DEC's Continuing Collaborations

Many of our DEC members attended the 9th annual National Training Institute (NTI) on Effective Practices Supporting Young Children's Social and Emotional Development...and those of us who didn't...wished we did.

NTI Participants Enjoying Networking and Social Opportunities

As our Past President Amy Santos noted in her April 2011 Blog entry, DEC has been working in partnership with the Center on Social Emotional Foundations in Early Learning (CSEFEL), the Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention (TACSEI), and various national organizations, including NAEYC, NACCRRA, NABE, NHSA, NASMHPD, PACER Center, ITCA, IDEA 619 Consortium, and NASDSE, to host the National Training Institute on Effective Practices Supporting Young Children's Social and Emotional Development.

As in the past years, this year's conference is a huge success...

As many of you have heard, DEC won't be providing conference logistics and planning support at next year's NTI conference. That doesn't mean, however, the collaboration with those who share an interest in the social and emotional development and well being of young children is over. Far from it!

Melanie Reese, Krista Van-Hooser-Perin and Candice Shimmin
Train Coach Train: Simultaneous Pyramid Training and Classroom Coaching

DEC is dedicated to serving our members and the larger community by ensuring linkages among professional organizations, and identifying, delivering, and evaluating needed interventions, resources, and supports. To these ends - we will continue to work with other to ensure that young children with disabilities and other special needs participate as full member of families and communities and that our members have the recommended practices and principles to guide their role and relationships with young children.


So what does that mean to you?

• We are working on updating and revolutionizing how we conceptualize and use the DEC recommended practices. Please join and track the journey HERE.
• We are partnering with Early Childhood Outcomes Project and NECTAC to host the 2012 ECO Conference in conjunction with DEC’s 2012 International Conference in Minneapolis. This 1 ½ day meeting will be held on Saturday, October 27 and Sunday, October 28.
• We are continuing to collaborate with CRTIEC around the RtI Summit. The event will be at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Hotel in Santa Ana Pueblo just north of Albuquerque, New Mexico on September 18‐20, 2012.
• We are exploring ways to support our members and collaborate with key conferences such as the Conference on Research Innovation in Early Intervention (CRIEI) and the National Training Institute (NTI).

As always - we welcome your thoughts, concerns, and ideas....please don't hesitate to contact any board member directly, post a comment to the President's Blog, etc.

Recommended Practices: Where we are and Where we are Going

Where we are with the DEC Recommended Practices?

• Check out various Recommended Practices Products at the DEC online store
• Recommended Practices Training Package - we look forward to your feedback
• Creating Embedded Learning Opportunities Using the DEC Recommended Practices Webinar (available for online purchase soon).

Where are we going with the DEC Recommended Practices?

• Survey regarding the Recommended Practices completed by 65 members and 9 past authors. Another survey will be out soon...
• Information form the surveys were shared with an advisory group consisting of DEC members Judy Carta, Pat Snyder and Kathy Hebbeler and is guiding our next steps.
• A webpage has been started on the DEC website where members can track progress regarding revisions to the DEC Recommended Practices, provide input, and get involved. The URL will be shared in the coming week.
• Monthly blog entries on tips from the field and other members on how you can make the most of the DEC Recommended Practices...

March’s How to Use the RPs

Much of the educational field is evolving from the classic “sit and get” style of professional development into more ongoing, formative study to impact systematic change.  Here is one way that programs can meet more ongoing professional development through the use of the DEC Recommended Practices resources with added support from the Young Exceptional Children Monograph Series and the DEC journals of Journal of Early Intervention and Young Exceptional Children.

For professional development for an early childhood program, you can use the DEC Recommended Practices Workbook (http://www.dec-sped.org/Store/Recommended_Practices) as an individual or program self study.  Through your own knowledge or through a needs assessment, choose one “piece” either a strand or a topical area to evaluate.  Individual providers will rate themselves on implementation of each of the DEC Recommended Practices as identified in the strand or topic.  From this self evaluation, areas that can be improved upon will be identified.

Then, through individual study or through a Professional Learning Community among multiple providers, the Recommended Practices identified as areas of growth can be points of study.  Resources to provide material to study and recommendations for growth and change can come from multiple area:

1)      DEC Recommended Practices: A Comprehensive Guide for Practical Application provides examples of how each Recommended Practice can be demonstrated.  Additionally, each strand chapter has additional resources that can provide a variety of media where additional information can be sought. http://www.dec-sped.org/Store/Recommended_Practices

2)      DEC Recommended Practices Toolkit provides modules to improve practice in embedded instruction, systematic teaching strategies, teaching early communication skills and monitoring children’s learning.  All of which are directly linked to the DEC Recommended Practices. http://www.dec-sped.org/Store/Recommended_Practices

3)      Young Exceptional Children Monograph Series provides evidence-based practice articles that can be matched to the areas of study. http://www.dec-sped.org/Store/YEC_Monograph_Series

4)      Journal of Early Intervention and Young Exceptional Children provide a variety of journal articles that can be matched to the areas of study. http://www.dec-sped.org/Store/Journals__YEC_and_JEI_

Please note that all of the DEC Recommended Practices resources can be purchased as a set for a savings from purchasing them individually AND members get a discount!

Announcement: Rural Special Education Quarterly

Rural Special Education Quarterly is pleased to announce a special issue on early childhood intervention and preschool services. Articles must have a distinct rural focus and can include any of the following manuscript categories:

·      Research reports: empirical or applied research that use appropriate methods, report significant findings, and offer implications for policy, practice or research;

·      Program descriptions: innovations in service delivery or personnel preparation, with detailed descriptions of procedures and objective evaluation of outcomes;

·      Position papers: discussions of current issues and trends, with literature review and recommendations for policy, practice or research;

·      Promising practices: helpful ideas and examples for direct implementation by practitioners, with sufficient detail for immediate application; and

·      Viewpoints: opinions supported by a clear rationale and convincing evidence about hot topics or controversial issues to share perspectives and stimulate discussion.

See http://www.acres-sped.org/ for full description of manuscript guidelines.

Suggested Topics Include:

·      Innovative personnel preparation programs that train early childhood special education personnel and/or related service personnel to work with young children with disabilities.

·      Program descriptions of service delivery models designed to meet the challenges of rural service delivery to young children with disabilities.

·      Conceptual papers on challenges and barriers to deliverying services to young children and their families in rural areas.

·      The impact of contemporary initiatives such as Response to Intervention, Inclusion, Consultative services on early childhood special education in rural settings.

·      Lessons learned from work with international partners to inform rural practices for early childhood special educators.

Important Dates:

Manuscripts Due: May 15, 2012

Reviews Completed by: September 15, 2012

Publication Date: December, 2012