Early Childhood Special Education Washington DC

For many children, special education begins with early childhood. It is strongly recommended that a child as young as preschool age or even younger, who exhibits behaviors or developmental delays, begin an early intervention process within special education if possible. Ensuring this is done is the key to success for the child!

1. Is my child a candidate? For most states, early childhood special education begins at three and lasts through five years of age, usually when kindergarten starts. If the child is delayed by about 30 percent or more in age equivalence when compared to peers in social-emotional skills, physical development, speech and language, and self-help skills, then he or she may be eligible for early childhood special education. If a child isn't in preschool, then often times a parent will notice the delay and bring it to a physician's attention. If the child is in preschool, many times the preschool is the first to notice a significant delay and will then discuss the concern with the child's parent. Most often, the preschool can do a screening to determining if the delay is significant enough to warrant early childhood special education, or the physician can recommend a testing site to complete the screening.
   
   
2. Screening process. The child who may have a delay will be recommended to have a complete screening done in order to determine if special education is necessary. The following skills will be screened for the child: speech, language, cognitive ability, readiness for school, self-help skills, motor skills, social skills andvision and hearing. Most often the child will be observed in his or her classroom setting if the child is in preschool or at home in a setting in which the child is at ease and can be observed without causing stress to the child. The school will have a designated person who does the screening, often times a psychologist, the preschool director, or even someone from the school's education association who is trained in screening preschool children for special education.
   
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Author: Kaye Siders