Inclusive Early Childhood Education for Children With and Without Autism: Progress, Barriers, and Future Directions

University-affiliated lab and model schools play an important role in creating educational innovations in inclusive early childhood education (ECE) for young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In the United States, access to inclusive high-quality ECE programs for young children with disabilities has been required by law for over 40 years, has been recommended by leading professional organizations, and has been emphasized in federal public policy initiatives. Yet, improvement in the rates of young children with disabilities experiencing inclusion has been limited. This review article consists of three parts. First, we identify and describe four barriers to wide-scale implementation of inclusive ECE programs for children with ASD in the US. These barriers include (1) the fragmented nature of the ECE system in the United States, (2) the age at which ASD is typically first diagnosed in the community, (3) the diverse presentation/support needs of children with ASD, and (4) the thoughts and feelings of parents of children without disability about inclusion. Second, we used a snowball sampling approach to identify nine leading university-affiliated, inclusive lab and model schools for young children with ASD. By describing these programs, we highlight similarities and differences between programs, and capture the unique ways in which these programs adapt to local conditions, resources, and barriers (e.g., federal and state regulations, funding sources, community resources, institutional structures and priorities, professional orientation and training, access to families and staff). Finally, we propose a roadmap for researchers focused on the development, evaluation, and implementation of community-viable inclusive ECE programs in ASD. This roadmap leverages synergies between inclusive university-affiliated lab and model preschools in ASD, and proposes the formation of a research network that creates an infrastructure for cross-program collaboration.

Pandemic Effects: Ableism, Exclusion, and Procedural Bias

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed social organizations and altered children’s worlds. As part of an ongoing longitudinal study of the institutional organization of disabled children’s lives, since March 2020 we have conducted interviews with families in rural and urban communities across Canada (65 families at the time of writing). The narrow focus of governments on the economy, childcare, and schooling does not reflect the scope of experiences of families and disabled children. We describe emerging findings about what the effects of the pandemic closures demonstrate about the social valuing of childhood, disability, and diverse family lives in early childhood education and care. Our research makes the case that ableism, exclusion, and procedural bias are the products of cumulative experiences across institutional sites and that it is critical we understand disabled childhoods more broadly if we are to return to more inclusive early childhood education and care.

An Inclusive Early Childhood Intervention Program for Children With Disabilities: Possible Effects on Children and Nursery Teachers

Inclusive early childhood intervention provides opportunities for children with disabilities to receive education with typically developing children. The present study examined the effects of the AI-AI STEP Program, which is designed to help nursery teachers learn the methods of inclusive early childhood intervention for children with disabilities. This study involved 37 managers of 37 nursery schools in Japan, 48 nursery teachers, and 48 children with disabilities. The school managers, who had previously learned about the program through a seminar we offered, provided the nursery teachers with guidance on the program. The guidance provided to the nursery teachers consisted of combined structured explanations with a manual and on-the-job training. The program was performed for 6 months, and changes in the children's development and behavior and the school nursery teachers' self-efficacy and state-trait anxiety, were examined before and after using the program. Multivariate analysis was used to assess factors that had an effect on the children's developmental gains through the program. The developmental quotient of children significantly improved. In addition, “emotional symptoms” and “peer problems” on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire subscale markedly improved. The self-efficacy of nursery teachers significantly improved, and state anxiety decreased. There was a significant relationship between the improvement of the children's development quotient and a lower development quotient at baseline. The provision of inclusive early childhood intervention using the program promoted the children's development, and improved their behavior. Furthermore, it had a positive effect on the nursery teachers.

Exemplary leadership practices in early childhood education in preparing the golden generations for Indonesia

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the ideal quality of inclusive early childhood education, an effective leadership style and five practices of exemplary leadership. Research methodology: This is a review article. The review process began with a search engine (Google Scholar) to search and review early childhood education and leadership articles. Results: The results suggest that it is important to hold quality inclusive early childhood educations since, in this level of education, six developmental areas are well stimulated. The key success of maintaining quality inclusive early childhood education is a collaboration among education parties (government, school, parents and community). A school needs a principal who can perform five exemplary leadership practices to help “Golden Indonesia 2045” become true. Limitations: First, the scope of articles reviewed is still very limited to the literature review in the Indonesian context. This and other limitations will be opportunities for further empirical studies about five practices of exemplary leadership in the Indonesian education area. Contribution: This study can be useful for the early childhood education level.

Implementing Inclusive Education In Early Childhood Settings: The Interplay and Impact of Exclusion, Teacher Qualities and Professional Development in Ghana

Inclusive education (IE) in the early years enhances young children’s learning, socialization, and development; yet, children with disability are one group that is often isolated, excluded, or marginalized in early childhood education. This paper examines jointly the perceived exclusion practices, teacher qualities, and professional development and the interplay and impact of these factors on effective inclusive early childhood education. Drawing on data collected from individual interviews with teachers and headteachers in a large early childhood and school setting in Ghana, findings of this qualitative study indicate the exclusion practices of teachers. The findings suggest that resistance to IE limits learning, engagement, and social opportunities for children, especially those with disability. The findings also identify that effective teacher qualities and professional development enhance the provision of quality inclusive early childhood education. The study reinforces the need for improved support for teachers and to make sure that they are placed at the center of IE policy and practice.