group got dialogic storybook reading training and used it with their pre-school children. The study was done with Turkish families and they pretested and post tested the children using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) and the Preschool Reading Attitudes Scale (PRAS) both translated into Turkish. Both these measures showed improvement in receptive vocabulary and reading attitudes in the group that used dialogic reading.

Bramwell, W., & Doyle, B.G. (2006) Promoting Emergent Literacy and Social-Emotional Learning through Dialogic Reading. Reading Teacher, 59(6), 554-564.

This article further supports the idea of dialogic reading by encouraging emergent readers and helping them develop better social-emotional skills. Discussed in the article are the benefits of the dialogic reading on childrens interest and maturity when it comes to books. They also talk about the benefit of doing dialogic reading in small or one on one groups where the children can practice turn taking, listening to others, and learning more about others opinions. Teachers and parents can use stories with social-emotional content and use dialogic reading to further improve childrens social-emotional skills.

Dialogic reading meets evidence standards. The articles read for this project have strong evidence bases and list many sources for dialogic reading. The study that was examined used a strong sample and tested them effectively. Dialogic reading has solid evidence for improving interest in emergent readers, oral language development, improving behavior, and supporting social-emotional growth.
I would definitely use this practice in my classroom. I think by supporting the interest in books with dialogic reading the children will be interested more in books and develop a vocabulary. They are also sure to benefit from that individual attention given to them by a caregiver. I think that any sort of strategy that can be used for large groups as well as one on one is beneficial because that means it can be used in any setting. I like dialogic reading because it can be used at school and at home. I will use dialogic reading primarily to support oral language and encourage interest in reading.

Forum: Stories From The Field-Standards

Evidence-Based Practice Assignment

Melissa Brisbane — Thur, 02 Oct 2008 03:56:44 GMT

Home Visitation: Evidence Based Practice Review

1. Defining Term
Home visitation is an educational and service-delivery practice able to fulfill multiple functions in early childhood education. Providing students educational or health based services in their natural environment, the gathering of pertinent information related to a child, their family system and home culture, or to aid in the transition into preschool or kindergarten are common uses for home visitation. More specifically, home-based instruction programs puts into action the idea of family-centered practice in early childhood education. It directly address core special education and disability concepts such as providing the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) for children with disabilities and recognizing parents as the first educators in the lives of children. Home-based intervention programs as a model of service delivery was strengthened in the re-authorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, as it mandated that early intervention services should be provided in the natural environment to the maximum extend possible (Cook, Klien, Tessier, 2008). Federal and state mandates for services in the natural environment promote the further development of evidence-based practices around home visits and home-based instruction.

2. Standards
Massachusetts Curriculum Framework and Guidelines for Preschool Learning Experiences.

Home visitation and home-based instruction programs address principle number seven of the Guidelines for Preschool Learning Experiences. There are also correlated learning experiences in the areas of History, Social Science, and Health Experiences.

Principle 7 Families are the primary caregivers and educators of their young children. Program staff must give families the information they may need to support their childrens learning and development. Program staff and families should also work together to ensure that children are provided with the best learning experiences possible at home and preschool.

Guiding Learning in History and Social Science
    Discuss examples of rules, fairness, personal responsibilities, and authority in their own experience and in stories read to them.
    Talk about the qualities we value in a persons character such as honesty, courage, courtesy, willingness to work hard, kindness, fairness, trustworthiness, self-discipline, loyalty, and personal responsibility.
    Discuss roles and responsibilities of family or community members who promote the welfare and safety of children and adults
    Observe and discuss the various kinds of work people do outside and inside their homes

Guiding Learning in Health Experiences
    Describe members of their family and discuss what parents do for their children to keep them safe and health
    Discuss nutritious meals and snack and the difference between junk food and healthy food.
    Practice personal hygiene and safety measures

3. Evidence for or against Home Visits/Home-Based Instruction

Eldelman, L. (2004). A relationship-based approach to early intervention. Resources and Connections, 3 (2).

