The DATA Model for Teaching Preschoolers with Autism: Blending Approaches to Meet Individual Needs

How can you help preschoolers with autism thrive in inclusive classrooms? Support their success with this comprehensive, school-based program for children ages 3 to 5 with autism spectrum disorder. Blending best practices from applied behavior analysis and early childhood special education, the DATA Model is a proven program rooted in evidence-based practice and based on 20 years of testing and refinement. First, you'll assess children's functional needs with the DATA Model Skills Checklist; then you'll use more than 140 instructional programming sheets and lesson plans to increase children's developmental progress in the areas identified with the checklist. This linked system helps you pinpoint learning goals for children, promote their progress through tailored interventions, and support children in generalizing new skills and behaviors across settings.

A must for autism and behavior specialists, SLPs, program directors, and early childhood special educators, the DATA Model is the all-in-one program you need to prepare young children with autism for long-term success at school and in their community.

USE THE DATA MODEL TO:

• create a developmentally appropriate learning environment
• conduct assessment with the Skills Checklist to determine functional needs and learning goals
• write clear, step-by-step instructional programs and lesson plans for every learning goal
• select and deliver instructional strategies that fit the unique needs of each specific child
• choose and use effective instructional tools such as discrete trials, naturalistic instruction, shaping, and chaining
• embed learning opportunities within classroom activities and routines
• address challenging behavior while increasing childrenâ (TM)s ability to communicate their needs
• expertly organize children's assessments, programs, and other information for easy access
• collaborate with families and the community to meet the needs of each child
• monitor progress with the Skills Checklist, so you can clearly see if your interventions are working

PRACTICAL MATERIALS: Skills Checklist, 140+ instructional programming sheets and lesson plans, sample schedules, daily data collection sheets, Family Interview Survey, and more. All materials are photocopiable from the manual. Learn more about The DATA Model here.

Dr. Sandall is Professor Emeritus at the University of Washington. She has directed personnel preparation projects, developed curriculum materials for all age groups, and published materials on educational practices to facilitate optimal outcomes for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with disabilities.

Her scholarly interests are effective instructional practices for young children with disabilities in inclusive settings, the changing roles of teachers of young children, and effective approaches to professional development and knowledge utilization.

She was Principal Investigator of the National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning for the Office of Head Start; the Center continues its work as the EarlyEdU Alliance at Cultivate Learning at the UW. Dr. Sandall serves on the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Commission on Recommended Practices and edited publications on the practices. She is on the editorial boards of Journal of Early Intervention and Topics in Early Childhood Special Education.

Dr. Schwartz is Professor of Special Education and Director of the Haring Center at the University of Washington. Dr. Schwartz is also the Director of Project DATA (Developmentally Appropriate Treatment for Autism), a school‐based early intervention intensive behavioral intervention program for children with autism. She has an extensive background working with young children with special needs and their families, specifically with young children with autism and related disabilities.

Dr. Schwartz is the director of the Applied Behavior Analysis Program at the UW, and is dedicated to creating high quality inclusive schools so that all children, regardless of their background or ability, can attend the school of their choice and receive a high quality education.

Dr. Schwartz has published numerous chapters and articles about early childhood education and social validity. She serves on the editorial review boards of Topics in Early Childhood Special Education and the Journal of Early Intervention.

Julie Ashmun, M.Ed., BCBA is the Director of the Professional Development Unit at the University of Washington's Haring Center for Research and Training in Inclusive Education. She began working in preschool and child care centers in 1995 and since then has been a Project DATA teacher and coordinator, a professional development research assistant and trainer, and a family resource coordinator. Julie has a Master's degree in education, with an emphasis in early childhood special education, and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA).

Julie is interested in effective practices for professional development in education and adult learning. She also devotes her time to researching and working with children with neurodevelopmental delays, including autism, and working with families and educators. Julie's research focuses on assessment and intervention practices for inclusive school based programs for children with disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders.

Bonnie McBride, Ph.D., BCBA-D is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and Director of the Oklahoma Autism Center. She has expertise in early childhood special education, early childhood education, and applied behavior analysis. She has a long history of using behavioral principles to work with children with ASD and other disorders. She completed her doctoral work at the University of Washington where she was a teacher in the inclusive preschool and the first head teacher of Project DATA.

Since moving to Oklahoma Bonnie has been instrumental in increasing the availability of services to young children with ASD and their families in that state. She has developed a statewide network to implement Project DATA for toddlers and preschoolers in Oklahoma. She has served as the Principal Investigator for two randomized control trials of the Project DATA model funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (Toddler and Preschool).

Crista Scott, M.Ed., BCBA, is a Research Coordinator at the University of Washingtonâ (TM)s Childcare Quality and Early Learning Center for Research and Professional Development (CQEL). Crista taught for eight years in early childhood special education. Most of those eight years were spent as a teacher in an inclusive preschool and coordinator for Project DATA at the University of Washington's Haring Center for Research and Training in Inclusive Education. Crista has a Master's degree in education, with an emphasis in early childhood special education, and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA).

In addition to teaching in special education, Crista is interested in providing effective professional development activities. She was a product manager for the Office of Head Start's National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning, supporting the development and dissemination of professional development materials for educators in early learning. Crista supported an Institute of Education Sciences grant that investigated the use of self and in-person coaching strategies to increase the use of embedded teaching practices in early childhood special education classrooms. Currently she is coordinating an evaluation project on the implementation of Filming Interactions to Nurture Development (FIND), a program that supports interactions between childcare providers and children in infant/toddler environments. This project is in partnership with Washington State's Department of Early Learning (DEL) and the University of Oregon.