Early Child Development and Care
Volume 184, Issue 1, 2014, Pages 50-62

Early childhood special education in a refugee resettlement community: Challenges and innovative practices (Article)

Hurley J.J. , Warren R.A. , Habalow R.D. , Weber L.E. , Tousignant S.R.
  • a Department of Education, University of Vermont, 537 Waterman Building, Burlington, VT 05405-0160, United States
  • b Department of Education, University of Vermont, 537 Waterman Building, Burlington, VT 05405-0160, United States
  • c Department of Education, University of Vermont, 537 Waterman Building, Burlington, VT 05405-0160, United States
  • d Department of Education, University of Vermont, 537 Waterman Building, Burlington, VT 05405-0160, United States
  • e Department of Education, University of Vermont, 537 Waterman Building, Burlington, VT 05405-0160, United States

Abstract

There has been a significant increase in the number of children who are culturally and linguistically diverse who qualify for early childhood special education (ECSE) services [Banerjee, R., & Guiberson, M. (2012). Evaluating young children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds for special education services. Young Exceptional Children, 15(1), 33-44]. The current study investigates the challenges and innovative practices in the evaluation and ECSE services for preschool aged children who are refugees. Twenty-eight early childhood educators who work in a small refugee resettlement community participated in a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews resulting in themes regarding challenges and innovative practices. Challenges include: lack of validated assessments, wait time for evaluations, different cultural perspectives and family advocacy. Innovative practices include: assessing skills not dependent on language and including caregivers in evaluations. Implications for future research and teacher preparation are discussed. © 2013 © 2013 Taylor & Francis.

Author Keywords

Preschool Cultural and linguistic diversity English language learner early childhood special education Refugee qualitative

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84889257063&doi=10.1080%2f03004430.2013.769214&partnerID=40&md5=a62afd17d9b830229b571cc93964d14a
DOI: 10.1080/03004430.2013.769214
ISSN: 03004430
Cited by: 5
Original Language: English