BackgroundInclusion in early childhood contributes to building equitable and diverse educational settings, fostering societal acceptance to differences. Nevertheless, obstacles remain to implementing inclusive practices from an early age. Professional development, particularly through coaching, is seen as a factor facilitating quality early childhood education practices. As part of an action-research project, therefore, this study aims to document the perceptions of educators and managers after 1 year of professional development based on the use of a curriculum-based assessment and embedded intervention/instruction in inclusive childcare settings.MethodThis article describes a qualitative study aimed at documenting the perceptions of educators and managers as regards changes perceived following the professional development received. The perceptions of 14 educators and 6 managers are analyzed using semi-structured interviews.ResultsResults suggest that professional development helps support quality inclusive educational practices. Participants address certain aspects of their educational practices, such as observation and intervention planning, to fine-tune the learning opportunities offered consistent with children’s development. They report that coaching is an opportunity to examine their practice, which fosters their sense of competence. Results also underline the importance of the leadership role of childcare managers in supporting educational staff.DiscussionThe perceptions of educators and managers highlight the value of coaching in supporting educational practices in inclusive childcare settings. Improved individualization of educational practices based on the developmental needs of each and every child enhances environments’ capacity for quality intervention for all children.

Objective: This scoping review sought to provide an insight into the key processes used in the translation and adaptation of assessment tools in peer-reviewed literature on assessment tools in early childhood education. Methods: Peer-reviewed articles published between 2012 and 2022 were identified via independent systematic searches using the databases Academic Search Complete, ERIC, Education Source, and APA PsycInfo. The articles included in this scoping were coded using a data extraction form developed for specifically for this study. Results: In the 56 articles selected, 33 reported forward translation; the analyses and findings of this scoping review were based on these 33. 30% of the articles did not report any methods of quality control methods. The most used quality control methods were back-translation only, and back-translation and expert review. 42% specified at what point the target population was included in the adaption process, and the preference was during pilot testing and focus groups. Regarding translators, 7 articles indicated the tools were translated by the researchers, 10 by independent bilinguals, and 3 utilized a team in the translation process. Conclusion: While cultural relevance and appropriateness were emphasized in these articles, there is limited information reported on what this process entailed. There were no specific or general guidelines reported. More focus should be placed on developing a culturally relevant protocol and related guidelines for the translation and adaptation process of assessment tools.

The LINK Virtual Forum on Authentic Assessment for Early Childhood Intervention: Interdisciplinary & International Consensus was orchestrated through a series of virtual focus-groups during the pandemic in 2021-2022. This new strategy for conducting a more robust national/international consumer social validity study gathered practice-based evidence from the field using national and international expert panel focus groups and an expert panel forum to survey Authentic Assessment experts and users. Uniquely, these deliberations relied upon the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) among participants to reach consensus decisions and Qualtrics survey results. The decision-making process addressed types of assessment measures that address early childhood intervention purposes best, but also, what specific processes and procedures best engage parents, professionals, and young children in a developmentally-appropriate and ecological assessment using best practice competencies and standards in the field to fulfill diverse ECI purposes. The central organizing feature of the Focus Groups and the Forum was the use of seven disciplinary focus groups (n=56) with membership selected by a disciplinary chairperson and the authors consisting of the following interdisciplinary professional groups: Early Childhood Educators/Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Educators; Speech/Language Specialists; Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists; Psychologists; University Faculty Representatives, and International Experts. We recruited a national and international representative sample of interdisciplinary participants (n=56) from the US, Canada, Australia, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Holland, China, Colombia, Korea, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, for two major LINK activities: (1) LINK Expert Panel Focus Groups (n=7); and (2) a cross-disciplinary LINK Expert Panel Forum. The process and outcome data on best practices in AA for ECI from the LINK Forum were based on the consensus of interdisciplinary and international experts in the ECI field.

The pandemic has exposed the many glaring difficulties inherent in implementing effective assessment and intervention for young children with neurodevelopmental delays and disabilities in our respective countries, but, especially in the US. The urgency for innovative models of assessment linked to interdisciplinary services and supports in both remote and in-vivo settings became prominent. Yet, the commitment to developmentally-appropriate practice (DAP), assessment linked to intervention, is the hallmark of ECI, whether virtual or in-vivo.

Collaboration is considered to be a key element of inclusive early childhood practices. To ensure effective collaboration, it is important to provide facilitating conditions as teams often encounter many challenges. The purpose is to describe intersectoral collaborative experiences from the perspective of childcare centres. One hundred and fifty-four childcare educators and 94 supervisors responded to an online survey. The results show that collaboration with partners from institutions or organizations to support the inclusion of young children is perceived positively. Despite the challenges, it is seen as helpful, particularly in terms of joint intervention planning.

