Off the Shelf: Incorporating DEC Recommended Practices in Individual, Organization, & Agency Work
Camille Catlett
Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute camille.catlett@unc.edu
1.
What are the Recommended Practices?
PDF document http://www.dec-sped.org/recommendedpractices
Online edition http://ectacenter.org/decrp/decrp.asp
2.
Contextualizing the Recommended
Practices
3.
Do You See the Recommended Practices?
Recommended Practice for Interaction
Susan P. Maude
Independent Consultant susanmaude@aol.com
INT1. Practitioners promote the child’s social-emotional development by observing, interpreting, and responding contingently to the range of the child’s emotional expressions.
INT 2. 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.
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, or 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.
Observed?
Handouts from this presentation are available to download at http://fpg.unc.edu/presentations/shelf 1

Resources for Learning About and Using the Recommended Practices
Activities/Assignments
 Introduction to Early Childhood Education http://scriptnc.fpg.unc.edu/resources/ideas-and-strategiesincorporating-dec-recommended-practices-introduction-early-childhood-
 Child Development http://scriptnc.fpg.unc.edu/resources/ideas-and-strategies-incorporating-dec-recommendedpractices-child-development-conception-

Child, Family and Community http://scriptnc.fpg.unc.edu/resources/child-family-and-community-ideas-andstrategies-incorporating-dec-recommended-practices
 Health, Safety, and Nutrition http://scriptnc.fpg.unc.edu/resources/ideas-and-strategies-incorporating-decrecommended-practices-health-safety-and-nutrition
 Infants, Toddlers, and Twos http://scriptnc.fpg.unc.edu/resources/ideas-and-strategies-incorporating-decrecommended-practices-infants-toddlers-and-twos

Language and Literacy http://scriptnc.fpg.unc.edu/resources/language-and-literacy-ideas-and-strategiesincorporating-dec-recommended-practices
 Social-Emotional Development/Child Guidance http://scriptnc.fpg.unc.edu/resources/social-emotionaldevelopment-child-guidance-ideas-and-strategies-incorporating-dec-recomme
Compilations
Resources to Support the Use of DEC’s Recommended Practices http://fpg.unc.edu/presentations/shelf
Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center Resources
Recommended Practices Resources http://ectacenter.org/decrp/
→Interaction Resources http://ectacenter.org/decrp/topic-interaction.asp
Performance Checklists http://ectacenter.org/decrp/type-checklists.asp
→Interaction Checklists http://ectacenter.org/decrp/type-checklists.asp
→Adult-Child Interaction Checklist http://ectacenter.org/~pdfs/decrp/INT-1_Adult-Child_Interaction.pdf
Illustrations http://ectacenter.org/decrp/type-illustrations.asp
Practice Guides for Practitioners http://ectacenter.org/decrp/type-pgpractitioner.asp
→Interaction Practice Guide for Practitioners: Peer Interaction http://ectacenter.org/~pdfs/decrp/ECTAprac_PeerInteraction_PRACT_print.pdf
Practice Guides for Families http://ectacenter.org/decrp/type-pgfamily.asp
→Interaction Practice Guide for Practitioners: Peer Interaction http://ectacenter.org/~pdfs/decrp/ECTAprac_PeerInteraction_PARENT_print.pdf
Planning Tools
Smith, B. J., et al. (2015). Planning guide to statewide implementation, scale-up, and sustainability of recommended practices: RP 2 : Reaching potentials through recommended practices. Chapel Hill, NC: Early
Childhood Technical Assistance Center. http://ectacenter.org/~pdfs/implement_ebp/ECTA_RP_StateGuide_2-2015.pdf
Publications
Purper, C. J., VanderPyl, T., & Juarez, S. W. (2015). Resources to increase practitioners’ knowledge and use of evidence-based practices. Young Exceptional Children, DOI: 10.1177/1096250615598814. Available online but is in press.
DEC Recommended Practices: Enhancing Services for Young Children with Disabilities and Their Families
Handouts from this presentation are available to download at http://fpg.unc.edu/presentations/shelf 2

Webinars

Performance Checklists for Facilitating Practitioner Use of DEC Recommended Practices https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsqNeHsBjtE

Recognizing and Performing the DEC Recommended Practices https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz6u6fcvGeQ
4.
Using the Recommended Practices
In DEC subdivisions

Use as a needs assessment to conduct with members of your state subdivision. Obtain the membership list from DEC if you have not already. Can then use those data to link with local, regional, or state professional development efforts.

Advocate usage with your state professional development efforts (see in conferences and state professional development listings below)
In meetings
 Have copies of the Recommended Practices out on tables for ongoing review and guidance?
In planning

Create a grid to show alignment between the Recommended Practices and state standards, national standards (e.g., NAEYC) or other frameworks
In conferences and presentations

Make Recommended Practices the theme of the conference (include in call for proposals, organize conference program around RP)

Require presenters to identify alignment between content and the Recommended Practices o Organize evaluation questions around the Recommended Practices (have end of session forms identify which practices were covered and evaluate o Samples posted at http://fpg.unc.edu/presentations/shelf
In publications
 Require authors to identify alignment between content and the Recommended Practices
 Incorporate a regular column or example in ongoing publications
In college courses

Incorporate activities and assignments (see activities and assignments in previous section)

Check Your Assignment Alignment - posted at http://fpg.unc.edu/presentations/shelf
In state professional development systems

Develop or use needs assessments designed around the Recommended Practices. Examples will be posted at (to be posted) for early interventionists, early childhood/early childhood special educators, related or support personnel, and/or those involved in leadership roles.

Require state-approved trainers to participate in professional development on the Recommended
Practices

Require state-approved trainers to incorporate an emphasis on the Recommended Practices in their offerings
Handouts from this presentation are available to download at http://fpg.unc.edu/presentations/shelf 3

Using the Recommended Practices: Your Ideas
Role/Context
Opportunities to Incorporate the Recommended Practices
Individual Professional
Professional
Development
Program
DEC or other agency/organization
State
5.
Using the Recommended Practices: What Will You Do?
Handouts from this presentation are available to download at http://fpg.unc.edu/presentations/shelf 4