eNotes
March 23, 2026Updates from the ECTA Center
Self-Assessment and Meeting Templates Support State EHDI-EI Collaboration
This new resource helps guide state discussions about topics important to the system of care for children who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) and their families. It helps states as they build partnerships through a process that can be adapted to individual state contexts and needs. The guide is in two sections:
- Self-Assessment Activities identify where you are along a continuum of partnerships and prioritize areas where collaborative efforts will be most helpful.
- Sample Agendas for Collaborative Meetings cover key areas of collaboration.
Announcements
Princeton Day School Student Creates Affordable Braille Keyboard
Braille keyboards and other assistive devices can be expensive, often limiting accessibility for the visually impaired. High schooler, Umang Sharma, invented an affordable solution that aims to make this technology more widely available and to improve the lives of people with disabilities. He patented a Braille keyboard that costs less than $10 to make. This is a fraction of the $7,000 price tag of commercial models. Sharma distributes affordable Braille keyboards, maps, and globes through his nonprofit JDable.
News from the Field
2025 Tipping Points Survey Results Available from ITCA
The 2025 IDEA Infant & Toddler Coordinators Association (ITCA) survey included responses from 49 Part C state coordinators. The survey, which has been conducted for 20 consecutive years, covered issues and challenges of Part C implementation. Questions cover state funding, child services, referrals, and provider issues. ITCA uses the information to track emerging issues and state responses related to eligibility, state financial support, and personnel shortages.
The survey is available from ITCA's Board Approved Surveys.
Reimagining the Institute of Education Sciences Report
Reimagining the Institute of Education Sciences Report the steps needed for the Institute for Education Sciences (IES), to enhance efficiency, agility, and responsiveness to the users it was established to serve. The IES was founded in 2002 to:
- Collect and analyze national education statistics.
- Strengthen the quality and efficiency of early childhood through postsecondary education through scientifically valid research, evaluation, and dissemination activities.
- Support state and local agencies to facilitate evidence-based strategies that benefit students across states.
How AI Tools Can Support Special Education Students and Teachers
Special education is an area where artificial intelligence (AI) can have an especially significant impact. This article illustrates how AI can help deliver more individualized instruction, expand communication options for students with complex needs, and significantly reduce the time teachers spend on individualized education program (IEP) paperwork.
Research
Understanding Parent Perspectives of Preemptive Intervention for Toddler Siblings of Autistic Children
Understanding Parent Perspectives of Preemptive Intervention for Toddler Siblings of Autistic Children presents research centered on understanding the:
- Parents' perspectives on how to best support siblings of children with autism (sibs-aut) during early development.
- The extent that parenting self-efficacy could explain different needs during early development.
Parents of sibs-aut in the study had concerns about their child’s development and were interested in participating in virtual developmental monitoring or intervention programs. Preemptive interventions may be improved with virtual delivery, developmental milestone instruction, or shared decision-making. Parents of sibs-aut also want other families to know that they are not alone, that autism can take many forms, and sometimes other parents are the best resource.