As part of a continuous improvement process targeting speech -language pathology services offered to 4- and 5 -year -old children with developmental language disorders or a hypoth & egrave;se de trouble du langage (hypothesized language disorder), speech -language pathologists from the Centre int & eacute;gr & eacute; universitaire de sant & eacute; et de services sociaux de l'Estrie - Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke teamed up with researchers from the Universit & eacute; du Qu & eacute;bec & agrave; Trois - Rivi & egrave;res to coconstruct recommendations concerning the provision of speech -language pathology services using evidence from literature and the expertise of speech -language pathologists. This collaborative action research project was carried out in three rounds of exchanges whose objectives were to promote dialogue, enrichment, and implementation of the coconstructed recommendations. Seven recommendations emerged from these exchanges. The first four focused on service paths, individualization of interventions, service delivery, and the number of goals to increase the specificity of the services. The other three recommendations focused on standardizing the services offered, increasing the frequency of interventions, and promoting greater involvement of parents to increase the intensity of the services. The barriers and facilitators related to the implementation of each recommendation were documented using the expertise of the participating speech -language pathologists. These recommendations, together with the scientific literature, will guide managers and speech -language pathologists as to which changes are required to improve the effectiveness of speech -language services for preschool children with developmental language disorders.

Implementation fidelity is the degree of compliance with which the core elements of program or intervention practices are used as intended. The scientific literature reveals gaps in defining and assessing implementation fidelity in early intervention: lack of common definitions and conceptual framework as well as their lack of application. Through a critical review of the scientific literature, this article aims to identify information that can be used to develop a common language and guidelines for assessing implementation fidelity. An analysis of 46 theoretical and empirical papers about early intervention implementation, published between 1998 and 2018, identified four conceptual frameworks, in addition to that of Dane and Schneider. Following analysis of the conceptual frameworks, a four-component conceptualization of implementation fidelity (adherence, dosage, quality and participant responsiveness) is proposed.

Implementing evidence-based practices in "real-world" settings poses significant challenges. Organizations involved must address this issue by providing supportive infrastructures. Among the elements to consider are competency drivers, which refer to the selection, training, and supervision of caseworkers. The purpose of this study was to describe the perspectives of caseworkers and representatives on competency drivers that organizations put in place to support the implementation of early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) in large-scale community-based services. The sample consisted of 109 caseworkers and 23 organization representatives who completed questionnaires. Results demonstrated that respondents consider clinical support and training as key elements in EIBI implementation. However, despite recognizing these factors, respondents reported considerable variability in practices. It appears necessary to better define and plan the implementation of these competency drivers with a view to improving EIBI implementation.

Soutenir les enfants ayant des besoins particuliers/enfants handicapés au cours de la transition du milieu de garde vers le milieu scolaire est essentiel afin que cette première transition scolaire soit vécue de manière positive. La présente étude s’inscrit dans une vaste enquête québécoise sur les pratiques inclusives en milieux de garde et vise à brosser un portrait des pratiques mises en œuvre pour soutenir la transition de ces enfants, en considérant les points de vue des intervenants des milieux de garde et scolaires. Les données ont été recueillies avec un questionnaire en ligne et analysées de manière quantitative et qualitative. Les résultats indiquent que des pratiques considérées efficaces sont mises en œuvre, mais que certaines mériteraient d’être utilisées davantage. Aussi, malgré un niveau de satisfaction élevé des intervenants scolaires par rapport à la pertinence des renseignements reçus des milieux de garde, des défis en lien avec le partage d’informations demeurent.

Background Inclusion in childcare centers involves a support system that includes funding policies, inclusive practices and access to ongoing training. The province of Quebec (Canada) benefits from a network of subsidized childcare services for children from birth to 5 years old. Although two financial measures support educational childcare centers welcoming children with disabilities, there is a lack of knowledge about how these measures are used. Research questions The research questions are: (1) How do childcare centers use financial measures to support inclusion? (2) What adaptations are made in childcare centers? and (3) What is the ongoing training of educators to support inclusion? Method This research presents the results of an online survey completed by 94 childcare management staff and 154 childcare educators. The survey was developed using a two-way process involving the researchers along with representatives from government ministries and agencies and childcare management staff. Results Results reveal that just over half of management staff request financial measures for all children with special needs and does so mainly to hire additional and specialized human resources and replace staff in meetings with specialized services. The financial measures are perceived to meet material adaptation needs better than those for human resources. Adaptations made by educators relate to instructions, individual interventions, equipment, group activities, physical environment, and schedule and routines. Over half the educators report that adaptations involving group activities and schedules and routines are the most difficult to implement. Less than half the managers and educators had received ongoing training on inclusive practices. Issues addressed during such training include commonly recognized interventions based on diagnoses, collaboration with parents, collaboration with partner agencies or institutions, instructions, individual interventions, group activities, equipment, physical environment, and schedules and routines. Discussion Results are discussed in terms of (1) needs met and funding model, and (2) dimensions of quality inclusive practices such as leadership of childcare management staff, training and professional development, collaboration with health and specialized social services, learning environments and partnership with families.

