Relationship of preschool special education outcomes to instructional practices and parent-child interaction.
Preschool teaching style didn’t change developmental speed—parent interaction style did.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team watched three kinds of preschool special-ed classes. One was very structured. One was play-based. One mixed both styles.
They tracked how fast kids in each class gained new skills. They also watched how parents played with the kids at home.
What they found
Kids moved ahead at the same speed no matter which class they attended. The big difference was Mom or Dad’s style during play. Warm, chatty parents had kids who learned faster.
How this fits with other research
Richman et al. (2001) showed that group discrete-trial lessons do boost correct answers. Gerald saw no speed change. The gap is simple: M looked at single skills right after teaching; Gerald looked at overall development over months.
Jobin (2019) found that some kids do better with strict DTT and others with play-like PRT. Gerald’s wide mix of delays may have hidden those child-to-child differences, so the averages looked flat.
Lam et al. (2019) bundled many methods together and saw big gains. Gerald tested one style at a time. The bundle study shows that when you add speech, OT, and high hours, the mix matters—even if one style alone does not.
Gabis et al. (2020) taught parents PCIT skills and cut problem behavior. Gerald only measured parents who were not trained. Together the papers say: train the adults, not the room layout.
Why it matters
Stop hunting for the “best” classroom model. Spend your energy coaching parents instead. Add brief parent sessions to your preschool plan. Teach warm, responsive play skills. Track the child’s rate after each parent boost—you may see the real jump there.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Developmental outcomes attained by children receiving preschool special education services in relationship to both the general instructional approach used by their teachers and their parents' style of interaction were examined. The sample included 70 children from 41 Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) classrooms. The type of instructional model children received was determined by dividing the sample into three clusters based upon six global ratings of children's classroom environment: Choice; Cognitive Problem-Solving; Child-Initiated Learning; Developmental Match; Child-Centered Routines; and Rewards and Discipline Strategies. Based on this analysis, 27 children were classified as receiving developmental instruction; 15 didactic instruction; and 28 naturalistic instruction. Observations of parent-child interaction collected at the beginning and end of the year were classified along four dimensions using the Maternal Behavior Rating Scale: Responsiveness, Affect, Achievement Orientation and Directiveness. Results indicated that the kinds of experiences that children received varied significantly across the three instructional models. However, there were no significant differences in the impact of these instructional models on children's rate of development. Regression analyses indicated that children's rate of development at the end of intervention was significantly related to their parents' style of interaction but was unrelated to the type of instructional model they received.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2004 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2004.04.001