Building Blocks for Including and Teaching Young Children with Disabilities

Building Blocks for Including and
Teaching Young Children with
Disabilities
Susan Sandall Ph.D.
University of Washington

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Dr. Susan Sandall is Professor Emeritus at the University of Washington (UW). She
has directed personnel preparation projects, developed curriculum materials for all
age groups, and published materials on educational practices to facilitate optimal
outcomes for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with disabilities. Her scholarly
interests are effective instructional practices for young children with disabilities in
inclusive settings, the changing roles of teachers of young children, and effective
approaches to professional development and knowledge utilization. Dr. Sandall was
Principal Investigator of the National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning for
the Office of Head Start; the Center continues its work as the EarlyEdU Alliance at
Cultivate Learning at UW. She serves on the Division for Early Childhood (DEC)
Commission on Recommended Practices and has edited publications on the
practices. Dr. Sandall is on the editorial boards of Journal of Early Intervention and
Topics in Early Childhood Special Education.

© 2018 University of Washington. All rights reserved.
• Learn about the four tiers of the Building
Blocks framework
• Consider the framework in the context of
inclusion
• Examine practical, research-based practices
for implementing the framework
• Describe resources to support the use of the
framework
Today we will

Social and
Emotional Support
Well-Organized
Classrooms
Instructional
InteractionsQuality Early Childhood Program
Curriculum Modifications & Adaptations
Embedded Learning Opportunities
Child-Focused Instructional
Strategies
Building Blocks
9

Building Blocks
A set of educational practices designed to help teachers
be more effective in including and teaching young
children with disabilities and other special needs in early
childhood classrooms and other early learning settings.

Inclusion
Early childhood inclusion embodies the values, policies,
and practices that support the right of every infant and
young child and his or her family, regardless of ability, to
participate in a broad range of activities and contexts as
full members of families, and communities, and society.

…Inclusion
The desired results of inclusive experiences for children with
and without disabilities and their families include a sense of
belonging and membership, positive social relationships and
friendships, and development and learning to reach their full
potential. The defining features of inclusion that can be used
to identify high quality early childhood programs and services
are access, participation, and supports.
(DEC/NAEYC, 2009)

Inclusion
• Access
• Participation
• Supports
• Learn

We know…
• Inclusion can benefit young children with and without
disabilities, and most families view inclusion in a
positive light.
• Certain key factors are critical to inclusion being
successful.
• Research-based instructional strategies
• Strong collaboration among families, teachers, and specialists
• Professional development on inclusion is a critical need.

Developing the Framework
Using the Building Blocks
framework can help all
children participate, learn,
and thrive in their preschool
classroom and other early
learning settings.
Based on the work of the
Early Childhood Research
Institute on Inclusion.

Challenges
• ECE- lack of specialized training on the skills needed to teach
children with special needs
• ECSE – difficulty in meeting individualized needs within active,
busy early childhood classrooms
• Consulting teachers – lack of effective, easy-to-use methods to
share with classroom teachers

Extending the
Framework
Building Blocks has been used in
classrooms and programs in the US and
several other countries.
Building Blocks for Teaching
Preschoolers with Special Needs,
Third Edition (2019)

Participation
• Being there is not enough
• Planning is essential
• Individualization
• Simple modifications
• Embedded teaching
• Specially designed
instruction

The Foundation – High Quality Early
Childhood Program
• Safe
• Engaging
• Responsive
• Culturally and linguistically
relevant
• Intentional teaching
• Ongoing child assessment
• Well-regarded curriculum

Curriculum modification
A change to the ongoing classroom activity or materials
in order to facilitate or maximize a child’s participation in
planned activities, interactions and routines.

Curriculum Modification
BIG IMPACT
SMALL CHANGE,

8 Types of Curriculum Modifications
Environmental Support Special Equipment
Materials Adaptation Adult Support
Activity Simplification Peer Support
Child Preferences Invisible Support
25

Embedded learning
opportunities
• Short teaching episodes within
ongoing activities, routines, and
transitions.
• Teaching episodes focus on
child’s individual learning
objective.

ADVANTAGES OF EMBEDDED LEARNING
OPPORTUNITIES
• Minimal changes
• Motivation
• Natural contexts
• Research support

Create learning
opportunities

Embedded teaching
• Embedded instruction is effective for teaching a variety of valued
skills to young children
• A variety of instructional strategies have been embedded
effectively
• Embedded instruction seems to enhance generalization
• Teachers assess embedded instruction favorably
• Teachers differ in the extent to which they can apply embedded
instruction in their activities and classrooms
• Practice-based coaching improves teachers use of embedded
instruction
• Preservice teachers can learn and use embedded instruction in
their field experience placements
(Snyder et al., 2015)

Child Focused Individualized Instruction

Specially Designed Instruction

Implementing the Building Blocks
Framework
• Assess the quality of the learning environment.
• Identify and clarify the schedule or routines.
• Gather information on individual goals and objectives.
• Assess the learning needs of the child.
• Clarify the current concerns of the child.
• Create a plan.
• Construct an activity matrix.
• Implement the plan.
• Evaluate the plan and monitor child progress.

Routines-Based
Assessment
34
BUILDING BLOCKS FOR TEACHING PRESCHOOLERS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, THIRD EDITION, BY SUSAN
R. SANDALL, ILENE S. SCHWARTZ, GAIL E. JOSEPH, AND ARIANE GAUVREAU. COPYRIGHT © 2019 BY
PAUL H. BROOKES PUBLISHING CO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Child
Assessment
Worksheet
35

Child
Assessment
Worksheet
36

Planning
Worksheet:
Section I
37

Planning
Worksheet:
Section II
38

Create Plans
39

41
Routines

Individual
Objectives
42

Match Objectives
and Routines
43

44

Implement the Plan
Monitor child progress
Count
Notes
Work samples

Professional Development Modules
• Overview
• Planning for the Individual Child
• Ongoing Child Assessment
• Visual Supports
• Applying the Framework
• Infants and Toddlers
• Challenging Behavior
• Math and Science

Social and
Emotional Support
Well-Organized
Classrooms
Instructional
InteractionsQuality Early Childhood Program
Curriculum Modifications & Adaptations
Embedded Learning Opportunities
Child-Focused Instructional
Strategies
Building Blocks
48

Increase
access
Increase
participation
Increased
learning!

Thank You!
Susan Sandall
ssandall@uw.edu

Q&A Session
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*Not to be combined with any other discounts or offers. Consumer orders only, please. Excludes BOL
training, pre-discounted bundles, and online products such as ASQ Online and AEPSinteractive™.

Thank you for attending!
Susan R. Sandall, Ph.D
Professor Emeritus, College of Education at University of Washington
Senior Advisor for EarlyEdU Alliance, University of Washington
Email: ssandall@uw.edu
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