Despite the recognized effectiveness of naturalistic intervention practices, including activity-based intervention (ABI), challenges remain regarding their implementation. Assessing implementation fidelity can help understand factors that may influence their implementation. This study aims to document the evolution of ABI implementation fidelity (Adherence, Dosage, Quality and Participant responsiveness) in daycare settings following professional development. The participants are four educators. The current study uses an embedded design. The predominant aspect is quantitative, that is, single-case research design with three measurement phases of 12 observation moments. In terms of Dosage, an increase in the frequency of learning opportunities offered by educators is observed as the experiment progresses. For three educators, results show moderate and significant effects of professional development between Phases 1 and 3. A slight decrease in Quality can be observed when learning opportunities are adapted to children's developmental levels. This article highlights the importance of documenting several components of implementation fidelity.

Collaboration is considered to be a key element of inclusive early childhood practices. To ensure effective collaboration, it is important to provide facilitating conditions as teams often encounter many challenges. The purpose is to describe intersectoral collaborative experiences from the perspective of childcare centres. One hundred and fifty-four childcare educators and 94 supervisors responded to an online survey. The results show that collaboration with partners from institutions or organizations to support the inclusion of young children is perceived positively. Despite the challenges, it is seen as helpful, particularly in terms of joint intervention planning.

Les pratiques d’intervention naturalistes dont l’activity-based intervention (ABI) utilisent le jeu et les activités quotidiennes pour soutenir le développement d’habiletés chez les jeunes enfants. Cet article documente les défis et facilitateurs rencontrés par quatre éducatrices en milieu de garde ayant reçu de la formation et de l’accompagnement pour implanter l’ABI en soutien au développement d’habiletés en littératie. Les principaux défis relèvent du manque de temps et de la gestion des défis socio-émotionnels. Dans les facilitateurs se retrouvent les adaptations de l’environnement et les intérêts des enfants. Cet article met en lumière, l’importance d’offrir du matériel en littératie diversifié et accessible.

Au Québec, les enfants d’âge préscolaire ayant un trouble du spectre de l’autisme (TSA) reçoivent des services d’intervention comportementale intensive (ICI) par le biais des établissements du réseau de la santé et des services sociaux. L’intensité et la précocité, ainsi que le recours à des stratégies d’intervention spécifiques découlant des principes de l’analyse appliquée du comportement caractérisent l’ICI. La sélection des stratégies les plus appropriées pour chaque enfant est une étape essentielle du processus d’intervention. Plusieurs éléments sont susceptibles d’influencer cette décision. Les caractéristiques individuelles des enfants et les priorités de leur famille en sont des exemples. Cette étude s’intéresse à la façon dont les équipes cliniques opèrent ce processus d’individualisation. Plus spécifiquement, elle vise une meilleure compréhension de la façon dont les dispensateurs de services réalisent cette étape de l’intervention et l’identification des facteurs pris en compte, dans le cadre de services offerts dans la communauté. Pour ce faire, un devis qualitatif est proposé. Dix superviseures cliniques de programmes ICI de trois établissements du réseau de services publics québécois ont partagé leur expérience dans le cadre d’entretiens. Les résultats suggèrent que la prise de décision concernant les stratégies à privilégier implique plusieurs facteurs, et ce, à différents niveaux. En effet, le discours des superviseures met d’abord l’accent sur l’enfant et sa famille. De plus, il intègre des facteurs contextuels plus larges, notamment les environnements disponibles et les personnes qui appliquent l’intervention. Les résultats soulèvent la question de la formation et du soutien à offrir aux équipes d’intervention afin de faciliter le processus d’individualisation de l’ICI.

Activity-based intervention (ABI) uses play and routines to support skill development in young children. This article focuses on the implementation of the ABI in support of emergent literacy by four educators in educational childcare services (SGEE). The qualitative analysis of logbooks highlights the importance of taking into account the challenges of educators when implementing new intervention practices following training and professional support in the workplace. work. This article also highlights factors to consider to promote the implementation of ABI in childcare facilities.

