A measure of engagement for children with intellectual disabilities in early childhood settings: a preliminary study

Background: The purpose of this study was to develop a measure of engagement that could be used in practice with children with disabilities, including children with severe intellectual disabilities. Method: The Individual Child Engagement Record (ICER) was designed to observe and record the engagement of individual children in order to identify optimal programs for them. Using the measure, 5 children with mild to severe disabilities were observed in an inclusive childcare setting across 4 types of ongoing activities: routine, one-to-one instruction, planned, and child-initiated. Results: Generally, the children were better engaged in routine activities. The lowest level of engagement was found for planned activities. There were, however, differences across children with regard to the relative value of the different types of activities in promoting engagement. Conclusions: The measure allowed for the identification of activities that would provide better learning opportunities for children with significant disabilities.