Supporting Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education

Looking for explicit, practical guidance on supporting culturally and linguistically diverse young children? Planning a college course or in-service workshop on cross-cultural competence? Start with this complete professional development resource for early interventionists and special educators, a guided tour of four key issues professionals will encounter as they work with culturally and linguistically diverse children and families.

Filled with insightful interviews and how-to suggestions based on recommended practices, the four in-depth episodes on this DVD prepare professionals to

1. Plan activities and routines that reflect the diversity of children in the class. Go inside an inclusive, culturally diverse preschool, and watch the educators work together to embed children's home languages in everyday routines. Viewers will see examples in action as teachers and children sing a greeting song in Spanish, taste foods from different cultures, use books and art projects to explore diversity, and more.
2. Partner with families to support dual language learning. Get rare personal insight into the experience of bilingual families of children with special needs. Viewers will meet three diverse families; learn about their hopes, beliefs, and concerns; and see first-hand how bilingual parents support children's dual language development at home. An SLP highlights the benefits of learning two languages and offers suggestions for supporting children's dual language learning.
3. Conduct culturally responsive early intervention. Four culturally and linguistically diverse early interventionists share their experiences working with families of different cultural and linguistic backgrounds, discuss contrasting perspectives, and give viewers practical guidance on helping families promote early language development.
4. Collaborate with interpreters. What are the characteristics of effective interpreters, and how can teachers and interventionists partner with them to benefit families? Viewers will find out&; and learn from simulations of a meeting and home visit with a parent, teacher, and interpreter.

Early childhood professionals will also get 15 helpful PDF resources (printable from the DVD), including discussion questions, blank planning forms, learning activities from each chapter on the DVD, guidelines for working with interpreters, relevant terminology, and interpreter qualifications.

Whether used in college courses, staff training, or independent study, this DVD gives teachers and interventionists vivid foundational knowledge they'll use year after year to plan high-quality, culturally responsive services.