Major goals of preschool inclusion consist of access, accommodations, developmental progress, and social integration. Emphasized in this webinar is the significance of children's peer-related social competence to the latter two goals. The association between peer-related social competence and children's peer relationships and friendships is discussed along with current research designed to enhance the peer competence of young children with developmental delays. A broad array of family-peer linkages is considered.

Positive Behavior Supports (PBS) is a research-based, person-centered framework focused on decreasing problem behaviors and increasing quality of life in individuals across the lifespan. Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is the three-tiered model for PBS implementation in school settings as a means to prevent and promote positive behaviors for ALL children and intervene with children with challenging behaviors.

As a result of the opioid epidemic impacting many states, the early childhood system will be challenged to appropriately identify and serve very young children who have been exposed to prenatal substance use. Part C and preschool special education programs will have new and different issues in meeting child and family needs. Understanding and meeting the needs of the eligible population will require partnering with other early childhood programs as well as providing training and support for the professionals who will serve the family.

Behavioral interventions have been critical for improving the lives of individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Notable achievements include the improved numbers of children with optimal outcomes, and the larger number of children accessing the regular curriculum. Despite these gains, standard behavioral methods have had the least success in social communication outcomes. We continue to find nearly half of all children entering school without fluent, socially related communication skills. This talk will focus on the core social communication impairment in children with ASD, evaluations of this core domain and recently developed, effective interventions.

The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) and the Early Childhood/Intervention Special Interest Group (EC SIG) of AUCD have joined with The National Early Childhood Personnel Technical Assistance Center (ECPC), funded by the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education (OSEP), to host the Second Annual Summit on Early Childhood Personnel at AUCD's 2017 Conference.

Each year, states are required to report on child outcomes of their early intervention (EI) and preK programs for infants, toddlers, and young children with disabilities. This webinar will examine the approach to evaluating child outcomes developed by the Office of Special Education Programs(OSEP) for the purpose of accountability reporting.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is under-diagnosed and under-treated in young children, particularly in disadvantaged populations. Children from minority and low-income populations receive referral, diagnosis and treatment later and less often, and report having less information about how to obtain care, more problems obtaining care, and fewer support services to connect them to care. This webinar will provide an overview of the Screening and Linkage to Services for Autism (SaLSA) study, which aims to evaluate an autism patient navigator program for low income families with young children who screen positive for ASD. Preliminary results of the study, including individual and system barriers to obtaining screening, referral, early intervention evaluation and services will be described.

The National Early Childhood Inclusion Institute is one of the premier educational opportunities for anyone involved in the care and education of young children with special needs in inclusive settings. Dozens of world-class experts, dozens of groundbreaking sessions, free courses for CEUs-and an enduring impact.

Daisy Christensen, Epidemiologist at NCBDDD at CDC, will present on the recent "Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 8 Years - Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2014" data release. The latest findings from the ADDM Network provide evidence that the prevalence of ASD is higher than previously reported estimates and continues to vary among certain racial/ethnic groups and communities. With prevalence of ASD ranging from 13.1 to 29.3 per 1,000 children aged 8 years in different communities throughout the United States, the need for behavioral, educational, residential, and occupational services remains high, as does the need for increased research on both genetic and nongenetic risk factors for ASD. During the latter half of the webinar, Rebecca Wolf, Team Lead, "Learn the Signs. Act Early." at CDC, and Brian Barger, Director of Research and Evaluation at GSU's UCEDD, will present on the study and findings of, "Better Together: Developmental Screening and Monitoring Best Identify Children who need Early Intervention".

Traditionally, professionals have been trained in a single discipline usually corresponds to an area of development Additionally, most disciplines are trained to be able to offer services and intervene across a broad age range: the lifespan of an individual. Upon completion of a program of study in a discipline, an individual is then licensed in a discipline to provide services to persons across the lifespan. These training and licensing practices create two challenges to providing effective early childhood intervention to infants and young children and their families: 1) interventions may be focused to specific areas of development by discipline specific interventionists (e.g. an occupational therapist provides specific motor intervention and does not incorporate any other areas of development into her therapy/intervention); and 2) interventions may be provided by a person who does not have any specific experience or competence in infancy or early childhood

The Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Competency Guidelines, created in Michigan, grew from competencies developed for Part C by that state's Department of Education. They have evolved to capture a broad range of knowledge and skill areas and the opportunity to earn a credential (Endorsement) for professionals who serve pregnant women, infants, young children, and families across all disciplines and service sectors, including early intervention. Presentation will include the usefulness of these competencies in supporting social-emotional development and relational health for families where the infant or young child is experiencing a delay or disability.

Please join us on Wednesday, September 26 from 3-4p ET for our Act Early Network Quarterly Webinar, an Act Early Ambassador Spotlight on Ohio, Nevada, and Oregon. The Act Early Program is a collaborative initiative of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) and the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) to further advance the CDC's "Learn the Signs. Act Early." Program.

Monitoring developmental milestones is important, whether you are a parent, early childhood educator, or healthcare provider! Join the Learn the Signs. Act Early. program as they connect with a representative from each audience to share real-life experiences and best practices for developmental monitoring and celebrating milestones, as well as the tools and resources that have helped them in providing the best care for children.

This quarter, the Act Early Network is partnering with ZERO TO THREE to bring you a presentation on Millennial Connections: Survey Results from Millennial Parents on their Beliefs, Needs, and Challenges.

Please join us to hear about national work and discuss issues pertinent to the topic of supporting autistic individuals as they transition to adulthood. Dr. Eric Moody from Wyoming Institute for Disabilities will moderate a three expert panel presentation and facilitate questions and comments from webinar participants.