Amy Jo Sanner

Date of Award

8-1991

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of an Early Childhood Special Education program in a small city in northeastern North Dakota. The study examined the classroom placements and supportive services required by two hundred seventy two (272) preschool aged handicapped children prior to, during, and subsequent to their participation in the early intervention program. Children included in the study had attended the preschool program some time between the 1984-1985 school year and the 1990-1991 school year.

The following research questions were posed: 1) What types of children, based on primary handicapping condition, require a less restrictive level of special education service subsequent to early intervention? 2) What changes occur in the child's diagnostic category as the child increases in chronological age? 3) Which types of children did not remain in special education subsequent to their completion of the early intervention program? 4) Of the children who did not require further special education services following early intervention, which of these children re-entered the special education system in the elementary grades?

Data were collected following a search of student files, and subgroups were developed based on; primary handicapping condition diagnostic categories, sex, and location of early intervention program. Analysis of data yielded the following responses to the above mentioned research questions: 1) Children whose primary handicap was listed as speech impaired, hearing impaired, severely emotionally disturbed, or were identified as having Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) were most likely to attend regular classes and receive some type of therapy 2-3 times per week; 2) Children in this sample did not frequently change primary handicapping condition labels as they matured, with the exception of children later identified as learning disabled; 3) Children labeled at risk, other health impaired, or whose primary diagnosis was ADHD were most likely to successfully exit special services; and, 4) A small percentage of children were decertified, only to be re-identified and require some sort of support later in their elementary school careers.

It was the conclusion of this study that: a) efficacy of the system used to identify children eligible for early intervention needed to be explored; b) more support needed to be offered to parents of preschoolers; c) options for integration of nonhandicapped and handicapped preschoolers needed to be expanded; d) data on families and health/ developmental histories of the children needed to be recorded and maintained; and, e) children viewed as being at risk for learning disabilities needed to be identified as such upon exiting the early intervention.

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