# The Carolina Curriculum for Infants and Toddlers ## Third Edition By ### Nancy M. Johnson-Martin, Ph.D. ### Susan M. Attermeier, Ph.D., PT ### Bonnie J. Hacker, M.H.S., OTR/L --- ## The Carolina Curriculum for Infants and Toddlers with Special Needs ### About the Authors ### Nancy M. Johnson-Martin, Ph.D. Nancy M. Johnson-Martin, Ph.D., is a consultant for assessment and early intervention following her retirement from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she held positions in the Division for Disorders of Development and Learning and in the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center (now called the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute). ### Susan M. Attermeier, Ph.D., PT Susan M. Attermeier, Ph.D., PT, is a pediatric physical therapist in private practice in Hillsborough, North Carolina. She was previously Assistant Professor in the Division of Physical Therapy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. ### Bonnie J. Hacker, M.H.S., OTR/L Bonnie J. Hacker, M.H.S., OTR/L, is an occupational therapist with more than 25 years’ experience working with children. She holds certifications in Neurodevelopmental Therapy, Southern California Sensory Integration Tests, and Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests. She is currently the director of Emerge—A Child’s Place, a pediatric clinic in Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, that provides children with occupational and speech therapy services. ## Acknowledgments This volume would not have been possible without the efforts of those who played a major role in the development of the two earlier versions of this curriculum. Specifically, we recognize Kenneth Jens, Ph.D., who coauthored the first two editions... (truncated for brevity) ## Contents 1. **Introduction** 2. **Guiding Learning: Principles and Suggestions** 3. **Environmental Factors Influencing Learning, Development, and Emergent Literacy** 4. **Using The Carolina Curriculum** --- ### Introduction Many changes have occurred in the field of early intervention since the first edition of The Carolina Curriculum for Handicapped Infants and Infants at Risk (Johnson-Martin, Jens, & Attermeier) was published in 1986. Following the enactment of the Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1986 (PL 99-457), there was a dramatic expansion of early intervention services in the United States. There has been a shift from professionals providing services primarily in center-based programs to providing services in homes, child care centers, and preschools. The revised curriculum addresses these developments and aims to provide a structured guide for working with children who have special needs from birth to 36 months. ## What is the CCITSN Approach? This edition links assessment to intervention through hierarchies of developmental tasks relevant to typical routines for young children and pertinent to long-term adaptation, making interventions directly applicable in children's lives. ### Features of the CCITSN 1. **Developmental Sequences**: Sequences are based on typical development while accommodating children with atypical development. 2. **Atypical Development Strategies**: Items are organized to build upon one another, considering children’s unique developmental pathways. 3. **Focus on Adaptive Skills**: Skills that may temporarily or permanently replace typical skills are emphasized. 4. **Functional Skill Development**: Emphasizes functional activities and emergent literacy skills that contribute to children’s future school readiness. ## Changes in the Revision The changes include reorganized sequences for smoother transitions to the preschool curriculum, an increase in the age range covered, and a greater reliance on the expertise of curriculum users. This edition aims to promote user experience and provide a systematic approach for developing intervention plans for children functioning within the birth to 36-month range. ### Appendix: Checklist for Emergent Literacy Skills - **Print/book awareness** Points to text while talking, handles and plays with books, indicates pictures when asked. - **Metalinguistic awareness** Understands and produces rhymes, blends syllables into words, recognizes beginning sounds of words. - **Oral language** Uses sentences, describes events, copies words and motivations. --- **References** 1. Bagnato, S.J., Neisworth, J.T., & Munson, S.M. (1997). LINKing assessment and early intervention. 2. Bayley, N. (1993). Bayley Scales of Infant Development (2nd ed.). 3. Notari-Syverson, A., O’Connor, R.E., & Vadasy, P.F. (1998). Ladders to literacy: A preschool activity book.