This article covers one of the emerging concepts within the evidence base for family centered practice as it relates to home visits relationship-based approach. There is a review of recent research supporting relationship-based practice such as information covered in the landmark study From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development, which concluded that a childs relationship with the important people in their life and environment has a profound effect on development. The information covered shows the importance of the paradigm shift in early intervention from what was done with the child exclusively, to building relationships between the parent, child and practitioners. Research on relationship building is covered from multiple angles including: parent-child, parent-practitioner, practitioner-practitioner and supervisor-practitioner dyads. It is acknowledged that relationship allows for the foundation of business to occur, as it relates to early intervention services. This is especially important as it relates to creating this foundation in the home of those served. The conclusion state that harnessing the power of relationship is effective on all levels of early intervention services, from administrator to family systems, increase a childs supports and outcomes.

Parents as Teachers National Center. (2007). Parents as teachers: an evidence based home visiting program. Retrieved September 29, 2008, from Parents as Teacher National Center: http://www.parentsasteachers.org

Parents as Teachers is an evidence-based strategy that utilized the parent-child relationship to support early learning and equip parents with the skills necessary to act as educators. This fact sheet provides statistical information on the effectiveness of training parents in the home environment to serve as educators. The following are cited effective and evidence-based outcomes related to home visit: parents as teachers increases parental involvement, parents as teachers improve childrens health & development outcomes, parents as teachers help children enter school ready to learn, parents as teachers prevent child abuse, and parents as teachers support later school achievement. Additional supports for Parents as Teacher programs can be found on the website.

Hegland, S. & Hughes, K. (2006). Ten Evidence-Based Practices for Home Visiting Programs. Retreived September 29, 2008 from Early Childhood Iowa: http://www.state.ia.us/earlychildhood/Reports_ImportantDocuments/index.html

Two professors from the Iowa State Universitys Department of Human Development and Family Studies created this document. It serves as a tool for early interventionists and early childhood educators to easily review evidence-based strategies for home visiting. It provides a listing of 10 evidence-based strategies complete with a recommendation for when it is appropriate to use them, and statistics that support the effectiveness of the strategy.

4. Conclusion
    After analyzing the articles related to the topic of home visiting evidence-based strategies, I have concluded that it Meets Evidence-Based Standards. Multiple studies have been conducted on a variety of appropriate strategies needed to meet the varied functions of home visitation or home-based instruction. Research on home visitation has occurred across general and special education population and in urban, suburban and rural environments. Researchers can now correlate the positive outcomes with home visitation to key factors that are supported by the evidence gathered.

5. Reflections
    Based on my review of the articles and resources available for the practice of home visitation/home-based instruction, I would use this strategy in my teaching practice. Effectively engaging parents and children in their natural environment is one of the best ways to forge a positive relationship with families, and to actively support the role of the home and parents in the development of children.
    As I am currently at a practicum site that uses home visitation to provide early intervention services, this provides real life experience with the evidence-based strategies reviewed in the articles that I located. Home visitation is invaluable to general education teachers who need to gather information on the development and environmental conditions of the children in their classroom. It is a wonderful place to engage parents in this kind of discussion, or to provide suggestions to families that can make the transition to a classroom environment a smooth process. For special educators, home-based instruction allows for interventions in the natural environment and easier carryover of concepts and strategies to parents for reinforcement. But these positive outcomes are not possible without the use of the appropriate evidence-based home visiting strategy to support the interaction.

