A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION OF LEARNING WITHIN DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE EARLY-CHILDHOOD SETTINGS

The use of naturalistic teaching procedures to teach a variety of skil ls in developmentally appropriate early childhood settings was evaluat ed. Two single subject studies show the acquisition and maintenance of skills taught to preschoolers with disabilities within developmentall y appropriate play contexts. The results of the research indicate that the use of naturalistic teaching procedures within developmentally ap propriate activities can result in the acquisition and maintenance of targeted skills. These data offer support for embedding the instructio n of skills within the context of play activities as a viable and effe ctive way to teach young children with disabilities in programs that u se Developmentally Appropriate Practice as a curriculum framework.