Legal Mandates
States and local school districts are required by federal law to educate preschool
age children with disabilities in typical early childhood programs alongside children who do not have disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
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The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to eligible infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities.
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What is PPCD?
The Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities (PPCD) are public school services for children between the ages of 3 and 5 who
qualify for special education services. Students ages 3 to 5 can receive special
education services and support in settings such as a regular preschool in the
community, a Head Start program or a pre-kindergarten class.
How does a child qualify for PPCD services?
Children qualify for PPCD services through the special education referral process. Once a referral is made, the LEA must meet all timelines for initial evaluation. If the child is transitioning from Part C to Part B services, the LEA must work with the ECI provider to meet required timelines for a timely transition. The ARD committee determines if the child is eligible for services and what those services should be by constructing an Individual Education Plan (IEP) for the child. Individuals who suspect that a child may have a disability that would have an adverse effect on that child’s ability to learn should contact their local school district.
What disabilities lead to PPCD eligibility?
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder:
Children suffering from an inability to focus themselves paired with an increased energy level that sets them apart from other children.
Autism Spectrum Disorders:
Deficits in communication and social interactions are the main signs that a child may suffer from an autism spectrum disorder. Many sensory issues occur in conjunction with autism spectrum disorders; these issues range from severe to very mild.
Cerebral Palsy:
This is a group of non-progressive disorders affecting movement and posture that result in activity limitations. Cerebral Palsy is caused by a disturbance to the developing brain before birth or during infancy.
Down Syndrome:
This genetic disorder results from a chromosomal abnormality that leads to a number of physical and cognitive anomalies. Children with Down Syndrome usually have low muscle tone, short stature, as well as an intellectual disability.
Duchenne's Muscular Distrophy:
This is actually one of the most common neuromuscular disorders. This genetic disorder is inherited by the child and is passed on by the mother. Duchenne's is most commonly found in males. It is a degenerative disorder, generally noticed when a child begins to lose skills that (s)he had previously mastered.
Hearing and Visual Impairments:
Hearing and visual impairments can affect many children. Specialized services are available to children with these disorders. More information on visual impairments and hearing impairments can be found at the links.
Sensory Registration and Processing Disorders:
Children with sensory integration problems have trouble organizing and interpreting sensory information. Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is an umbrella for disorders related to auditory, tactile, proprioception, vestibular, visual, gustatory, and olfactory issues.
Spina Bifida:
Spina Bifida is also known as Myelodysplasia; Spina Bifida is a type of neural tube defect that creates an incomplete closure of the fetus's spine during early fetal development. This can lead to hydrocephalus which may cause bowel and bladder incontinence issues. It may also cause full or partial paralysis in the child.
Spinal Muscular Atrophy:
Spinal Muscular Atrophy is an inherited autosomal recessive disorder that affects the anterior horn cell of the spinal cord. This area sends impulses to the muscles. If there are no electrical impulses sent to the muscles, then they will atrophy.
Children suffering from an inability to focus themselves paired with an increased energy level that sets them apart from other children.
Autism Spectrum Disorders:
Deficits in communication and social interactions are the main signs that a child may suffer from an autism spectrum disorder. Many sensory issues occur in conjunction with autism spectrum disorders; these issues range from severe to very mild.
Cerebral Palsy:
This is a group of non-progressive disorders affecting movement and posture that result in activity limitations. Cerebral Palsy is caused by a disturbance to the developing brain before birth or during infancy.
Down Syndrome:
This genetic disorder results from a chromosomal abnormality that leads to a number of physical and cognitive anomalies. Children with Down Syndrome usually have low muscle tone, short stature, as well as an intellectual disability.
Duchenne's Muscular Distrophy:
This is actually one of the most common neuromuscular disorders. This genetic disorder is inherited by the child and is passed on by the mother. Duchenne's is most commonly found in males. It is a degenerative disorder, generally noticed when a child begins to lose skills that (s)he had previously mastered.
Hearing and Visual Impairments:
Hearing and visual impairments can affect many children. Specialized services are available to children with these disorders. More information on visual impairments and hearing impairments can be found at the links.
Sensory Registration and Processing Disorders:
Children with sensory integration problems have trouble organizing and interpreting sensory information. Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is an umbrella for disorders related to auditory, tactile, proprioception, vestibular, visual, gustatory, and olfactory issues.