References

Cook, R. E., Klein, M. D., and Tessier, A. (2007). Adapting Early Childhood Curricula for Children with Special Needs. 7th ed. Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall

Forum: Stories From The Field-Standards

Evidence-Based Practice

Paula Philips — Thur, 02 Oct 2008 01:16:38 GMT

See attachment

Forum: Stories From The Field-Standards

Evidence-Based Practives

Stephanie Aduso — Thur, 02 Oct 2008 00:57:19 GMT

Stephanie Aduso

SPED 267

Evidence-Based Practices Assignment

October 1, 2008

Definition of Term

Functional Communication Training (FCT) is a system that seeks to teach children acceptable and positive ways to communicate their needs rather using challenging, dangerous, or generally aberrant behavior. This behavior does not occur occasionally, but consistently occurs with the same type of instigation. The child does not respond to classroom-wide prevention strategies (classroom rules, consistent schedules, and predictable routines). The thought behind FCT is that a childs aberrant behavior is actually an attempt at communication. FCT prompts the practitioner to ask, What is this child really trying to tell me with this behavior? FCT has two phases. In the first phase, the practitioner identifies the function or purpose of the behavior. In the second phase, the practitioner teaches the child an appropriate behavior (called the replacement behavior) that serves the same purpose as the aberrant behavior. The replacement behavior is more likely to be successful if it fulfills the following criteria: it must be appropriate for the childs developmental level, the child must be able to do it, it must be taught easily, it is easily noticed and acknowledged, it must work quickly for the child.

State Standards

Virginias Foundations for Early Learning: Comprehensive Standards for Four-Year-Olds.

Personal and Social Development Foundation Block 1: Self Concept

b) Begin to recognize and express own emotions using words rather than actions.

f) Develop increased independence in school activities throughout the day.

Personal and Social Development Foundation Block 2: Self Control

b) Follow rules and routines within the learning environment.

c) Use classroom materials purposefully and respectfully.

d) Manage transitions and adapt to changes in routine.

e) Develop positive responses to challenges.

Personal and Social Development Foundation Block 3: Approaches to Learning

d) Seek and accept help when needed.

Personal and Social Development Foundation Block 4: Interaction with Others

c) Interact appropriately with other children and familiar adults by cooperating, helping, sharing, and expressing interest.

d) Participate successfully in group settings.

f) Begin to recognize and respond to the needs, rights, and emotions of others.

Personal and Social Development Foundation Block 5: Social Problem-Solving

a) Express feelings through appropriate gestures, actions, and words.

b) Recognize conflicts and seek possible solutions.

c) Allow others to take turns.

d) Increase the ability to share materials and toys with other over time.

Evidence for FCT

Derby et al. (1997) look at the long-term effects of FCT in the home setting. They had a three-pronged purpose for their study: to provide an assessment model that includes descriptive as well as experimental data and analyses, to look at the long-term effects involved in regularly scheduled probe assessments of treatment results, and to evaluate one mechanism, collateral response, that may be responsible for the long-term results. Collateral response is defined as positive social behaviors that were not targeted for the intervention but were related to ongoing interactions with parents (Derby et al., 1997). The participants included four children (three boys and one girl) between the ages of two and five years, who were enrolled in early intervention services that they received in their homes. They engaged in aberrant behavior that interfered with their educational and social development and often resulted in removal from group settings. Assessment and treatment were delivered by a parent with weekly consultations from one of the researchers. The research included four phases: 1) descriptive assessment was performed using parent interview and a behavior log kept by the parents; 2) experimental analysis included antecedent and consequence analyses to identify the maintaining conditions of the aberrant behavior; 3) function communication treatment was matched to the aberrant behavior for six months; 4) follow-up treatment probes were conducted for up to 20 months. Research findings for this study include: effective suppression of aberrant behavior was achieved and positive social behavior emerged in all of the participants; FCT can suppress aberrant behavior when antecedents are reinforced; the long-term results supported the hypothesis but appeared to be different depending on the initial function of the aberrant behavior.

Durand and Carr (1992) examined whether children who had FCT maintained their new learned behavior in the presence of a nave teacher. Participants were chosen from a school for children with developmental delays. During the first phase of the study, a functional analysis of challenging behavior was completed for 66 children to determine which children exhibited challenging behavior in the social attention category. Twelve children were chosen who fit this category (two were girls and ten were boys). They were between the ages of 3 and five years. For the second phase of the study, the children were randomly split into two groups. On group would receive FCT and the other group would receive Time Out (TO) as a reaction to the challenging behavior. The results of this phase concluded that both groups of children reduced their challenging behavior as a result of their respective treatments. The third and final phase of the study examined in the challenging behavior was suppressed in the presence of a nave teacher. In the presence of a nave teacher the children who received the TO treatment reverted back to their original levels of challenging behavior. The children who received FCT showed suppressed challenging behavior in light of their use of the specific techniques they had been taught. The researchers emphasized that one limitation of this study was that only one challenging behavior (social attention) was targeted.

