Abstract
This chapter provides a history of the relatively young field of early childhood special education. An overview of the evolution of services for young children with disabilities and their families as impacted by developments in public policy is provided. The establishment and activities of the professional organization for early childhood special education—the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) – are highlighted. Advances in research that have informed both policy and services for children and families are followed from the 1800s to the present day.
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McLean, M., Sandall, S.R., Smith, B.J. (2016). A History of Early Childhood Special Education. In: Reichow, B., Boyd, B., Barton, E., Odom, S. (eds) Handbook of Early Childhood Special Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28492-7_1
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