Mainstreaming is one of several options for providing early intervention services in the least restrictive environment. However, professional and bureaucratic barriers exist to the widespread implementation of mainstreaming at the preschool level. These barriers include the philosophical and theoretical differences between early childhood education and early childhood special education, differences in personnel preparation between the two fields, staff attitudes, issues related to current state regulations and monitoring, and provision of related services. In this paper, we discuss the nature of these barriers, their implications for mainstreamed programs, and tasks faced by the field if the barriers are to be overcome.
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