DEC Recommended Practices

DEC Recommended Practices (2014) are based on the best available empirical evidence as well as the wisdom and experience of the field. The final set of practices was determined through a consensus process. The DEC Recommended Practices support children’s access and participation in inclusive settings and natural environments and address cultural, linguistic, and ability diversity. The following practices address embedded intervention strategies that practitioners and families can use in a wide variety of contexts and settings:

E1. Practitioners provide services and supports in natural and inclusive environments during daily routines and activities to promote the child’s access to and participation in learning experiences.

E3. Practitioners work with the family and other adults to modify and adapt the physical, social, and temporal environments to promote each child’s access to and participation in learning experiences.

INS2. Practitioners, with the family, identify skills to target for instruction that help a child become adaptive, competent, socially connected, and engaged and that promote learning in natural and inclusive environments.

INS3. Practitioners gather and use data to inform decisions about individualized instruction.

INS4. Practitioners plan for and provide the level of support, accommodations, and adaptations needed for the child to access, participate, and learn within and across activities and routines.

INT3. Practitioners promote the child’s communication development by observing, interpreting, responding contingently, and providing natural consequences for the child’s verbal and non‐verbal communication and by using language to label and expand on the child’s requests, needs, preferences, or interests.

INS5. Practitioners embed instruction within and across routines, activities, and environments to provide contextually relevant learning opportunities.