Assessing Young Children in Inclusive Settings

Lynn Sullivan, M.Ed. is currently a private consultant in the areas of special education, early childhood, and interagency collaboration. After a first career in social work, she spent 35 years as the early childhood consultant for one of twenty regional technical assistance centers in Texas. In that career with Education Service Center, Region 11, Ms. Sullivan provided consultative and technical assistance to local school districts, charter schools, and community agencies in the development and improvement of instructional programs and services for students with disabilities age three, four, and five. She planned, facilitated, presented and coordinated regional training for educators (including PreK and K teachers), speech language pathologists, diagnosticians, campus and district leaders of preschoolers with disabilities These were based on Federal, state, regional and local data sources along with anecdotal patterns, trend lines in longitudinal data analysis and school district priorities. In conjunction with Drs. Pretti-Frontczak and Grisham, Ms. Sullivan developed a multi-year, data driven project to support and sustain best practices in meeting the needs of young children with disabilities in small and rural communities.Ms. Sullivan served as the Part B representative on the Texas Interagency Coordinating Council for Early Childhood Intervention for 18 years, and is currently a member of CEC and DEC, having served as Texas DEC president 1994-1996.

Dr. Kristie Pretti-Frontczak is a highly sought-after speaker, accomplished author, and educators' educator. With nearly three decades of educational experience, Kristie cultivates real change within educational systems. She instills an impressive sense of joy, humor, and fun in creating inclusive educational practices and empowering teachers and leaders to spread wellness both in and beyond the classroom walls. Along with Dr. Julie Causton, at Inclusive Schooling, Kristie designs and delivers transformative professional development that addresses and supports the wholeness of the adult professional and helps leaders create school cultures that ensure all children experience a sense of belonging. Kristie spent 16 years, as faculty, at Kent State University and has published extensively in peer-referenced journals and is an author of over 10 books and monographs. Since 2013 she has followed her true passion, which is supporting adult learners. As a result, she has accumulated over 50,000 hours of helping educators and leaders work from a place of compassion, hope, and love in locations from Cincinnati to Singapore. She currently resides in Northeastern Ohio. You can learn more about Kristie and Inclusive Schooling at www.inclusiveschooling.com.

Check out our spotlight on Kristie Pretti‐Frontczak! Discover bestselling books, an engaging webinar recording on inclusion, and download a free classroom poster!

Dr. Grisham is Professor in the Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education program at the University of Kentucky, Lexington. She received her doctorate in education from the University of Kentucky. She is also Faculty Director of the Early Childhood Laboratory at the University of Kentucky, an inclusive early childhood program for children from birth to 5 years of age.

Dr. Grisham has directed research projects on topics including linking assessment and instruction, early care and education program quality, and individualizing instruction for young children with disabilities. In addition, she has conducted research on the effectiveness of instructional procedures that are embedded into developmentally appropriate activities, the application of multi-tiered systems of support in early childhood settings, and coaching teachers and caregivers to implement evidencebased instructional strategies with fidelity. Dr. Grisham is Project Director for the Kentucky Deaf-Blind Project, which provides technical assistance to families and service providers of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with deaf-blindness. She coauthored a book titled Reach for the Stars: Planning for the Future (with D. Haynes; American Printing House for the Blind, 2013), which is used to support families of young children in planning for their children's future and articulating their priorities to educational team members, as well as Blended Practices for Teaching Young Children in Inclusive Settings, Second Edition (with M. L. Hemmeter; Brookes Publishing Co., 2017), and Assessing Young Children in Inclusive Settings: The Blended Practices Approach (with K. Pretti-Frontczak; Brookes Publishing Co., 2011).

Finally, Dr. Grisham directed the nationwide field test for AEPS-3. Dr. Grisham is frequently asked to provide professional development to state departments of education, universities, and local education agencies on topics for which she conducts research throughout the country. Dr. Grisham is co-founder of a children's home and preschool program in Guatemala City, Hope for Tomorrow, where she accompanies students for the education abroad program. Dr. Grisham also works internationally in other locations to promote inclusion of young children with disabilities.