This document provides an overview of principles and theories in early childhood special education. It discusses the foundations and philosophy of early childhood special education, focusing on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The document also profiles several experts who made significant contributions to the field, including Jean Marc Gaspard Itard, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, Samuel Gridley Howe, Dorothea Dix, G. Stanley Hall, Anne Sullivan Macy, and Margaret Bancroft. Their pioneering work established concepts in child development, education for the deaf and blind, advocacy for those with disabilities, and specialized programs tailored to individual needs.

1. Principles and Theories in
Early Childhood SpEd
Presented to:
Dr. Flordeliza R. Magday
University of Perpetual Help Dalta (UPHD)
Las Piñas City, Philippines
Presenter:
Mr. Juanito Q. Pineda
MASE 422-Early Intervention Program for
Children with Developmental Delay
August 2017
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

2. Content Outline
• Objectives
• Foundation of Early
Childhood SpEd
• Philosophy of Early
Childhood SpEd
• Experts and their
significant contributions
on Early Childhood
SpEd

3. Objectives
• Explain the Foundation of Early
Childhood SpEd
• Distinguish the Philosophy of
Early Childhood SpEd and other
related philosophies
• Determine the experts and their
significant contributions on Early
Childhood SpEd

4. Foundation of Early Childhood
Special Education
Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) is
a federal and state mandated program for
program for young children with
developmental delays and disabilities.

5. • Not a place nor a specific
program
• A designed instruction
• No cost to parents
• Addresses the unique needs
that result from a child’s
disability
• Ensures access to the
general education curriculum
so that each child can meet
the educational standards that
Early Childhood Special Education

6. Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA)
Ensures that all children with
disabilities, including children
with developmental delays,
who require special education
to meet their educational
needs are provided a free
and appropriate public education
(FAPE) in the least restrictive
environment (LRE) in
their individual needs.

7. Six Principles of
Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA)
1) A Free Appropriate Public
Education (FAPE)
2) Appropriate Evaluation
3) Individualized Education
Program (IEP)
4) Least Restrictive Environment
(LRE)
5) Parent and Student
Participation in Decision
Making

8. Philosophy of Early Childhood
Special Education
• Instructional strategies, curriculum adaptations, and
behavioral interventions are applied in the Least
Restrictive Environment
• The Least Restrictive Environment can range from
regular classroom placement with consultation
services provided to the student and/or teacher
to full time support within a special education
classroom or a special school.
• Teachers promote the concept of inclusion by
applying one of three best practices: in-class
support, co-teaching, and consultation with
classroom teachers.
• The IEP team decides which practice will best
Each individual with a disability is entitled
to the support necessary to maximize his/
her potential given the resources.

9. Other Related Types Of
Early Childhood Program Philosophies
Cognitive Based Philosophy
Montessori
Play Based Philosophy
Waldorf

10. • Young children learn through
active exploration in an
environment which is rich in
materials and opportunities to
converse, socialize, work, play
and negotiate with others.
• Classrooms are planned to
encourage curiosity, exploration,
and problem-solving in an
atmosphere of warmth, affection,
and respect for each child.
• Teachers plan experiences
based on children’s interests
Cognitive Based Philosophy

11. 1. acceptance and expression of both
positive and negative feelings
2. cognitive growth and development
3. development of a positive self-
concept
4. emergent literacy development
5. positive ways of interacting with
peers and adults
6. respect for the individuality and
rights of others
7. small and large muscle
development
8. the growth of independence and
self-sufficiency
Cognitive Based
Philosophy’s Goals

12. • Montessori is both a
philosophy and a method of
educating children created by
Maria Montessori.
• Children have a natural
desire to learn and that,
when they are placed in an
enriched environment with
specially designed materials
and highly trained teachers.
• Children learn quickly and
Montessori

13. • Playing to Learn/Learning to Play
High-quality early childhood
programs teach children to think
creatively so they may succeed in
a complex and ever-changing
world.
• Purposeful play is developmentally
appropriate and a significant
element of any early childhood
program.
• Play is a way of learning for
children.
• During a typical preschool day,
Play Based Philosophy

14. 1. Children are encouraged to
make choices and practice
individual decision-making.
2. Children are viewed as thinkers,
reflecting about their world.
3. Children gain knowledge by
building on a path of ever-
increasing knowledge.
4. Purposeful play is when children
learn through the process of
their efforts.
Values that Support Learning
through Play

15. Learning Environments that Support
Purposeful Play
1. a library area
2. a quiet area for the
child who needs to
be alone
3. ample and rich
language and print
4. art materials and tools
to explore
5. blocks of various sizes
and materials
6. computer exploration
7. cooking experiences
8. manipulative and table
toys
9. materials and time for
dramatic, imaginative
play
10. music and movement
activities
11. outdoor and gross
motor play
12. sensory play
materials, including
sand and water
13. writing tools and
materials

