Judith J. Carta

• Ph.D.
• Senior Researcher at University of Kansas

To be successful readers in elementary school and beyond, children need to develop social and early literacy skills that prepare them for learning in kindergarten. This contribution to the Special Issue describes a 30-year research program by investigators at the Juniper Gardens Children's Project (JGCP) aimed at improving kindergarten readiness. C...

Language is a prerequisite for learning to communicate effectively and learning to read. Children learn language through interactions with caregivers and others. Since its founding, the Juniper Garden Children’s Project (JGCP) has researched language acquisition as an intervention target in young children. This contribution to the special issue dis...

Behavioral observation is a fundamental contribution of applied behavior analysis (ABA). This contribution to the special issue discusses how we advanced classroom observational assessment at the Juniper Gardens Children’s Project (JGCP). We sought to learn more about the role played by variations in alterable instruction in relationship to the ach...

Early childhood is a critical period for the development of social and emotional skills, which form the basis for lifelong success in relationships, communication, and coping. Research has shown that strong social-emotional competence in young children leads to better academic engagement, school success, and positive self-worth, whereas delays in t...

Purpose Children in foster care are at an increased risk for language delays and disorders, and foster parents can play a significant role in preventing delays in early language development. This scoping review explored empirical studies that included foster parent training programs for families with foster children under the age of 5 years. Metho...

Despite evidence that frequent progress monitoring to identify children at-risk of delays and inform early intervention services improves child outcomes, this practice is rare in infant–toddler settings where children could benefit the most from early intervention. Using a descriptive research design within an Implementation Science framework, we e...

Children learn language through the interactions they have with their parents/caregivers beginning at birth. Hart and Risley (1995) discovered an inequity in the home language input children received from parents/caregivers. Children reared in low-income families received less input (conversations, turns) from parents than did children reared in mo...

Parent‐Child Interactions (PCI) is a home visit parenting intervention designed to promote positive parenting and deter punitive approaches to child behavior management. With attention to the importance of providing efficacious interventions for families from diverse backgrounds, this study used a subsample from a larger randomized controlled trial...

Children’s engagement is an important construct often reported in Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education. However, its utility depends on its definition, measurement, theory of change, and empirical evidence. Our purpose is to discuss innovations in Children’s Literacy Engagement (CLE) and report empirical evidence demonstrating h...

Measures of young children’s social development are needed in the Multi-Tier System of Supports (MTSS) approach to early childhood. In 2004, we reported initial development of an observational measure of infants’ and toddlers’ social skills designed for early educators, the Early Social Indicator (ESI). Here, we report preliminary findings on the E...

This study investigates the relations among low-income parents’ perceptions of their child’s teacher, parental school involvement, and children’s pre-academic skills and aggressive behaviors by program type: Head Start or other early childhood education programs (ECE). The data were collected at two Midwestern sites as a part of the Early Head Star...

In this Special Issue we focus on highlighting intervention research addressing inequities in early language-learning experience that may place some children at a disadvantage later in school. Research over the last three decades has documented evidence for the differential amount and quality of children’s early language exposure, referred to as th...

As the population of young children from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds growsin the U.S., so too does awareness of the need for interventions to promote their language developmentand reduce the “word gap.” This synthesis described and analyzed studies examining interventions forimproving language outcomes for young, CLD chi...

The purpose of this study was to examine the longitudinal, bidirectional relationship between language skills and behavior problems in a sample of 194 preschool children enrolled in Head Start programs. Children were individually assessed using the Preschool Language Scale-5, and teachers completed the Child Behavior Checklist-Teacher Report 1½–5....

A tenet of the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is that even evidence-based interventions will not be effective with all children. We examined preschool children’s response to a supplemental literacy intervention (Story Friends) in two classrooms. Children with weak vocabulary skills were identified and received the intervention. The extremes...

This systematic review sought to document the corpus of language intervention research with low-SES children and help the field move forward. Low-SES children (birth to 8)are at increased risk for infrequent language input from parents (30-Million Word Gap), delays in vocabulary/language, readiness for school, and later school problems. From a repo...

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between language skills and behavioural problems and the potential moderating role of the quality of classroom emotional support in this relationship among 242 preschool children from low-income families. The Preschool Language Scale-5 was administered individually to each child. The quality...

The Early Communication Indicator (ECI) is a progress monitoring measure designed to support intervention decisions of the home visitors and early educators who serve infants and toddlers. The present study sought to add to the criterion validity claims of the ECI in a large sample of children using measures of language and preliteracy not previous...

