Lesson 1: Foundations of Early Special Education

Attention

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to

• Recognize contributions of pioneers and leaders in early childhood education.
• Explain how early childhood education, special education, and compensatory education have contributed to what is currently termed Early Childhood Special Education.
• Define the term “compensatory education” and explain the benefits.
• Define and discuss the term “disability”

Teaching

Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, Robert Owen, and Friedrich Wilhelm Froebel are considered three influential pioneers in Early Childhood education. Their theories and principals were founded on the earlier works of Martin Luther, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (1746–1827)
Known for: Established early childhood education as a distinct discipline, stressing education of the whole child, parent involvement in early education, and multiage grouping.

Robert Owen (1771–1858)
Known for: Established Infant School in 1816, which served as a forerunner of kindergartens.

Friedrich Wilhelm Froebel (1782–1852)
Known for: "Father of the Kindergarten"; "Law of Universal Unity"; established first kindergarten (children's garden) in Germany in 1837; educational value and benefit in play; presented students with "gifts" (manipulatives) and "occupations" (activities).

Influential Leaders of the Twentieth Century

In the twentieth century, new philosophers and visionaries espoused differing theories on how children learned and flourished. These pioneers, emphasizing the work of G. Stanley Hall, used a scientific basis and observations of children to formulate ideas about the best educational opportunities for children.

John Dewey (1859–1952)
Known for: Progressivism: learning flows from the real-life interests of the child; My Pedagogic Creed; child-centered curriculum

Maria Montessori (1870–1952)
Known for: First female to earn a medical degree in Italy; Ph.D. in anthropology. Intelligence is not static or fixed, but influenced by sensory experience using didactic materials. Thought that children pass through sensitive periods; constructed an orderly or prepared environment; auto-education concept; teachers are facilitators and observers of children’s activities; Identified ten elements relevant to teaching young children with disabilities

Jean Piaget (1896–1980)
Known for: Development of knowledge in children and young adults; with Theodore Simon and Alfred Binet constructed the first test for assessing children’s intelligence; children learn very differently from adults; emphasis on maturation and environment. Four stages of cognitive development • Sensorimotor—knowledge is constructed through sensory and motor perception • Preoperational—emergence of language • Concrete operations—the beginning of logical, systematic thinking • Formal operations—Abstract thinking, logical thinking, problem solving

Lev Semenovich Vygotsky (1896–1934)
Known for: Mind in Society (1978); children are products of social and cultural environments; zone of proximal development; scaffolding; "Father of Soviet Defectology" (special education); early advocate of integration

The Development of Special Education

The historical roots of early childhood education have had a significant impact on the development of Early Childhood Special Education. Services for young children with disabilities today still emphasize parent involvement, child-centered curriculum, and interventions grounded in theories of child development.

Jean Marc Gaspard Itard (1775–1838)
Known for: Educating Victor (wild boy of Aveyron) through operant procedures; “Father of Special Education”

Edouard Seguin (1812–1880)
Known for: Sensory motor activities; assessment of a youngster’s strengths and needs coupled with intervention plan to remediate specific disabilities; considered one of the first early interventionists

The Establishment of Institutions

In the early 1800’s, residential programs were developed for young children with disabilities. The intent of these institutions was to provide training and education in a protective environment. Eventually, the conditions in these institutions deteriorated and they provided custodial care, and often isolation.

1. Samuel Gridley Howe (1801–1876): establishment of residential programs, i.e., New England Asylum for the Blind (Perkins School) early 1830s
2. Dorothea Dix (1802–1887) established state institutions for people believed to be mentally ill.

Special Education in Public Schools

After WW II, there was a heightened awareness of the needs of Americans with disabilities. The institutions were overcrowded and were not meeting the needs of the disabled population of the country. Special education became the focus of legislation, increased funding, and social and political advocacy. In 1975, cogress passed the landmark Education for All Handicapped Children Act (also known as EHA or PL 94–142). In 1986, congress amended the act and renamed it the Individuals with Disabilities Act (also known as IDEA or PL 99–457).

What is a Compensatory Education program?

Compensatory programs are programs that are designed to compensate for or ameliorate the environmental conditions and early learning experiences of young children living in poverty. The programs are intended to prepare children with special needs for the school experience. Over the years, the government has produced several of these programs. While these programs were not originally designed for young children with special needs, they introduced the concept of early intervention with the premise that “by providing educational and environmental experiences that might better prepare students for the school experience (Gearheart, Mullen, & Gearhart, 1993: p. 385)

Some of these programs are:

• Project Head Start (1965) was a result of the 1964 Economic Opportunity act. It was the first nationwide compensatory education program and was a federally funded program with the goal to fight War on Poverty. This was a visionary program model that focused on Total development of the child; strengthening the family unit; comprehensive child development services; no less than 10% enrollment of children with special needs (PL 92–424)
• Project Follow-Through (1967) was developed in response to controversy surrounding the effectiveness of Head Start efforts.
• Home Start (1972) put the Head Start model services into the home, with focus on low income families with preschool-aged children.
• Early Head Start (1994) is a program for infants and toddlers, birth-to-three and pregnant women.

Why are compensatory programs important?

Research evidence unequivocally illustrates that early intervention generates positive academic outcomes and significantly improves quality of participants’ later lives. In fact, both the Carolina Abecedarian Project (1972) and the Perry Preschool Project focus on improving cognitive skills, thereby increasing chances for later scholastic success.

Assessment

Lesson 1 Quiz

1. _______________________, a Swiss educator, is credited with establishing early childhood education as a distinct discipline.
2. _______________ is known to be the “Father of the Kindergarten.”
3. In Froebel’s curriculum, the term “gifts” refers to _________.
4. In Froebel’s curriculum, “occupations” were _________.
5. Montessori developed an innovative, activity-based sensory education model involving teaching, or ______________.
6. Jean Piaget introduced the concept of _________________ wherein cognitive structures are established.
7. __________________ occur(s) when a child is able to integrate new experiences and information into existing schemes.
8. The 1975 legislation of IDEA is _____________.
9. This project was conceived as an early intervention effort aimed at reducing the potential for school failure in disadvantaged young children from low socioeconomic communities.
10. Briefly define and list the benefits of the term compensatory education.

Lesson 1 Discussion

Read the letter Welcome to Holland. After reading the letter, take some time to think about what you have read. What are your reactions to this letter? Do you share the author’s point-of-view or do you have a different perspective? How would you define disability?

For full credit in the graded discussions you need to post at least ONE response to the prompt in the Lesson and reply to at leaset TWO other students' posts. Your reply posts must be substantive. Please see the grading rubric in the Syllabus for this course for more details. These instrucitons apply to all the graded discussions in this course and will not be repeated.