Spina Bifida:
Spina Bifida is also known as Myelodysplasia; Spina Bifida is a type of neural tube defect that creates an incomplete closure of the fetus's spine during early fetal development. This can lead to hydrocephalus which may cause bowel and bladder incontinence issues. It may also cause full or partial paralysis in the child.
Spinal Muscular Atrophy:
Spinal Muscular Atrophy is an inherited autosomal recessive disorder that affects the anterior horn cell of the spinal cord. This area sends impulses to the muscles. If there are no electrical impulses sent to the muscles, then they will atrophy.
What forms of assessment are used in PPCD?
Adaptive-to-Disability Assessments
- Allows examiners to modify testing materials to a child's unique disability in order to create a more level playing field for him/her
- Conducted when a child is observed in a clinical setting
- Focuses on the degree to which a child demonstrates certain skills in comparison to a specific performance standard
- Based on current skills, used to monitor progress according to a school's specific program objectives
- Examiner works face to face with an individual child
- Typically a standardized test that is selected with a specific purpose and/or objective in mind
- Interviews with parents, teachers, and anyone else who may have information about the child
No direct assessment is done on the child
- Any observations, checklists, rating scales, or work samples collected on or about the child
- Observing a child in his/her natural environment under routine circumstances
- Measures how one child compares with peers of the same chronological age
- Commonly used strategy in early childhood assessment in both general education and PPCD settings
- Examines how a child learns and interacts with his/her environment
- Obtains a child's performance level on a battery of tests
- These procedures establish initial developmental or instructional levels needed for designing a child's educational programming
- Examiners adhere to a fixed set of specific guidelines regarding test content, the manner in which a task is administered, scoring criteria, and interpretation of test results
- The strict guidelines of standardized tests ensure that error variance is minimized; increasing the ability to attribute a child's score to his/her actual knowledge or skill level
What are the steps involved in assessment and identification?
Stage I: Early Identification
Identification in early childhood can occur at any point from conception through the first years of schooling. Increasing public awareness through ChildFind help communities to conduct comprehensive and coordinated activities in order to identify as early as possible any children who need early intervention services. Another way to identify children early is through Screening. The screening process helps to identify any children who have a delay or disability that warrants further attention or monitoring or to identify children who are eligible for specific programs or who are ready for a comprehensive evaluation.
Stage II: Comprehensive Evaluation
At this stage, the purpose of the assessment changes from early identification of possible needs and concerns to determining whether or not a significant problem exists. A good comprehensive evaluation seeks to:
Provides the information needed to discuss optional setting for a child to develop relevant goals for an IEP or IFSP. This is then translated into a plan of action for the preschool teacher and related personnel to help the child achieve these goals.
Stage IV: Program Evaluation
This stage measures the effectiveness of the intervention program and the progress of the child. The goals for this stage are to:
Identification in early childhood can occur at any point from conception through the first years of schooling. Increasing public awareness through ChildFind help communities to conduct comprehensive and coordinated activities in order to identify as early as possible any children who need early intervention services. Another way to identify children early is through Screening. The screening process helps to identify any children who have a delay or disability that warrants further attention or monitoring or to identify children who are eligible for specific programs or who are ready for a comprehensive evaluation.
Stage II: Comprehensive Evaluation
At this stage, the purpose of the assessment changes from early identification of possible needs and concerns to determining whether or not a significant problem exists. A good comprehensive evaluation seeks to:
- advocate for the child
- clarify the referral questions and concerns
- generate hypotheses regarding what may be going on with the child and gather data using assessment instruments that are psychometrically sound and sensitive to individual differences
synthesize the information that has been collected to provide a better understanding of the child's unique profile of strengths and weaknesses - determine the nature and extent of any problems that might be preset
- provide a clear link to stage 3...
Provides the information needed to discuss optional setting for a child to develop relevant goals for an IEP or IFSP. This is then translated into a plan of action for the preschool teacher and related personnel to help the child achieve these goals.
Stage IV: Program Evaluation
This stage measures the effectiveness of the intervention program and the progress of the child. The goals for this stage are to:
- reassess the current developmental levels of the child
- monitor progress related to developmental goals established by the team and family members for the IEP or IFSP
- determine the need for adjustments and modifications in the child's intervention program