2025 International Inclusion Institute

All children have the right to meaningful participation in early care and education environments. Yet, children 
with disabilities are often excluded from routines and activities within these environments. This session will 
support practitioners in understanding how to use adaptations to promote participation and belonging within 
classrooms. This session will also explore several online resources that are available at no-cost to support 
adults in providing access and meaningful participation for each child.

The My Abilities First (MAF) project, initiated in 2016, emphasizes empowering children and their families through self-expression and the use of positive language in children's services. In 2020, Taiwan joined this global MAF project by introducing My Abilities ID Cards (ABID) for children under 12 years old with special needs and placing these ABIDs on the first page of children's individual profiles to encourage practitioners to focus on children's strengths rather than their weaknesses. Additionally, Taiwan has expanded this transformative approach by incorporating ABID into physiotherapy education, highlighting the importance of a strength-based approach for children with special needs. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in a discussion about challenges and solutions as well as lessons learned across differing contexts.

There are three subtitles to introduce the global promotion of My Abilities First project and Taiwanese development and strategies to facilitate application of My Abilities ID Cards. Three subtitles are: 1. Schiariti Veronica- My Abilities First: Global Promotion of Children's Right to Self-Expression. 2. Liao HF- Promoting My Abilities First: Launching My Abilities ID Card Demonstration Sites in Taiwan 3.Wang PJ- Facilitating Positive Language in HealthcareEducation in Taiwan: My Abilities ID Cards

The Early Communication Indicator for Autism (ECI-A), an adaptation of the original ECI, is a naturalistic, play-based measure designed to assess and monitor communication trajectories in autistic children aged 12–60 months. The presentation will include an overview of administration and scoring of the ECI-A, as well as ideas for using the ECI-A in practice and data from a recent study. It will include interactive components, such as examples from real parent-child interaction videos and opportunities for participant engagement and discussion. Attendees will gain knowledge about the ECI-A’s capacity to capture communication behaviors (e.g., gestures, vocalizations, speech, directed communication, joint attention) and track child progress, along with information about available ECI-A training opportunities. 

Ever wonder why some environments bring out the best in children? This session invites providers to reframe challenging behaviors as expected and meaningful expressions of a child’s experiences. Participants will explore how belonging shapes children’s development and consider practical ways to create environments where every child feels connected and valued. Presenters will offer strategies for co-creating connection and inclusion and for turning challenging moments into opportunities for further understanding and supporting young children.

“Stay-Play-Talk" is a peer-mediated intervention that has been shown to have beneficial impacts on social communication skills for autistic children.  This session will review strategies from Stay-Play-Talk to help peers be responsive play and communication partners. We will describe clinical applications for its use with autistic children with limited or no spoken language who are learning to use a speech-generating device to augment speech. The presentation will include video examples and practical tips for implementing peer-mediated interventions in real-world settings.

Self-advocacy is crucial for individuals with disabilities- especially kids! Self-advocacy is also challenging for individuals with disabilities- especially kids! It is a taught, learned, and practiced skill. Revamping the familiar “All About Me” activity is a fantastic way to equip children of all ages, stages, and abilities to make informed, authentic, empowered decisions about school, life, and play.  During this session, we will engage together in hands-on, minds-on, hearts-on "All About Me" activities.  Participants will leave with practical and meaningful ideas for strategy implementation.
 

This presentations aims to develop a better understanding of the lived experiences of Black fathers of children with disabilities. The diagnosis of disability in a child presents a challenge for many parents and families (Huang, Kellett & St Jon 2010). For most parents learning about their children's disability, shock becomes the first response to dealing with the diagnosis (Hemming & Akurst 2009; Yaacob et al. 2021). Fathers are regarded as "hard to reach" by educators and practitioners within social services. In this session audience members will hear about lived experiences of the Black Father Crew, fathers of children with disabilities from across the United States.

This presentation centers on cultural and linguistic factors for assessing bilingual children. Fundamental components and strategies for framing an assessment that integrates these aspects will be discussed. Specific focus will be given to guiding principles for assessing language and communication skills. Key considerations relevant to working with families of children from bilingual backgrounds will be addressed as well.

This session aims at presenting current evidence of everyday practices for nurturing peer interactions and supporting positive social engagement in early childhood classrooms. Participants will review recommended practices, watch video clips of classroom implementation, and discuss ways inclusive practices can be individualized to support the diverse learning profiles of children.

This session will focus on addressing interfering behaviors as part of early intervention services. We will describe the development process of freely available online modules to support EI providers to use a caregiver coaching model as part of their service to empower caregivers to use evidence-based practices (EBPs) in daily routines and activities. The module focused on addressing toddler's interfering behaviors will be described with video examples and case studies so that participants can explore how to use the module and its resources as part of their practice. The module format (including planning, using, and monitoring progress) will be outlined and user data related to EBP knowledge and module usefulness will be presented. Finally, participants will develop an action plan to apply what they learned in their own work.

Frequent, universal screenings in pediatric primary care are critical for identifying whether children are meeting key developmental milestones. Early and consistent screenings play a vital role in detecting potential developmental delays, behavioral concerns, and social-emotional challenges—issues that, if left unaddressed, can significantly impact a child’s long-term health and well-being. Beyond flagging potential concerns, these screenings reveal referral needs, ensuring families gain access to essential services and interventions. HealthySteps (HS) is an evidence-based program that strengthens pediatric care by embedding an early childhood specialist and behavioral health promotion/prevention expert into the primary care team, specifically serving families with children from birth to age three. HS Specialists collaborate with the primary care team and caregivers to promote healthy child development. In addition to providing positive parenting guidance, they support early identification and care coordination and systems navigation--ensuring families receive timely, effective connections to critical resources. This session will offer an in-depth overview of the HealthySteps approach, highlighting best practices for linking families to services, and strategies for equipping families to navigate the complexities of accessing care. Participants will be encouraged to engage throughout the session by asking questions and sharing their experiences

Emergent literacy is the foundation for later reading and writing development for all children. Emergent literacy activities help children develop understandings of the forms and functions of print, while developing essential language and communication skills. Children with extensive support needs often face barriers to participating in emergent literacy activities. Their combined language, communication, physical, sensory, and cognitive needs often result in limited learning opportunities. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is one essential support for children with extensive support needs. In this session, we will describe ways to incorporate AAC into comprehensive approaches to emergent literacy and provide hands-on practice using AAC during shared reading and using alternative pencils for writing.