Pre-school Autism Communication Trial

There has been a buzz about a new trial for a parenting education programme - the results of which are very promising. In a nutshell, the Pre-school Autism Communication Trial (PACT) trained parents of autistic children to communicate with them, without the use of drugs or medical intervention; parents were required to attend twice-weekly clinics and given daily exercises to practice over a period of six months. Significant improvements could be seen by the end of the first year with these improvements continuing into the longer term. Details of the trial can be found in this article.

Dr Jonathan Green of the Autism Science Foundation is interviewed below - 

view related videos here.

Early Years 2016

Bookings for the annual Early Years 2016 conference are now being taken. The event is jointly organised by EYE (Early Years Educator) and Practical Pre-School magazines and is to be held in Birmingham. To take advantage of the early bird discount, book by 30th April.

Free sticker books!

Reading charity, Book Trust have produced a sticker book as part of a pilot project to encourage more families with pre-school children to visit their local library; the children can collect the book at their library and will receive stickers each time they visit, to help complete 'Bear’s Reading Adventure'. Author of the book, Gemma Malley, said, 'If a parent reads to their children every day, they will be almost 12 months ahead of their age group when they start school. Even reading to them three to five times a week gives them a six-month head-start over those who read less often.'

Preschool and Academic Success

A study by Oxford University, suggests that children of all backgrounds who receive a preschool education are almost twice as likely to go on to sit AS-levels compared to those without the same educational start.

It's the latest report to be published as part of the EPPSE (effective preschool, primary and secondary education) project. Launched in 1997, the project followed 3,000 children from ages 3 to 18 to identify the factors that can predict a child’s academic success, particularly the effects of a preschool education and a child’s early years home environment.

Perinatal and Infant Mental Health

The Child and Maternal Health Observatory (ChiMat) have a page dedicated to Perinatal and Infant Mental Health (PIMH); they have produced an online needs assessment report which discusses mental health issues in pregnancy, the postnatal period as well as in babies and toddlers. Users can also keep up to date with the latest policies and good practice by signing up to their bulletin.

Terrific Twos....

The main occupation for children aged two is play, which is crucial for their learning and development; one of the ways to encourage this, is through heuristic play i.e. child-led free play with a range of natural and household items for discovery and investigation, without adult intervention. 

This handy guide written by early years practitioners in Harrow, provides an insight into the characteristics and development of two year-olds; it covers attachment, communication, children with SEND, what parents can expect their child to be capable of and finishes with useful website links.

Community Playthings provides resources for nurseries; the 'Learning Library' section of their website covers a range of topics with supporting articles, case studies, videos, training resources and guides; click on a topic listed on the left of the page and you will find related guides displayed on the right.

Preschool Fade Out

A US working paper investigates the persistence of effects of early childhood interventions and asks whether these effects fade systematically. The study found that “by the end of kindergarten [Year 1] children who attended preschool are no longer outperforming on measures of reading and mathematics relative to their peers.” The fade-out effect was similar whether children attended preschool full-time or part-time and irrespective of class size, length of the day and other quality measures.

A similar study compared children in England who went to preschool in the late 1990s with those from 2005 onwards. Again, the older children’s benefits persisted, whereas the younger ones’ faded. It also discusses the impact of free early education on children's development.

Impact of Preschool Programmes

In a study undertaken at Duke University, North Carolina, researchers highlight the benefits of preschool programmes, revealing that children who attended one of two state-run preschool programmes were less likely to be placed in special education in the third grade (Year 4) compared to children who did not. This not only helps the children but also alleviates expensive special education costs.
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