ANKARA UNIVERSITESI EGITIM BILIMLERI FAKULTESI OZEL EGITIM DERGISI-ANKARA UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION, vol.23, no.1, pp.243-269, 2022 (ESCI)
Introduction: Having the purpose of supporting healthy development of children and needs of families at the highest level, early childhood special education (ECSE) is a set of services provided to children, at the age of 0-6/8, with special needs having developmental disabilities or risks, and their families. ECSE is a disciplinary field covering professional literature and studies with its unique field of study, philosophy, values, objectives and reasons for its establishment. This study aims to discuss main characteristics and theoretical grounds of ECSE, its historical progress, the latest legal regulations in the field, current developments about ECSE practices across the world and Turkey, unresolved problems in Turkey, and some suggestions that can improve quality of services.