Developmentally Appropriate Practice: A Critical Analysis as Applied to Young Children with Disabilities.

Abstract

In 1987 the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) published guidelines for developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) to clarify types of activities the association deemed appropriate for children between birth and age 8 (Bredekamp, 1987). The document was constructed primarily in reaction to the "increasingly pervasive pressure for programs to conform to an academic model of instruction typical of programs designed for older children" (New & Mallory, 1994, p. 1). The NAEYC description of developmentally appropriate practice was organized around two major dimensions: the principle of age appropriateness ("that learning environments, teaching practices, and other program components should be planned based on what is generally to be expected of children of various ages and stages") (Bredekamp, 1993, p. 261) and the principle of individual appropriateness (that "adaptations should be made for the wide range of differences between individual children") (Bredekamp, 1993, p. 261). What was left unsaid but is still evolving is the manner in which these two principles come together to assist teachers in the organization and implementation of educational practices for young children with diverse abilities. For example, many people have interpreted the guidelines to mean that development in all children should be facilitated the same way: through certain conditions such as self-initiated and self-directed activity and through the teachers' provision of materials and activities that support children's play (Carta, Schwartz, Atwater, & McConnell, 1991; Grossen, 1993; Lubeck, 1994). However, that is not the intent of the DAP guidelines. Unfortunately, although the DAP guidelines provide specific information regarding the age appropriateness principle detailing the types of materials and activities that are suitable for children of different ages, the guidelines are much less explicit in addressing how teachers should address the individually appropriate principle. As a consequence, teachers have been unclear about when to digress from age appropriate practices and how to modify teaching practices to address children's individual needs. This issue of how and when to individualize is of critical importance for teachers who are charged with educating young children with diverse needs. This article discusses some of the basic premises and misconceptions that exist about developmentally appropriate practice and examines how the premises and practices of DAP diverge and overlap with recommended practices for teaching young children with disabilities. Specific instructional strategies that have proven to be effective for teaching young