Competencies and Training Needs For Early Childhood Inclusion Specialists

Abstract

This study investigated perceptions of competence, training, and importance ofprofessional skills related to inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood settings. Four groups were surveyed for a total of 172 respondents, including parents of children with disabilities, professionals in early childhood programs, university-based trainers, and preservice students. Respondents completed a survey indicating their perceptions of professional competence or training, as well as importance of skills in five domains: (a) working with families, (b) performance-based assessment, (c) interdisciplinary team functioning, (d) consultation, and (e) challenging behaviors/attention deficits. In addition to validating competencies that are important for early childhood inclusion specialists, we compared perceptions across respondent groups. In all skill domains, parents rated professionals' competence lower than did the professionals themselves; there was no difference between faculty and students in their ratings of training. Importance ratings differed among the four groups in two domains, teaming and challenging behaviors. Implications for interdisciplinary training efforts are discussed.