The Portage Project: A Model for Early Childhood Education

Abstract

This article describes an intervention program serving 75 preschool multiply handicapped children living in a rural area. Ages of the children ranged from birth to 6 years. All instruction took place in the child's home. Individualized curriculum was prescribed and demonstrated by a home teacher who visited each parent and child 1 day per week for 1% hours. During the week, the parents taught the prescribed curriculum and recorded the child's resultant behavior on a daily basis. The results of the project indicate that handicapped children can progress above their expected developmental rate and that parents can initiate, observe, and accurately record this change.