16. • Rooted in the ideals, insights,
and pedagogical methods of
Rudolf Steiner, philosopher, social
innovator and artist
• Provides a diverse student body
with an education that supports
the development of free thinking,
self-directed young adults, ready
to embark on the next phase of
their education, and eager to
contribute positively to our world
and the global society of the
21st century.
Waldorf

17. SpEd Experts and their
Contributions
• 1775- 1838 : Jean Marc Gaspard Itard
• 1787- 1851 : Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet
• 1801- 1876 : Samuel Gridley Home
• 1802- 1887 : Dorothea Dix
• 1844- 1924 : G. Stanley Hall
• 1866- 1936 : Anne Sullivan Macy
• 1854- 1912 : Margaret Bancroft

18. • French physician who was an authority
on diseases of the ear and on the
education of students who were deaf
• the person to whom most historians
trace the beginning of special
education as we know it today
• His techniques and willingness to stand
up for the cause of “Victor the Wild
Boy” were very influential to the
training and education programs of the
time.
Jean Marc Gaspard Itard

19. Revolutionary Ideas of Itard
• a carefully sequenced series of
educational tasks
• belief that every child should be
educated to the greatest extent possible
• emphasis on stimulation and awakening
of the child’s senses
• immediate reward for correct
performance
• individualized instruction
• meticulous arrangement of the child’s
environment
• tutoring in functional skills

20. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet
• an education pioneer
• established the American School for the
Deaf
• filled with compassion for the neglected
people in society and aware of the non-
availability of resources for the deaf
• began a study of sign language and
European methods of education for the
deaf after meeting Alice Cogswell, a
nine-year-old deaf girl

21. Samuel Gridley Home
• American physician, educator, and
abolitionist
• founding director of the New-England
Institution for the Education of the Blind
(Perkins School for the Blind) and
Massachusetts School for Idiotic and
Feeble-Minded Youth
• championed the improvement of
publicly funded schools and lip-reading
for the deaf
• funded the first residential school for
“idiots” (as intellectually disabled people
were called at that time).

22. • American educator, social reformer, and
humanitarian
• devoted to the welfare of the mentally ill
that led to widespread international
reforms
• requested Congress to grant more than 12
million acres of land as a public endowment
to be used for the benefit of the mentally ill
as well as the blind and deaf
Dorothea Lynde Dix

23. • American psychologist
• established the concept of child
psychology and founded Clark University
• considered a pioneer of child and
educational psychology
• his ideas influenced Sigmund Freud and
Charles Darwin
G. Stanley Hall

24. • a gifted teacher
• best known for her work with Helen
Keller, a blind and deaf child she taught
to communicate and read Braille
• helped Keller write her autobiography
Anne Sullivan Macy

25. • pioneer of Special Education
• devoted to children with disabilities
• founded the Haddonfield School for the
Mentally Deficient and Peculiarly Backward
• championed the cause of children with
developmental disabilities
• fought for their right to adequate care and
education until her death
• created a specialized program for the
physical, mental and spiritual growth of each
particular student
• valued the importance of proper nutrition,
personal hygiene, exercise, daily prayers,
sensory and artistic development and lessons
suited to mental age
Margaret Bancroft

26. Final
Thought!
“Special children must have special schools
with well-trained teachers who used materials
adapted to those children’s capabilities. They
should not be abandoned to state institutions
where conditions were appallingly
inhumane.”- Margaret Bancroft

27. Resources
1) IDEA-Individual with Disabilities Education Act. [Online]
[Available] https://sites.ed.gov/idea/about-idea/
2) Early Childhood Special Education. [Online] [Available]
http://www.ride.ri.gov/InstructionAssessment/EarlyChildhoodEduca
tion/EarlyChildhoodSpecialEducation.aspx
3) Six Principles of IDEA [Online] [Available]
http://askresource.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Six-Principles-
of-IDEA.pdf
4) Museum of Disability History. [Online] [Available]
http://museumofdisability.org/exhibits/past/pantheon-of-disability-
history/jean-marc-gaspard-itard/
5) Jean- Marc- Gaspard Itard (1775-1838). [Online] [Available]
http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/reference/champions/pdf/
JeanMarcGaspardItard%20.pdf
6) Thomas Gallaudet Biography.com. [Online] [Available]
https://www.biography.com/people/thomas-gallaudet-9305354
7) Mikle, Shielonda (2003). Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet .
[Online] [Available] http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-
layout/gallaudet-thomas-hopkins3.htm
8) Trent, James W., Jr. Samuel Gridley Howe. [Online]
[Available] https://www.britannica.com/biography/Samuel-Gridley-
Howe
9) The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. Dorothea Dix
American Social Reformer . [Online] [Available]
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dorothea-Dix
10) Dwyer Family Foundation. Margaret Bancroft: devoted to

28. Photo Credits
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