A tenet of multitiered systems of support and response to intervention (MTSS/RTI) is that lack of response to instructional intervention is explained by classroom experiences and behaviors given opportunities to learn. We investigated the potential of filling this information gap in MTSS/RTI decision making using ecobehavioral observation to inform...

Purpose The Language Environment Analysis (LENA®) represents a breakthrough in automatic speech detection because it makes one's language environment, what adults and children actually hear and say, efficiently measurable. The purpose of this article was to examine (a) current dimensions of LENA research, (b) LENA's sensitivity to differences in po...

Home visiting programs support positive parenting in populations at-risk of child maltreatment, but their impact is often limited by poor retention and engagement. The current study assessed whether a cellular phone-supported version (PCI-C) of the Parent-Child Interactions (PCI) intervention improved long-term parenting practices, maternal depress...

Early childhood experience is a social determinant of children’s health and well-being. The well-being of young children is founded on their relationships and interactions with parents and family members in the home, caregivers, and teachers in early education, and friends and families in the greater community. Unfortunately, the early language exp...

Purpose Children who do not develop early literacy skills, especially phonological awareness (PA) and alphabet knowledge, prior to kindergarten are at risk for reading difficulties. We investigated a supplemental curriculum with children demonstrating delays in these skills. Method A cluster randomized design with 104 preschool-age children in 39...

While response to intervention (RTI) is in widespread use in K–12 programs, it is still an emerging practice in programs serving preschool-aged children. In 2008, the Institute of Education Sciences funded the Center on Response to Intervention in Early Childhood (CRTIEC): (1) to conduct a focused program of research to develop and rigorously evalu...

This Viewpoint describes the difference in vocabulary between low-income and higher-income children and how to use this gap as a tool to support child development. As many as 40% to 50% of the children pediatric clinicians serve are growing up in low-income households. Among the myriad physical and mental health sequelae of early adversity and toxi...

While response to intervention (RTI) has been a well-known approach for preventing learning difficulties in school-aged children for many years (e.g., Burns et al., J Psychoeduc Assess 23:381–394, 2005; Vaughn et al., Except Child 69:391–409, 2003), it has only recently begun gaining a foothold in programs for young children (e.g., Buysse and Peisn...

Purpose We investigated a small-group intervention designed to teach vocabulary and comprehension skills to preschoolers who were at risk for language and reading disabilities. These language skills are important and reliable predictors of later academic achievement. Method Preschoolers heard prerecorded stories 3 times per week over the course of...

In 2013, Spencer, Goldstein, Sherman, et al. reported the promising effects of a supplemental, technology-assisted, storybook intervention (Tier 2) containing embedded instruction targeting the oral language learning of preschool children at risk for delays. We sought to advance knowledge of the intervention by replicating it in a new sample and ex...

Response to Intervention (RTI) or Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) is beginning to be implemented in preschool programs to improve outcomes and to reduce the need for special education services. The proportions of children in programs identified as struggling learners through universal screening have important implications for the feasibility...

The prevalence of struggling readers by third grade nationwide is estimated at one in three. Reports trace the roots of this problem to early childhood and the opportunity to learn language and early literacy skills at home and in preschool. Reports also indicate that one-size-fits-all preschool language and literacy instruction is beneficial for o...

In February, 2013, the Division of Early Childhood, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and the National Head Start Association released a collaborative paper to provide clarification and assistance regarding the relationship of response to intervention (RTI) with the field of early childhood (EC). In addition to promoting...

This study examined the efficacy of a multimodule parenting intervention, “My Baby & Me,” that began prenatally and continued until children reached 2.5 years of age. The intervention targeted specific parenting skills designed to alter trajectories of maternal and child development. Of 361 high-risk mothers (193 adolescents, 168 adults) enrolled a...

Although home visiting programs have been documented to improve parenting in high-risk families, their effectiveness is diminished when parents disengage from programs. Cellular phones offer an approach to promoting parent engagement and enhancing parenting outcomes. Our objective was to examine whether mothers in a parenting intervention, Planned...

The purpose of this article is to synthesize the available studies regarding responsive interaction intervention (RII) for children with or at risk for developmental delays with a focus on six dimensions: (a) the characteristics of participants, (b) the features of RII, (c) the measurement of treatment fidelity, (d) the overall effectiveness of RII...

Preschool experience plays a role in children’s development. However, for programs with language and early literacy goals, the question remains whether preschool instructional experiences are sufficiently effective to achieve these goals for all children. In a multisite study, the authors conducted a process-product description of preschool instruc...

This study examined the prevalence of indicators of disability or potential disability among preschool-aged children enrolled in the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Longitudinal Follow-Up. Three categories of indicators were established: received Part B services, developmental risk, and biological risk. The majority of participating childr...

