DEC RECOMMENDED PRACTICES ARE HERE! NOW…HOW CAN WE ENSURE THEY ARE

USED?Pam Winton, DEC Recommended Practice Commissioner

Carol Trivette, DEC Board Member

Presentation at 15th National Early Childhood Inclusion Institute

May 13, 2015

LEARNER OBJECTIVES• Learn about the newly revised DEC Recommended

Practices and understand how they are uniquely suited for active implementation

• Learn about a draft plan for dissemination and product development

• Generate ideas for ensuring dissemination and product development to support the implementation of the practices across all ECE sectors and roles

2014 DEC RECOMMENDED PRACTICES: DEVELOPMENT

• Since 2011, a 13 member Recommended Practices Commission appointed by DEC has been working with the support of the ECTA Center to guide the revisions process.

• The goal of the Recommended Practices is to inform

and improve the quality of services provided to young children with or at risk of disabilities or delays and their families.

DEC PRACTICE PARAMETERS

• Population focus: Practitioners and leaders who work with young children, birth-5 (through kindergarten), who have or are at risk for developmental delays and disabilities; not limited to those eligible for IDEA services (e.g. children with severe challenging behavior)

• Practices build on, but do not duplicate, standards for typical early childhood settings (e.g. NAEYC DAP)

MORE PARAMETERS

• Practices are observable• Practices are written in active voice• Practices are not disability specific• Practices can be delivered in all settings

including natural/inclusive environments

HOW DEVELOPED: ITERATIVE CYCLES

RP Commission Framework, Parameters, Definitions

ECTA Support

Topic Work Groups:Develop

practices and nominate evidence.

Commission reviews

practices and evidence

nominated. Provides

feedback.

Topic Work Groups: Revise practices and

nominated evidence.

Ongoing revisions

and updates

Ongoing evidence

validation.

THE PRACTICES: 8 TOPIC AREAS

•Leadership•Assessment•Environment•Family

• Instruction• Interaction•Teaming and Collaboration

•Transition

PRACTICES DOCUMENT

WHERE YOU CAN FIND THEM• http://www.decrecpractices.org/• http://www.dec-sped.org/recommendedpractices

WHAT MAKES 2014 DEC RECOMMENDED PRACTICES UNIQUELY SUITED TO IMPLEMENTATION (WITH THANKS TO NIRN AND M. VAN DYKE’S INCLUSION INSTITUTE SESSION TODAY)

Interaction:Sensitive and responsive interactional practices. They represent a critical set of strategies for fostering children’s social-emotional competence, communication, cognitive development, problem- solving, autonomy, and persistence.

.

Practices Have Definitions in Introduction

INTERACTION

INT1. Practitioners promote the child’s social-emotional development by observing, interpreting, and responding contingently to the range of the child’s emotional expressions

INT2. Practitioners promote the child’s social development by encouraging the child to initiate or sustain positive interactions with other children and adults during routines and activities through modeling, teaching, feedback, and/or other types of guided support.

Operational Definitions in Specific Practices

Multiple Practices Provide Additional Specificity

• INT3. Practitioners promote the child’s communication development by observing, interpreting, responding contingently, and providing natural consequences for the child's verbal and non-verbal communication and by using language to label and expand on the child’s requests, needs, preferences, or interests.

• INT4. Practitioners promote the child’s cognitive development by observing, interpreting, and responding intentionally to the child's exploration, play, and social activity by joining in and expanding on the child's focus, actions, and intent.

• INT5. Practitioners promote the child’s problem-solving behavior by observing, interpreting, and scaffolding in response to the child’s growing level of autonomy and self-regulation

Examples Encourage Broad Application & Provide More Specificity

INTERACTION• INT1. Practitioners promote the child’s social-emotional development by

observing, interpreting, and responding contingently to the range of the child’s emotional expressions.

• Examples:• A home visitor models positive interactions for the parents by commenting on

what a great helper the child is when he joins her in gathering up the toys they have been using.

• An early interventionist is responsive to the child’s initiations by “reading” and interpreting her nonverbal cues, anticipating her desires and waiting for her to give a clear signal of that desire, and then following her lead in play.

• An early childhood teacher smiles frequently at children, shows genuine pleasure to be in the company of children, and shows authentic approval of each child’s accomplishments

WE NEED YOUR HELPOUR GOAL: To ensure that all ECE

sectors & roles know about and implement DEC RP now

DEC DISSEMINATION & PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PLAN DRAFT

• A draft product development and dissemination plan has been developed by a DEC ad hoc group

• New DEC ad hoc group will continue to develop (Using YOUR ideas) and implement the plan

• WE invite you to be ambassadors and implementers of the plan

CONSIDERING TARGET AUDIENCE

• Sectors: Preschool Disabilities/Special Education; Part C; Head Start; Early Head Start; Infant Toddler/Home Visiting; Public Pre-K; Child Care; Family Support; Mental Health, others

• Roles: Practitioners; Administrators; Faculty and PD Providers (e.g., coaches); Researchers; Family members; others

CONSIDERING LEVEL OF IMPACT DESIRED FOR TARGET AUDIENCE

• Awareness level• Knowledge/Understanding level• Skills/Implementation (with fidelity) level

HTTP://NIRN.FPG.UNC.EDU

Fixsen, D. L., Naoom, S. F., Blase, K. A., Friedman, R. M. & Wallace, F. (2005). Implementation Research: A Synthesis of the Literature. Tampa, FL: University of South Florida, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, The National Implementation Research Network (FMHI Publication #231).

Implementation Research: A Synthesis of the Literature

Considering Implementation Science (Van Dyke presentation today)

RESEARCH TO PRACTICE GAP

RESEARCH PRACTICEGAPIMPLEMENTATION

– Implementation gap• We don’t use innovations with fidelity

• We don’t build capacity to sustain innovations

• We don’t scale innovations to provide benefits to citizens and society

Research to Practice Gap (NIRN)

• INTERVENTIONS• Well defined, effective interventions that are teachable,

learnable, doable, and readily assessable

• STAGES • Developmental implementation guidance

• DRIVERS• Critical program and organizational supports that are needed

to implement and scale-up effective practices

• TEAMS• The group that guides and manages the implementation and

scale-up process

• IMPROVEMENT CYCLES• The processes that support teams and organizations efficiently

to solve problems and get better

MAKING IT HAPPEN

Interventions

Stages

Drivers

Improvement Cycles

Teams

©Copyright Dean Fixsen and Karen Blase 

Active Implementation Frameworks (NIRN)

SMALL GROUP ACTIVITYDivide into sector-related groups of 6-8 people:

Preschool special educationEarly interventionEarly care & education (Head Start, EHS,

child care, pre-k)Identify a note-taker and facilitatorBriefly introduce yourself and your role (practitioner, administrator, PD provider, family member) within your sector

SHARE YOUR PERSPECTIVE AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF YOUR SECTOR

AND ROLE How relevant are the DEC RP for your sector and your role?

What specific dissemination strategies and products would enhance your awareness and knowledge of the practices? Be as specific as you can (e.g., article in xx,yy,zz newsletter)

What products and PD strategies would affect your ability to implement the practices with fidelity?

What can you do to be an ambassador of the DEC RP? Think about the “Drivers” of implementation (e.g., leadership, organization, and personnel)

REFERENCES

2014 DEC Recommended Practices http://www.dec-sped.org/recommendedpractices

Fixsen, D., Blase, K., Metz, A., & Van Dyke, M. (2013). Statewide implementation of evidence-based programs. Exceptional Children (Special Issue), 79(2), 213-230.

THANK YOU