La période de transition de l’école à la vie active est une période importante pour les « élèves/jeunes adultes » qui présentent une déficience intellectuelle. Une meilleure planification pourrait contribuer à rendre ce passage plus harmonieux et permettre une meilleure adaptation à la vie en société. La présente étude vise à décrire la démarche de « plan de transition de l’école à la vie active » implantée dans deux commissions scolaires du Québec. Les résultats traitent principalement de la connaissance des services et programmes accessibles, du travail de partenariat, de l’expérience vécue par les participantes et participants, leurs familles, de même que par les intervenantes et intervenants du milieu scolaire et de réadaptation. Bien que tous les participants et participantes aient mentionné qu’ils sont fortement en accord avec la planification de la transition, on observe une ambiguïté entre les différents outils utilisés. De plus, selon les répondantes et répondants, jeunes élèves, parents, intervenantes et intervenants, le contenu du plan intégré de continuité (PIC) ne devrait pas se limiter au travail, mais s’intéresser également aux loisirs, aux habiletés sociales, aux habiletés domestiques, aux soins personnels, à l’autonomie, à la communication et à l’utilisation des ressources communautaires. Des obstacles au partenariat, tels que le manque de clarté des mandats et des missions des organismes impliqués, sont également présentés.

Objective: This scoping review aims to provide a data mapping and narrative synthesis of the available peer-reviewed scientific literature on the translation and cultural adaptation processes relative to the Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) as reported by the authors. It also seeks to paint an overall portrait of the implementation of the translated and culturally adapted ASQ worldwide. Methods: Articles published between 1995 and May 11, 2018, were identified via systematic searches of peer-reviewed literature carried out using CINAHL, Scopus, MEDLINE, Education Source, PsycINFO, and ERIC. The articles included in the qualitative synthesis were coded based on an extraction form developed for the study. Results: In the 46 articles surveyed, 37 different cultural adaptations were identified in 29 languages and 27 countries. Translations were included in 33 cultural adaptations, and language modifications were reported in 18 adaptations. The forward-backward translation method was reported in 25 cases. The authors declared having made cultural content, language, visual, and/or conceptual modifications in 26 adaptations. Cultural content modifications were reported in 24 adaptations. At least one method (pilot study, individual interview, survey or focus group with respondents) was reported in 24 adaptations. Conclusion: Cultural modifications were relatively minor and were, in general, made to establish equivalence with the source version. As well, the processes used to translate and culturally adapt the ASQ varied widely based on the types of methods. Additional work should be conducted to document the process of this crucial phase.

La mise en oeuvre de l’intervention comportementale intensive (ICI) nécessite une planification des objectifs et des moyens pour chaque enfant. Ce processus d’individualisation est essentiel à une intervention de qualité. Selon la loi, les établissements doivent rendre compte de la planification des interventions pour chacune des personnes à qui ils offrent des services par le biais du plan d’intervention. Cette étude vise à identifier les pratiques et les défis associés à l’élaboration de ces plans, en contexte d’ICI, du point de vue de membres de l’équipe d’intervention (21 intervenantes, 6 superviseures et 4 professionnelles). L’analyse des entretiens semi-structurés permet de préciser les pratiques et les défis perçus, notamment ceux associés aux caractéristiques de l’ICI (p. ex., son intensité), à la participation des parents dans le processus, au travail interdisciplinaire, à l’individualisation, à l’accès aux données probantes venant appuyer la planification de l’intervention et aux normes de l’établissement.

Il est reconnu que la transition vers le milieu scolaire est une étape cruciale et complexe pour tous les enfants et leurs familles, et particulièrement pour les enfants ayant des besoins particuliers. La présente revue narrative vise à identifier comment la transition vers la maternelle d’enfants ayant un trouble du spectre de l’autisme (TSA) a été abordée dans la littérature scientifique en s’appuyant sur les résultats de 13 études datées de 2004 à 2019. Cette synthèse a permis de mettre en lumière les principaux indicateurs utilisés pour évaluer la qualité et la réussite de cette transition. De plus, des défis ont été identifiés, notamment en lien avec la communication/collaboration impliquant les intervenants et les parents ainsi que le processus d’individualisation de la transition.

•Several dimensions of implementation fidelity must be assessed.•The strengths of one method should counterbalance the weaknesses of another.•Evolving nature of implementation: multiple collection time points are needed.•A self-reported checklist can serve as a guide to participants to improve fidelity.