Warm and responsive parenting is optimal for child development, but this style of parenting may be difficult for some parents to achieve. This study examines how parents' observed warmth and their reported frequency of parent–child activities were related to children's classifications as having biological risks or a range of disability indicators....

We investigated Early Head Start home visitors’ use of evidence-based practices and the efficacy of a web-based system to support these practices. Home visitors learned to use 3 evidence-based practices: (a) frequent assessment of children's early communication for screening and progress monitoring, (b) 2 home-based language-promoting interventions...

We investigated Early Head Start home visitors’ use of evidence-based practices and the effectiveness of a web-based system to support these practices. Home visitors learned to use 3 evidence-based practices: (a) frequent assessment of children's early communication for screening and progress monitoring, (b) 2 home-based language promoting interven...

T he development of cognitive, lan-guage, and social skills in the first years of life provides an essential foundation for learning more advanced skills throughout the school years. The National Education Goals Panel (1998) aspired to have all children start school ready to learn; this goal has spurred atten-tion to early childhood services. Schoo...

Seeking to achieve greater effectiveness in educating the nation's youth, the Response to Intervention (RTI) approach is increasingly being implemented in US schools (Berkeley, Bender, Peaster, & Saunders, 2009; Walker & Shinn, 2010). The approach is a paradigm shift in K–12 education that is affecting early education, early intervention, and early...

In the last two and half decades, much has been learned about conceptualizing and developing measures for use by practitioners designed to inform their intervention decision making, such as when a child would benefit from receiving additional instructional support (universal screening) and whether the child is responding positively to the intervent...

This study examined relations among children's individual experiences, global classroom quality, and school readiness. Preschool children from low-income backgrounds (N = 138; M = 62.16 months; SD = 3.93; range = 55−70) were observed in their early care and education settings, and their language and cognitive skills were assessed. Research Findings...

This research identified the possible factors influencing the ability of mothers perceived to be at the highest risk for child maltreatment to engage in a home visitation program. This study holds significance to public health nursing since home visitation is an integral component of public health nursing practice, with engagement being essential f...

Progress monitoring and data-based intervention decision making have become key components of providing evidence-based early childhood special education services. Unfortunately, there is a lack of tools to support early childhood service providers’ decision-making efforts. The authors describe a Web-based system that guides service providers throug...

In great demand are efficient mechanisms for delivery of evidence-based interventions for promoting social-emotional development and early positive behavior of all children, and especially for those with or at risk for disabilities. The rise of Internet use has created potentially new avenues for intervention delivery, which, when paired with the m...

Response to Intervention (RtI) is a systematic decision-making process that has gained widespread popularity as a problem-solving framework for organizing hierarchies of evidence-based interventions in the context of ongoing progress monitoring. Initially applied to literacy instruction, RtI is being incorporated into an expanding breadth of domain...

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0271121409354782

There are major obstacles to the effective delivery of mental health services to poor families, particularly for those families in rural areas. The rise of Internet use, however, has created potentially new avenues for service delivery, which, when paired with the many recent advances in computer networking and multimedia technology, is fueling a d...

One of the biggest challenges facing home visiting programs aimed at high-risk families is keeping families involved in the intervention. Cellular phones afford the opportunity for home visitors to maintain regular communication with parents between intervention visits and thus retain high-risk families in parenting interventions. The use of cellul...

Learning to read is founded on the acquisition of oral language, phonological processing, print awareness, knowledge, and comprehension skills acquired before school entry. Practitioners who work with very young children have limited means of knowing whether interventions in these areas are helping children make progress toward important language a...

Progress monitoring tools have been shown to be essential elements in current approaches to intervention problem-solving models. Such tools have been valuable not only in marking individual children's level of performance relative to peers but also in measuring change in skill level in a way that can be attributed to intervention and development. A...

Proficiency in problem solving is an important outcome in early childhood necessary for cognitive and emotional development. The development of an individual growth and development indicator of problem solving for children 1 to 4 years of age is described. Based on the general outcome measurement approach (Deno, 1997), the measure is intended for u...

Challenging behavior exhibited by young children is becoming recognized as a serious impediment to social-emotional development and a harbinger of severe maladjustment in school and adult life. Consequently, professionals and advocates from many disciplines have been seeking to define, elaborate, and improve on existing knowledge related to the pre...

The Early Childhood Outcomes (ECO) Center was funded by the Office of Special Education Programs to promote the development and implementation of child and family outcome measures for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with disabilities. An evidence-based process with extensive stakeholder input led to the identification of five outcomes by which...

