Special Education Practices with Young Handicapped Children

Abstract

A questionnaire was distributed to a representative sample of teachers of birth to six-year-old handicapped children from Connecticut. The questionnaire asked teachers to describe their current instructional practices, their attitudes related to these practices, and their perceptions of the factors that impeded their services. Teachers reported using a variety of curricula including test protocols, specially designed curricula for handicapped children, and traditional preschool curricula. Almost all teachers used IEPs, and the majority taught children in groups using structured didactic methods. Teachers felt that they were highly successful at achieving their instructional goals. They had very positive attitudes about their in. structional procedures which they felt did not impede their effectiveness as teachers. The implications of these findings for teacher training are discussed.