The literacy experiences of young children with disabilities in preschool settings

The primary purpose of this study was to describe the extent to which preschool-age children with disabilities have access to and are engaged in emergent literacy experiences across a variety of preschool settings. Major findings were derived from three sources of data collection related to the literacy experiences of 45 preschool children (three equal groups representing children with disabilities in special education settings, inclusive settings, and peers in inclusive settings) in 16 different preschool classrooms. The primary source of data was an observational interval sample (LOISI), which provided information concerning the range and frequency of variables related to individual children's literacy experiences in preschool settings. A classroom-based literacy and language observational rating scale (ELLCO) provided insight into the approaches to literacy used within classrooms. The third source of information was collected through a family survey, which explored the importance families place on the literacy development of their preschool-age children with disabilities. Although differences were found between the global classroom experiences of children in all three groups, much of the data revealed classroom literacy experiences that were surprisingly similar. High percentages of language and literacy opportunities were not experienced by any of the three groups, nor were there major differences in the range and frequency of literacy learning opportunities across groups.;The data does provide a picture of the language and literacy environments of young children in preschool settings. The discussion is organized around three major conclusions, derived from the data, regarding the literacy experiences of young children with disabilities: (1) There are similarities between the literacy experiences of all preschool-age children; (2) Preschool classrooms may not provide desirable levels of language and literacy experience; and (3) There are aspects of literacy learning opportunities that increase their quality.