Designing Preschool Interventions: A Practitioner's Guide

This practical text delineates the basic steps of developing effective interventions for learning and behavior difficulties in children aged two to five. The authors set forth an ecological framework that stresses identifying problem situations rather than classifying individual children as disabled or at risk. The core components of naturalistic intervention design are covered in depth, including teacher and parent interviewing, classroom observation and functional assessment, team-based problem solving, strong accountability methods, and legal and ethical safeguards. Solidly grounded in empirical research, the book presents examples of successful interventions for fostering social competence and language skills and improving interactions with parents, teachers, and peers.

David W. Barnett, PhD, is Professor of School Psychology at the University of Cincinnati. He has served as a mental health consultant to Head Start for over 20 years, and as a principal investigator in the Ohio Early Childhood Intervention Project. Dr. Barnett has published widely in the area of school psychology practice and early intervention.

Susan H. Bell, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Developmental Psychology and Child Development at Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky. Dr. Bell has coordinated an interdisciplinary team serving preschool children in Raleigh, North Carolina. More recently, she directed the Ohio Early Intervention Project and served as the behavioral consultant at the Arlitt Child and Family Research and Education Center at the University of Cincinnati.

Karen T. Carey, PhD, serves on the faculty at California State University, Fresno, where she coordinates the School Psychology Program. For over 20 years, she has worked as a practicing school psychologist. She has published widely on issues in school psychology.

Long versions (that appear in book):

David W. Barnett, PhD, earned his doctorate in school psychology from Indiana University, and is currently Professor of School Psychology at the University of Cincinnati. He has served as a mental health consultant to Head Start for over 20 years, and as a principal investigator in the Ohio Early Childhood Intervention Project. Dr. Barnett has published widely on topics pertaining to school psychology practice and early intervention.

Susan H. Bell, PhD, earned her doctorate in school psychology from the University of Cincinnati, and is currently Assistant Professor of Developmental Psychology and Child Development at Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky. Dr. Bell has coordinated an interdisciplinary team serving preschool children in Raleigh, North Carolina. More recently, she directed the Ohio Early Intervention Project and served as the behavioral consultant at the Arlitt Child and Family Research and Education Center at the University of Cincinnati. Her research interests include early intervention for children with learning problems and severe behavioral challenges, families of children with developmental disabilities, and intervention-based assessment.

Karen T. Carey, PhD, earned her doctorate in school psychology from the University of Cincinnati. She currently serves on the faculty at California State University, Fresno, where she coordinates the School Psychology Program. For over 20 years, she has worked as a practicing school psychologist. Dr. Carey has been actively involved in the National Association of School Psychologists, the California Association of School Psychologists, and Division 16 of the American Psychological Association. She has published widely on issues in school psychology and in Spring, 1998, was given the Provost's award for excellence in graduate teaching and research at California State University, Fresno.