Dunlap and Fox (1999) describe an intervention that is similar to FCT but addresses the troubling behavior that some young children with Autism exhibit. Dunlap and Fox describe a model called the Individualized Support Project (ISP) that is oriented towards helping families acquire knowledge and practical skills needed to resolve immediate problems. ISP has a three-fold emphasis: 1) comprehensive and individualized family support; 2) develop the childs social competence and comfortable participation in group settings and community environments; 3) develop functional skills for the child to use in communication and other aspects of social engagement. The ultimate goal of ISP is to help families achieve a level of competence and confidence in continued progress and problem-solving for their child. The participants were referred to the study by private physicians and early interventionists. The six children (one girl and five boys) were between the ages of 2 and 4 years. They were all diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder or Autism. Each family underwent a functional assessment of behaviors to determine the nature of the problem behavior, the context for the behavior, antecedents and consequences, and the communicative nature of the child. After this assessment was complete, a multi-component support plan was developed and implemented. Parents participated in an intensive training and implementation phase. Data collected through direct observation note a reduction in serious problem behaviors. Parent report indicates that their children made developmental gains and learned to control their environment through conventional and socially desirable gains. Two limitations were acknowledged by the authors. First, data from this study were not collected in the context of an experimental design so it cannot be concluded that reductions in problem behavior are due to interventions. Second, the interventions in the study were not identifiable techniques, but a process of assessment and comprehensive support.

Conclusions

Based on the sample of research presented here, it is appropriate to conclude that Functional Communication Training Meets Evidence Standards with Reservations. The first two studies use experimental methods that provide evidence for the efficacy of FCT. They show a strong relationship between the training and the positive outcomes with few reservations. The final study, however, was not conducted using experimental methods. Its results cannot be interpreted as conclusive of a strong relationship between the training and the positive outcomes. All three studies drew from an extensive body of research in this area, however. Further investigation into the related literature may provide a different conclusion.

Reflection

Based on these three articles, I would choose to use this strategy in my own teaching practice. In my own experience I have had children in my classroom who exhibited the challenging and aberrant behavior that was described in the articles. Having a system for approaching these behaviors is essential for empowering teachers and parents. I would use FCT because it is adaptable to the classroom and home setting. This feature of adaptability and transferability from school to home also aides in the formation of teacher-parent partnerships. There is also potential for FCT to be generalizable to environments outside the home and classroom.

In my experience, young children who exhibit challenging and aberrant behavior do not yet have the control to regulate these intense and overwhelming emotions. These behaviors are the only way for children to gain control of troubling and uncontrollable situations. In essence, children lose control to gain control. They need help learning to communicate their needs in positive ways that also leave them feeling good about themselves, both physically and emotionally. FCT teaches the child alternative strategies that are socially acceptable and that earn them positive acknowledgement and reinforcement.

References

Derby, K. M., Wacker, D. P., Berg, W., DeRaad, A., Ulrich, S., Asmus, J., Harding, J., et al. (1997). The long-term effects of functional communication training in home settings. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 30(3), 507-531.

Dunlap, G., & Fox, L. (1999). A demonstration of behavioral support for young children with autism. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 1(2), 77-87.

Durand, V. M., & Carr, E. G. (1992). An analysis of maintenance following functional communication training. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. 25(4), 777-794.

Using Functional Communication Training to Replace Challenging Behavior by Dunlap,G. & Duda, M., What Works Briefs, July 2004, Volume 11. Available at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel/briefs/wwb11.pdf.

Forum: Stories From The Field-Standards