Literacy-Rich Environments and the Transition of Young Children with Special Needs

The present article focuses on achieving four critical competencies that are essential for children's successful transitions from preschool special education programs to the primary grades: readiness to maximize academic achievement, prosocial and age-appropriate social skills, appropriate responsiveness to various instructional styles, and appropriate responsiveness to new and different environmental structures. Children may obtain these four competencies within the context of natural, literacy-rich classroom environments, in which they participate in authentic and personally meaningful language activities. The development of such literacy-based intervention programs that can prepare young children with disabilities for successful transitions is addressed in this article.