Articles
Recent Articles
New to TTAC? What I Wish I had Known as an ECSE Practitioner
If you’ve found yourself reading this article, you are in the right place for useful resources on supporting our young children in any educational environment. As the newest member of our Early Childhood Education Specialist Trio at ODU’s Training and Technical Assistance Center, I am excited to start making these meaningful connections. Read More New to TTAC? What I Wish I had Known as an ECSE Practitioner
Enhancing Communication in Early Childhood Classrooms
Effective communication is fundamental in any educational setting, but it holds particular importance in early childhood classrooms serving children with language delays. Improving communication within these environments not only fosters better learning outcomes but also enhances social skills and emotional development. The strategies below can be used to optimize communication in early childhood classrooms to best… Read More Enhancing Communication in Early Childhood Classrooms
Improving Early Childhood Inclusion: A Month-by-Month Action Plan for ECSE Leaders
“…even the smallest actions are steps in the right direction.” Author Unknown Embarking on the journey of building high-quality inclusive early childhood programs can be daunting for school division leaders. While the Training and Technical Assistance Center at ODU offers technical assistance to school divisions in the region, the process of implementing these changes can… Read More Improving Early Childhood Inclusion: A Month-by-Month Action Plan for ECSE Leaders
New Social-Emotional Learning Resources for the Summer Countdown
As the end of the school year approaches, there continue to be valuable opportunities to help children develop important problem-solving and self-regulation skills. Fortunately, many resources and additions to the TTAC ODU library are now available to help educators make the most of these teachable moments. Use this homestretch to promote learning and skill-building for… Read More New Social-Emotional Learning Resources for the Summer Countdown
Three Ways ECSE Leaders Can Improve Data Quality
In the tech world, the phrase “garbage in, garbage out,” is the idea that the quality of output is always determined by the quality of input (Market Business News, 2023). If data is entered incorrectly into a system, the output is unreliable. An example of “garbage” input would be an early childhood special education (ECSE) teacher entering… Read More Three Ways ECSE Leaders Can Improve Data Quality
Online Learning
Online Learning Opportunities
ASD Toddler Initiative: Learning Modules
These free learning modules expand content, video examples, and resources on 10 evidence-based practice modules, previously developed for use with preschool through high school-aged students with ASD, but shown to be efficacious for infants and toddlers and their families. Available modules: Prompting, Naturalistic Intervention, Pivotal Response Treatment, Functional Behavior Assessment, Reinforcement, and Video Modeling
Connect Modules
These free practice-based modules are designed to build early childhood practitioners’ abilities to make evidence-based decisions. They emphasize a decision-making process, realistic problems to solve, the importance of integrating multiple perspectives and sources of evidence, the relevance and quality of content, and feedback. Available modules: Embedded Interventions, Transition, Communication for Collaboration, Family-Professional Partnerships, Assistive Technology Interventions, Dialogic Reading Practices, and Tiered Instruction
DEC Recommended Practice Modules
Each of the seven free interactive modules focus on a specific recommended practices topic area. The site also houses a growing resource library library of audio clips, handouts, and activities related to the DEC recommended practices. Available modules: Interaction, Transition, Environment, Teaming and Collaboration, Family, Instruction, and Assessment
Early Childhood Investigations
These free and engaging webinars (live and archived) are presented by many of the thought-leaders and experts in the field of early care and education. The webinars explore critical topics that offer new ideas and insights to early childhood professionals, especially administrators. Recent webinars: Kind, Empathetic Classrooms that Build Bridges & Create Community in a Diverse World, Inclusive ECE Classrooms and The Project Approach, and Autonomy Support: A New Approach to Managing Challenging Behavior
VCU Autism Center for Excellence
This site offers a training, resources, and tools for educators and family members to support children with autism spectrum disorder.
Virginia Early Intervention Professional Development Center
This site provides a range of professional learning resources including webinars, resources organized by topics, and self-paced learning paths. Topics addressed include: Tele-practice, Coaching Families, and Service Delivery
Resources
Relevant Resources
This Document highlights how to use a rapid coaching method to support families to teach foundational interaction skills
A guide to help families, educators, and others get started with using core vocabulary communication with students.
This tool is designed to help you determine which of the common Universal Core vocabulary formats might be a good fit for the student(s) you support.
This video explains the importance of modeling communication using the child’s communication system (AAC).
Sign up for an account to access free learning modules. AIM provides professional development for anyone who supports, instructs, works with, or lives with someone with autism.