Using data from the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project, this study analyzed the similarities and differences of variables associated with child care services for low-income families with young children with disabilities and low-income families with typically developing children. Four major variables were analyzed: access to child care...

Early interventionists are accountable for the progress of children receiving their services. Technically adequate measures of the progress of individual children are needed. While the Early Communication Indicator (ECI) for infants and toddlers is one such measure, data to support its use are limited to a single research report. In this manuscript...

A multiple baseline design across three parent-child dyads of families with multiple risk factors was used to determine the effectiveness of teaching parents to use milieu language teaching procedures. Parents were taught to use two sets of milieu language teaching skills: responsive interaction and incidental teaching. Results showed that parents...

Proficiency in social interaction with adults and peers is an important outcome in early childhood. The development of an experimental measure for assessing growth in social skills in children birth to 3 years is described. Based on the general outcome measurement (GOM) approach (e.g., Deno, 1997), the measure is intended for use by early intervent...

This paper presents two studies of factors affecting developmental outcomes of young children exposed prenatally to drugs and alcohol. In Study One, descriptive analyses of 38 children and families indicated that, as a group, children scored lower on assessed cognitive and language development, that two rates of oral language and negative behavior...

This paper reacts to testimony on early childhood special education research before the President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education (EC 632 080). Noting the Commission's emphasis on accountability and results, it stresses the importance of being clear about desired outcomes, the need for sensitive and accurate ways of measuring result...

Examined the effects of cumulative prenatal substance exposure and cumulative environmental risk on the developmental trajectories of 278 infants, toddlers, and preschool children. Results indicated that both cumulative risk indexes were significantly correlated. Results also indicated that both indexes were related to decrements in developmental t...

Proficiency in expressive communication is an important outcome in early childhood necessary for cognitive and social development. The development of an experimental measure for assessing growth in expressive communication in children from birth to 3 years of age is described. The measure was developed using general outcome measurement (GOM) proced...

Public expectations of accountability in our education system have increasingly focused on young children's development, in part because of Goal 1 of the National Education Goals (By the year 2000, all children in America will start school ready to learn). Few sensitive measurement systems have been developed, however, to monitor young children's g...

This document provides an overview of the rationale for, and characteristics of, individual growth and development indicators (IGDIs) for children birth to age 8 and their families. Development of such indicators is part of a 5-year project by the Early Childhood Research Institute Measuring Growth and Development to conduct research on, develop, a...

Two studies were conducted to describe the extent to which recommended language intervention practices were implemented in preschool classrooms serving young children with disabilities and to investigate the relationships between children's observed level of exposure to those practices and their language outcomes. Study 1 was a descriptive study of...

This article describes an analysis of existing peer-reviewed research articles on behavioral outcomes of young children prenatally exposed to alcohol. Developmental effects in children from birth to 72 months were identified in 51 studies with 634 behavioral outcomes categorized as adverse or no effect. Adverse outcomes were defined as statisticall...

All families face challenges throughout their lifespan. For a significant segment of the population, however, these challenges are multiple and constitute risks for the children and other family members. This article reviews the changing structures and characteristics of the American family and discusses the increased influence of several societal...

From 1983 to the present, 30 post-doctoral Fellows have spent at least one year at the Juniper Gardens Children's Project developing their own research plans, programs, and skills in research. Forty percent of these fellows were members of minority groups, 70% were female, and 1 had a disability demonstrating impact with traditionally underrepresen...

Premises and misconceptions about developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) are discussed, along with how the premises and practices of DAP diverge and overlap with recommended practices for early childhood special education. Instructional strategies that have been effective for teaching young children with disabilities and that follow DAP guideli...

Comments on the article by M. Wolery and S. Bredekamp (see record 1995-42147-001) concerning contextual issues that should be considered when discussing the application of developmentally appropriate practices to young children with special needs. It is suggested that the appropriateness of any practice can only be gauged by its fit for an individ...

Early differences in family SES, child language production, and IQ were related to outcomes in early elementary school in the present prospective, 10-year longitudinal study. In a prior study of family interactional variables associated with language learning, major differences in parenting (i.e., time, attention, and talking) were found to be asso...

We describe a multistep method for (a) identifying effective teacher-developed instructional procedures based on assessments of achievement gain and classroom engagement and (b) translating them for wide-scale use by other teachers. The method employed a combination of both objective and naturalistic assessments leading to reliable procedural proto...

The purpose of this article was to review the findings from existing peer-reviewed experimental studies describing the behavioral and developmental outcomes associated with prenatal exposure to illicit drugs. Forty-six such studies and 460 individual outcomes occurring from birth to 60 months were identified. Only half of these outcomes (49.8%) wer...