NAEYC Professional Development Institute Presentation
Click the links below to view/download materials from the July 2007 presentation on DEC Recommended Practices by Sarah Mulligan and Lynette Chandler:

DEC Recommended Practices in Inclusion (in PDF format)
Presentation Slides (in Powerpoint format)
Presentation Slides (in PDF format)

DEC Publications
At the beginning of the 1990's DEC began to identify evidenced-based practices that work. These practices in early intervention/early childhood special education result in positive changes in child development and learning, family functioning, and attitudes attributed to services and supports for children from birth through age five and their families. What has evolved over nearly two decades of work is a set of practices to guide practitioners, parents, and faculty members. Recommended Practices are based on both scientific evidence and experiential knowledge and they are available in several DEC publications including:

These checklists are in Adobe PDF format and can be downloaded and copied without permission - distribution is encouraged!

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 to view the following files. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0, you can download it by clicking here.

Parent Checklist (PDF - 152kb)
Self-Assessment: Child-Focused Interventions (PDF - 72kb)
Administrator's Essentials (PDF - 95kb)

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DEC Recommended Practices Literature Sources
Research published in peer-reviewed professional journals from 1990 through 1998 was included in the literature review. Forty-eight journals relevant to the field of EI/ECSE were selected and reviewed. The criteria used to determine if an article would be included in the study were that the article (a) must be an original research report and (b) involved children with disabilities, birth through 5, families of children with disabilities birth through 5, personnel who serve them, or policies and systems change procedures that support effective practice with this population. Each article that met these criteria was analyzed for major aspects of research design and results and assigned to a category or "strand" of practice. Some articles were determined by reviewers to support more than one strand.

The literature review along with the results of focus groups of parents, practitioners and administrators produced a thoroughly supported synthesis of research and experienced-based knowledge about EI/ECSE practices for young children with disabilities birth through 5 and their families. This synthesis of evidence-based practices resulted in the 240 DEC Recommended Practices. The references for the articles included in the synthesis are offered here and are categorized by the "strand" of practice they were determined by reviewers to relate to.

Literature Lists:
Assessment Strand (93kb)
Child-Focused Practices Strand (179kb)
Family-Based Practices Strand (122kb)
Interdisciplinary Models Strand (72kb)
Technology Applications Strand (73kb)
Personnel Preparation Strand (87kb)
Policies, Procedures and Systems Change Strand (94kb)

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