Chapter 2: Theoretical Foundations in Early Childhood Special Education
Upon completion of this chapter, you should be able to:
- Understand the relationship between theories of child development and a teaching philosophy and methods;
- Describe the Modern Constructivist and Social Constructive perspectives as they apply to intervention for young exceptional learners;
- Describe modern developmental theories;
- Discuss Greenspan’s theory of Floortime Model and Developmental Individual-Difference Relationship-Based Model (DIR);
- Understand Sensory Processing Theory and how it is applied in special education;
- Understand Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and its application in special education;
- Understand the Modern Transactional Ecological Model and how it is applied in special education.
- How do you think theories and philosophies of education are related to teachers’ daily practices and methods of teaching?
- In forming your philosophy of teaching, do you believe in one theory more strongly than another? Why or why not?
- Why should there be a need for the theory to inform teaching?
- North America Reggio Emilia Alliance (NAREA) http://www.reggioalliance.org/
- Reggio Children http://zerosei.comune.re.it/inter/reggiochildren.htm
- HighScope Educational Research Foundation http://www.highscope.org/
- The Greenspan Floortime Approach http://www.stanleygreenspan.com/
- Association for Play Therapy http://www.a4pt.org/
- The Interdisciplinary Council on Development and Learning Disorders (ICDL) (Information and
- guidelines on DIR and Floortime Model) http://www.icdl.com/
- Portage Project http://www.portageproject.org/
- Office of Head Start Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ohs/
- National Head Start Association http://www.nhsa.org/