Praxis Special Education: Early Childhood/Early Intervention flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

IDEA Part C

Federal program for infants and toddlers (birth to 3) with disabilities and their families, providing early intervention services through an IFSP in natural environments.

Object permanence

Piagetian understanding that objects continue to exist when out of sight, typically emerging between 8 and 12 months during the sensorimotor stage.

Zone of proximal development

Vygotsky's concept of the gap between what a child can do alone and what the child can do with adult or peer scaffolding.

Ecological systems theory

Bronfenbrenner's model describing nested contexts-microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, chronosystem-that influence a child's development over time.

Secure attachment

Ainsworth attachment pattern in which a child uses the caregiver as a safe base, shows distress at separation, and is easily comforted upon reunion.

IFSP

Individualized Family Service Plan required under IDEA Part C, documenting family outcomes, services, and natural environments for children from birth to age 3.

Family systems theory

Framework viewing the family as an interacting unit whose characteristics, routines, and resources shape child development and intervention planning.

Routines-based intervention

Early intervention approach that embeds teaching strategies within everyday family activities such as meals, bath, and play to promote generalization.

Cultural reciprocity

Practice of professionals examining their own cultural assumptions, learning the family's perspective, and negotiating mutually acceptable goals and strategies.

Natural environments

Settings where young children without disabilities participate, such as home and childcare, required for IDEA Part C service delivery unless justified otherwise.

Informed consent

Family's voluntary agreement to evaluation or services after receiving complete information in their language, with the right to withdraw at any time.

Developmental delay

Eligibility category for young children who function significantly below age expectations in one or more domains, defined by state criteria.

Standard error of measurement

Statistic estimating the amount of error in a test score, used to construct confidence intervals and interpret score ranges rather than fixed points.

Criterion-referenced assessment

Measurement that compares a child's performance to a defined set of skills or standard rather than to the performance of same-age peers.

Dynamic assessment

Test-teach-retest approach that measures a child's learning potential with scaffolding, reducing cultural and linguistic bias in eligibility decisions.

Authentic assessment

Collection of observations, work samples, and caregiver reports that documents a child's functioning in everyday settings and routines.

Screening

Brief procedure to identify children who may need further evaluation; it does not determine eligibility or replace a full assessment.

Embedded instruction

Teaching strategy that distributes learning trials for target skills across existing classroom routines and activities rather than in isolated drill sessions.

Prompt hierarchy

Planned sequence of assistance levels, such as least-to-most or most-to-least, that is systematically faded to promote independent responding.

Task analysis

Breaking a complex skill into smaller, observable steps that can be taught through forward chaining, backward chaining, or whole-task instruction.

Universal Design for Learning

Planning framework offering multiple means of engagement, representation, and action/expression to support variability among all learners.

Discrete trial teaching

Adult-directed instructional method using massed trials with clear antecedent, response, and consequence, suited to acquisition of discrete skills.

Naturalistic teaching

Child-led strategies such as incidental and milieu teaching that embed learning in play and reinforce communication attempts within natural contexts.

Data-based decision making

Practice of graphing frequent progress data and adjusting intervention when trends show insufficient response across multiple data points.

Developmentally appropriate practice

Teaching approach matching expectations to children's age, individual characteristics, and social and cultural contexts to promote optimal learning.

Visual supports

Pictures, schedules, and visual rules that increase predictability and reduce anxiety for young children with communication or behavioral needs.

Positive guidance

Discipline approach using redirection, choices, natural and logical consequences, and descriptive praise rather than shaming or punishment.

Inclusive classroom

Setting where children with disabilities participate meaningfully in all activities alongside typically developing peers with appropriate adaptations and supports.

Trauma-informed practice

Approach using predictable routines, safe relationships, and regulation support to help children affected by adverse experiences succeed.

FERPA

Federal law protecting the privacy of education records, requiring written consent for release and limiting access to need-to-know personnel.

Coaching

Capacity-building professional support using observation, modeling, and reflective feedback to strengthen a caregiver's or teacher's practice.

Part C to Part B transition

Required planning process, including a transition conference and referral, that moves a child from early intervention to preschool special education services.