ABSTRACT
In the face of greater demands on educators of young children, a new evolutionary period appears to be on the horizon, one focusing on evidence-based practices for early intervention and prevention. This chapter reviews the evolution of practices in early childhood special education, focusing on the Division of Early Childhood (DEC) Recommended Practices. It reviews research for two important areas of preschool education, peer interaction interventions and emergent literacy practices. Together DEC and National Association for the Education of Young Children have promoted preschool inclusion of children with and without disabilities as one means of providing developmentally sophisticated and responsive peers to interact with one another during common classroom activities. Practices in emergent and early literacy for preschool children serve as a microcosm of the issues that are at the forefront of early childhood education. The chapter summarizes evidence-based interventions in early childhood literacy in three main areas: storybook reading and other literacy reading; specialized, supplemental procedures; and comprehensive curricula.
