Inclusive Child Care for Infants & Toddlers - Paperback

by Marion O'Brien (Author)

This educational book gives child care providers the practical guidance they need to serve infants and toddlers with and without disabilities in inclusive settings. It offers information and helpful advice on handling daily care tasks, teaching responsively, meeting individual needs, developing rapport with parents, understanding toddlers' behavior, working with IFSPs, and maintaining high standards of care.

Suggested play activities and intervention approaches help promote healthy development in all children. Ready-to-use quality check forms, parent report forms, and feeding/play schedules target skills in areas in which infants and toddlers need the most help. Students preparing for careers in child care and professionals working in settings that welcome children of all abilities will find this resource to be a valuable tool for providing high quality services to their young clients.

Author Biography

Marion O'Brien, Ph.D., is Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). She also serves as Director of the Family Research Center at UNCG, an interdisciplinary group of researchers interested in parent-child relationships, children's development, and family functioning.

Dr. O'Brien conducts research on parenting, parent-child relationships, child care, and the relationship between parental attitudes, parental behavior, and child development. In addition to her work with families of children with autism spectrum disorders, she studies families of children with other developmental disabilities and those who are at medical risk, and adoptive and foster care families, as well as families of children who are typically developing.

Throughout her career, Dr. O'Brien has maintained a strong focus on the application of findings from research to practice and policy. She has developed and implemented intervention programs that directly benefit children and families. She organized and directed an inclusive full-day child care and early intervention program and an in-home family intervention program in which research-based knowledge of parenting practices was applied to assist families at high risk for abuse and neglect. She has written several books that translate research findings into practical guides for professionals in human services fields.