The present article focuses on achieving four critical competencies that are essential for children's successful transitions from preschool special education programs to the primary grades: readiness to maximize academic achievement, prosocial and age-appropriate social skills, appropriate responsiveness to various instructional styles, and appropriate responsiveness to new and different environmental structures. Children may obtain these four competencies within the context of natural, literacy-rich classroom environments, in which they participate in authentic and personally meaningful language activities. The development of such literacy-based intervention programs that can prepare young children with disabilities for successful transitions is addressed in this article.
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