Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children (DEC-CEC)
www.dec-sped.org
Exploring the DEC-CEC website I was reminded of the newly released position statement that is relevant to my current position as an early childhood special education specialist. In September 2018, the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) published the DEC Position Statement on Low Birth Weight, Prematurity & Early Intervention. "The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) endorses the development of national guidelines for the identification and eligibility for Part C Early Intervention (EI) services of children born low birth weight (LBW) and preterm in the United States" (DEC, 2018).
In Texas, the Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) serves children birth to age 3 who have been diagnosed with developmental delays, auditory or visual impairments, and/or disabilities or certain medical diagnoses that impact the child's development. The addition of low birth weight and prematurity will increase the number of children possibly identified for ECI services. Currently, ECI programs are experiencing financial challenges which is leading to a lower number of children (birth to age 3) being served by agencies. With fewer numbers of children being identified and served, the number of children and the severity of special needs of children enrolling in early childhood programs, such as Head Start, prekindergarten, early childhood special education, and child care, is increasing.
Based on research studies shared in the DEC position statement, cognitive and behavior impairments may discovered in later ages of children that were born premature but did not exhibit any major disabilities in the first three years of life. According to one study referenced, "parents have reported that their child did not qualify for EI, or "graduated" out of EI, but later manifested learning difficulties at school-age" (DEC, 2018). The DEC strongly recommends that state early childhood intervention (ECI) programs include low-birth weight and prematurity in their eligibility criteria. The statement shared that delays in cognitive development, difficulties in language acquisition and competency, vulnerability to social-emotional delays and/or behavioral challenges, and/or deficits and delays in motor are well documented in children born with low-birth weight and/or preterm (DEC,2018).
With more and more of these children entering early childhood programs without receiving ECI services, the need for high-quality early childhood programs and qualified educators and staff is even greater. Serving these children in early childhood programs that nurture healthy cognitive, social, emotional, motor, and linguistic development in children birth to age 5 should become a priority of our society, politicians, and economists. I say this because this is one way to be proactive in meeting the needs of these children before they become school-age. These programs can improve the school-readiness outcomes and possibly reduce the long-term costs of remedial programs during the school-age years and post-school years.
The DEC policy is relevant not only for special education but for general education, too. I am currently receiving an increased number of requests from primary and elementary administrators to visit classroom with the sole purpose of observing and providing intervention strategies for students in early childhood classrooms (PK-2nd) that are behavioral challenges and/or "out of control" but do not qualify for special education services. As I learn more about these children from the teacher, counselor, and school staff, some of these children were born prematurely but not all. Most, however, attended an early childhood program prior to becoming school age. There is a chance that if these programs were highly-qualified and staffed by highly trained staff, the child(ren) might have learned self-regulation skills, social skills, and improved communication skills that could assist in their success in the classroom. The might experience less stress and frustration academically, too. This is just one more reason why high-quality early childhood education should be a priority.
References:
Division of Early Childhood (DEC). (n.d.) Retrieved November 24, 2018 from http://www.dec-sped.org/
Division of Early Childhood (DEC). (2018). Position Statement - Low Birth Weight, Prematurity, Early Intervention. Retrieved November 24, 2018 from https://www.decdocs.org/position-statement-low-birth-weight
Hi Donna,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post on low-birth-weight. I had a student in my class last year that I later learned was born with low-birth-weight. He was a bright and busy child. It was during conferences that his mother revealed this information. She was proud of the progress he had made being that the beginning was such a struggle. He continues to do well in school as told by his kindergarten teacher.
Hello Donna,
ReplyDeleteI agree that having highly qualified educators and staff is most definitely an necessity when There are established early childhood programs that are serving children with disabilities or health conditions. I think its so unfortunate that often staff is under qualified and need training to properly support the needs of all children.
Thank you for this information. It just shows how far we have come, but it also shows how far we have to go. We have to make sure teachers/staff have the training that is necessary to support the needs of all children.
ReplyDeleteDonna,
ReplyDeleteIt was enlightening to read about children who have developmental delays, in addition to being born prematurely and have low-birth weight.I had a child, who was premature and had a low birth weight, in my class. At the beginning of the year, he did show a sign of a delay, however by the end, he was developmentally where he should have been and was not struggling like others, including his parents, thought he would be. Yes, I agree that there should be more high-quality services available to children in need, but also that all children can benefit from a high-quality preschool and educators.
Donna,
ReplyDeleteVery informative post. Specialized training in anything helps to foster expertise. With that having highly qualified educators and school personnel help to ensure best practice.
Hello Donna
ReplyDeleteThe information you submitted was very interesting because i learned something new concerning children and developmental delays. There should be more quality services for children in need that can help provide for them to be able to succeed in life as well. Being disable doesn't mean you're not able to live and overcome to be better you just need assistance doing it. People without disabilities need assistance too so their shouldn't be any problems.
Hi Donna,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for always providing us with such informational blogs. I am always interested to learn how children with development delays are being supported to succeed. It is sad to learn that many children do not qualify for EL and it affects them later in their learning. I have to agree with you that learning all this there is a high priority for high quality programs and qualified educators. Great blog.