• FPG Launches Online Discussion of Issues Raised in Wall Street Journal Article on Inclusion
• NPDCI to Host Two Webinars

• New Book Provides Practical Approaches to Early Childhood Professional Development
• New Book Spotlights Speech & Language Issues Related to Down Syndrome and Fragile X
• New Resource to Promote Social Competence of Young Children

• FPG experts will be presenting at meetings around the world. Visit the FPG website for a complete list of upcoming presentations.
• Visit the FPG websitefor the latest news on FPG projects.

FPG Child Development Institute has created an online discussion regarding the issues raised in the Wall Street Journal’s November 27th article, entitled “Parents of Disabled Students Push for Separate Classes.”

The site, www1.fpg.unc.edu/community/npdci/wsj.cfm, provides an opportunity to exchange ideas and further discuss issues of inclusion.

FPG’s letter to the editor appeared in the December 6th issue of WSJ. Senior Scientist Pam Winton asserted, “Inclusion is like anything else. When done poorly, it doesn’t work. And simply calling something inclusion, does not make it so. In the most basic terms, inclusion flips the old special education model on its head. Instead of moving children to isolated classrooms to receive specialized services, inclusion requires that the services be brought to the child in the regular classroom—the same one that his or her typically developing peers attend. And far from the disastrous outcomes reported by the Wall Street Journal, when done correctly research shows that all children benefit—those with and without disabilities.”

FPG's National Professional Development Center on Inclusion (NPDCI will host two webinars as part of its new Community of Practice (CoP). To register, go to www.fpg.unc.edu/~npdci/community.

Materials related to each topic will be available in advance of the webinar. The webinar discussions will be guided by participants’ contributions and questions.

Webinar: Should Your State Apply to Partner with NPDCI?
Monday, January 14, 2008
3:00-5:00pm Eastern Time
Learn about the NPDCI state application process and if your state is a good fit. The webinar will introduce NPDCI’s conceptual framework and definition of professional development. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions of NPDCI team members and hear how NPDCI is coordinating with other federal projects that are working with states on cross-sector early childhood issues.

Primary Audience: Representatives from states considering applying to NPDCI to be selected for Cohort 2.

Webinar: Professional Development and Inclusion
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
3:00-5:00pm Eastern Time
What do we know about effective professional development? What strategies are states using to support personnel working in inclusive settings? This webinar will focus on what we know about professional development to support inclusion and specific strategies to support personnel.

Primary Audience: Anyone interested in the topic of professional development and early childhood inclusion.

Improving the early education of all young children, including those with special needs, begins with the effective preparation and development of the professionals who work with them. A new book, Practical Approaches to Early Childhood Professional Development: Evidence, Strategies and Resources, provides an organized and accessible format for building quality and qualifications into professional development programs.

The book is edited by Pamela Winton and Camille Catlett from FPG Child Development Institute (FPG) and Jeanette McCollum from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. They have pulled together leaders in the field who rely on evidence-based practice and their many years of experience to provide tools to guide the practice of professional development. The book includes a CD-ROM with hundreds of additional resources, including activities and course syllabi that can be used in both pre-service and in-service training.

“Ironically, stale methods like lectures and term papers are often used to teach early childhood professionals how to engage children in exciting and interesting activities,” said Pamela Winton, co-editor of the book and FPG senior scientist. “Yet, people become more motivated, engaged, and capable when their learning environments encourage choice, collaboration, and hands-on experiences. The chapter authors provide many examples of the value of such approaches to professional development.”

The book is written for anyone providing early childhood professional development, including faculty in associate, baccalaureate, or graduate programs; community-based trainers, consultants, education coordinators, state early childhood specialists, administrators; and others. Throughout the chapters, the authors discuss creating effective professional development related to many of the leading issues in the early childhood field, such as:

• Addressing cultural, linguistic and ability diversity both in professional development and in early childhood contexts,
• Creating inclusive settings and learning environments,
• Working in partnership with families, and
• Evaluating and sustaining professional development.

Spotlighting two of the most prevalent and researched genetically based disabilities—Down Syndrome and Fragile X syndrome—a new text co-edited by FPG Scientist Joanne Roberts clarifies the distinct speech and language issues associated with each disorder.

Speech & Language Development & Intervention in Down Syndrome & Fragile X Syndrome gives readers the up-to-date research and clinical insight to:

• fully understand both disabilities—the behaviors, characteristics, genetics, and treatments associated with each,
• see how speech and language develop across the lifespan, from infancy to adulthood,
• apply principles of effective assessment with people from every age group,
• use specific interventions to support key aspects of speech and language development,
• tailor assessment and intervention to an individual's communicative needs and abilities,
• tune into the family's perspective and encourage their ongoing involvement, and
• examine other disorders by using this research as a model for future practice.

Social Competence of Young Children: Risk, Disability, and Intervention, a new resource co-edited by FPG Director Sam Odom and colleagues, provides the latest research and effective strategies for those working with children from birth to age 5 who are at risk for or who have been identified with social competence difficulties.

This volume helps pre- and inservice early childhood general and special educators:

• Gain a deep and thorough foundation for understanding social competence,
• Examine key influences on social development—family, culture, classroom, and friendships,
• Pinpoint strategies for social interaction interventions specific to different populations—including children with disabilities and delays, and children living in poverty, and
• Understand the effects of autism, behavioral disorders, communication and language disorders, and severe disabilities on peer interactions and relationships.