With the increasing diversity in the United States, there has been a call for early intervention/early childhood special education (EI/ECSE) services to be responsive and sensitive to the diversity of children and families represented in communities (Gullo, 2004; Lynch & Hanson, 2011). Culturally responsive practice is particularly important for EI/ECSE professionals because of the clear focus on family involvement and partnerships in providing appropriate early intervention and educational experiences for young children with special needs. A greater emphasis has also been placed on ensuring that evaluation practices are responsive to the children and families’ backgrounds, when evaluating the child as well as when collecting information about families’ concerns, priorities, and resources. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) requires that evaluation teams take into account a child’s English language proficiency status as well as a child’s experiences and cultural background.
