Understanding Exceptionalities in Early Childhood Education

The Prevalence of Disabilities among Children in Canada

Context:

In 2013, the United Nations estimated that around the globe, One Billion people are living with a disability, which represents the world’s largest minority population.  In Canada, there are approximately 4.4 million, 1 in 7 people, living with a disability.  According to Martin Property Institute, these numbers are expected to grow to 1 in 5 people in the next generation.

Statistics Canada (2006) reports that 3.7% or about 202, 350 children, between the ages of 0-14 years are living with a disability.  About 70,000 of these children have a physical disability and about 120,000 of these children have a non-physical disability.  Given the realities of these numbers, there is no doubt that, as a professional Early Childhood Educator, you will be teaching children who are diagnosed, and not yet diagnosed, with some form of exception(s).   The most common exceptions fall under the category of “developmental concerns” and can often be described as an “invisible” exception.   

This assignment provides you an opportunity to explore in some detail a question that interests you in one of the following topics:  

Please choose from one of the following topics

· Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

· Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)

· Learning Disabilities

· Emotional Behavioral Disorders

· Developmental Delays

· Children who are “at Risk

Research Paper Format:

· Use the American Psychological Association style (APA)

·  Write a 3-5 pages paper (750, minimum – to 1500 words maximum in length) paper. 1.5 space.

· 12” point

· Use Times New Roman or Arial font

· Use 1” margins at top, bottom and sides of your paper

In order to drive your research, your first task after selecting your topic is a come up with a question that interests you about your topic. Although this is always a challenge in any collegial research, it is important that your question can be researched. In other words, a question like “What is ADHD?” would be too broad, while a question like “What neurological evidence supports the effectiveness of Adderall” may be too specific.

However, a question such as,  “How can I use the Developmental Approach to Programming, (DAP) to plan an inclusive program for a child diagnosed with, enter your exception of choice,  here,?”  is a viable topic.

· The most import aspect of any research is that you are truly interested in finding answers.

Final paper (30%)

Introduction

· Paragraph 1: Introduce your topic with some history.  

· Paragraph 2: Speak specifically to the area that interests you in this topic and why, and then, end with your research question and why it’s an important question.

Body:

· Describe the findings of your research, one resource and one idea at the time, if possible. Write the main ideas they state about your question. This may be one or maybe two paragraphs per resource.

Conclusion

· In your conclusion, your task is to put all of the main points from your research together. As a rule of thumb, you cannot introduce new content in a conclusion. You should be summing up the proposed answer(s) to your question in the conclusion.

Hints:

· Write your paper as if you are writing it to an ECE colleague.  You want him or her to know about your topic, why your question is important and what did you find out that will benefit the children you teach in your day care, nursery or preschool setting?