Itinerant Model - Community of Practice
The Itinerant Early Childhood Special Education Service (IECSE) Delivery Method is a model developed by Drs. Laurie Dinnebeil and William McInerney. The model supports the inclusion of young children with disabilities whose primary placement is a community based program such as a private preschool, childcare center, or Head Start classroom. Itinerant teachers, also called inclusion specialists, visit children's community based classrooms on a regular basis to provide special education program IEP-based services. The model has helped to define the critical roles of the IECSE teacher including assessor, consultant, coach, direct service provider, service coordinator, and team member. Itinerant services activities do not replace the delivery of specially designed instruction. Instead, they distribute the delivery of high quality instructional activities across the day and by all adults working with child to increase the opportunity to practice needed skills.
The Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) unit has supported professional development using the Itinerant Model for several years and has trained more than 16 school districts and 60 practitioners. To support participants' ongoing professional development needs, the ECSE unit will offer continuing support within a professional learning community of practice, hosting regular meetings and providing resources led by one of the unit's Program Specialists. Please join us by contacting the ECSE Inbox.
A Guide to Itinerant Early Childhood Special Education Services
SY 2020
- Itinerant Model Presented at the National Early Childhood Inclusion Institute (2017)
- Project Direct Consultation Resources
- Responsibilities of Itinerant ECSE Professionals
- Coaching and Teamwork
- IECSE Teacher FAQ's
- PIECES: Performance Indicators for Itinerant Ealry Childhood Education Sepcialists--Program Practices Assessment
- Practice Profile on Itinerant Model- a document that helps pracitioners make the model "teachable, doable, learnable, assessible".
Page revised 8/2/21