During center time, 4-year-old Lena completes a 6-piece puzzle on her own. With an adult asking guiding questions about edges and colors, she completes a 12-piece puzzle. She cannot complete a 24-piece puzzle even with step-by-step adult help. According to Vygotsky, which instructional plan is MOST appropriate?

Offer the 12-piece puzzle with guiding questions that are gradually faded

Offer the 24-piece puzzle with hand-over-hand help on every placement

Offer the 6-piece puzzle repeatedly until she completes it with full speed

Offer the 24-piece puzzle independently so she discovers a new strategy

At 24 months, Isabella uses about 20 words and no two-word combinations. She follows two-step directions, points to show and request, uses many gestures, and engages in pretend play. Which conclusion is BEST supported by these data?

She shows an expressive delay; her comprehension and gestures are favorable signs

She shows a mixed receptive-expressive delay affecting both comprehension and word use

She shows typical development, since 20 words is the expected 24-month range

She shows the core social-communication deficits that are typical of autism

Theo, a 4-year-old with autism, spends center time lining up toy cars in the same order and becomes upset when peers touch them. His IEP includes a goal for expanding functional and pretend play. Which strategy is MOST appropriate to try first?

Join beside him with a matching set of cars, imitate his actions, then model one new action

Allow the lining up to continue, since adult involvement would disrupt his own play

Remove the cars from the classroom so he must choose other toys during center time

Assign him to the dramatic play area daily so he can watch peers in pretend roles

A first grader receives Tier 3 intervention in letter-sound fluency. His aimline calls for 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, and 30 correct letter sounds per minute over weeks 1 through 6. His scores for those weeks are 21, 22, 20, 21, 22, and 21. Using a four-consecutive-point decision rule, what should the team do?

Change the intervention, since the last four points fall below the aimline.

Raise the goal, since the first two points fall at or above the aimline.

Continue the intervention, since the weekly scores show very little variability.

Continue the intervention, since the average score is close to the goal.

A kindergarten team is frustrated that a 5-year-old with an IEP leaves the circle area several times each morning. Team members disagree about why, and each proposes a different intervention. Which step should the team take FIRST in a collaborative problem-solving process?

Define the behavior in observable terms and gather data on when and why it occurs

Brainstorm a broad list of possible interventions before narrowing the options

Vote on which of the proposed interventions to try first and then evaluate it

Ask the parent which of the proposed interventions she would prefer to see used

While building a ramp, 4-year-old Priya mutters, "Big block first... no, that's wobbly... put the flat one under." A new assistant wants to tell her to work quietly. According to Vygotsky, which response is MOST appropriate?

Allow the talk, since self-directed speech helps her guide and regulate her own actions

Record the talk as a concern, since talking aloud at four suggests language delay

Discourage the talk, since it reflects egocentric thought that she should soon outgrow on her own

Redirect the talk to a peer, since speech only supports learning when it is social

Four-year-old Ethan's speech is hard to understand. He says the same word differently on each attempt, visibly gropes with his lips and tongue to start words, and makes more errors as words get longer. His muscle strength and tone for eating are normal. Which disorder is MOST consistent with this profile?

Phonological speech sound disorder

Which sequence correctly orders Smilansky's categories of cognitive play from earliest to latest developing?

Functional, constructive, dramatic, games with rules

Functional, dramatic, constructive, games with rules

Dramatic, functional, constructive, games with rules

Constructive, functional, games with rules, dramatic

A preschool teacher who leads a large group needs to estimate the percentage of center time a 3-year-old is actively engaged with materials without continuously watching him. Which method is MOST practical?

Momentary time sampling, scoring engagement only at the end of each interval

Event recording, counting each separate instance of engagement that is observed

Whole-interval recording, scoring only if engaged for the entire interval

ABC recording, noting what occurred before and after each engagement

The parents of a 3-year-old with Down syndrome want their child to attend the community preschool her older sister attended. The district operates only a self-contained preschool class. How should the preschool special educator help the family advocate?

Inform them that the IEP team must consider services in regular early childhood settings, including community programs

Recommend that they enroll privately in the community program and give up special education services for the year

Explain that the district can only offer placements in programs it operates, so the self-contained class is required

Advise them to request a due process hearing right away, because a self-contained class always violates the LRE requirements

Praxis Special Education Early ChildhoodEarly Intervention (5692)

Free Praxis Special Edu 5692 Practice Questions

10 sample questions for the Praxis Special Education Early ChildhoodEarly Intervention (5692), with the correct answer and an explanation for each. No account needed. Try each one before you open the answer.

Sections covered on the exam: Child Development and Early Learning, Curriculum, Planning, and Instruction, Assessment, Partnering and Collaborating, Legal and Ethical Practices.

Question 1 · Child Development and Early Learning
During center time, 4-year-old Lena completes a 6-piece puzzle on her own. With an adult asking guiding questions about edges and colors, she completes a 12-piece puzzle. She cannot complete a 24-piece puzzle even with step-by-step adult help. According to Vygotsky, which instructional plan is MOST appropriate?
- A.Offer the 24-piece puzzle with hand-over-hand help on every placement
- B.Offer the 12-piece puzzle with guiding questions that are gradually faded
- C.Offer the 6-piece puzzle repeatedly until she completes it with full speed
- D.Offer the 24-piece puzzle independently so she discovers a new strategy
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. Offer the 12-piece puzzle with guiding questions that are gradually faded
The zone of proximal development is the range between what a child can do alone and what she can do with skilled help, so the 12-piece puzzle with scaffolding that is faded over time targets it. Repeating the mastered 6-piece puzzle stays below the zone, and the 24-piece puzzle is beyond it even with support, so hand-over-hand help would not produce independent learning.
Question 2 · Child Development and Early Learning
At 24 months, Isabella uses about 20 words and no two-word combinations. She follows two-step directions, points to show and request, uses many gestures, and engages in pretend play. Which conclusion is BEST supported by these data?
- A.She shows a mixed receptive-expressive delay affecting both comprehension and word use
- B.She shows typical development, since 20 words is the expected 24-month range
- C.She shows an expressive delay; her comprehension and gestures are favorable signs
- D.She shows the core social-communication deficits that are typical of autism
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. She shows an expressive delay; her comprehension and gestures are favorable signs
Fewer than 50 words and no word combinations at 24 months is a common criterion for an expressive language delay, and intact comprehension, gesture use, and pretend play are positive predictors. Following two-step directions at 24 months argues against a receptive delay, and her joint attention and pretend play argue against autism.
Question 3 · Curriculum, Planning, and Instruction
Theo, a 4-year-old with autism, spends center time lining up toy cars in the same order and becomes upset when peers touch them. His IEP includes a goal for expanding functional and pretend play. Which strategy is MOST appropriate to try first?
- A.Allow the lining up to continue, since adult involvement would disrupt his own play
- B.Remove the cars from the classroom so he must choose other toys during center time
- C.Assign him to the dramatic play area daily so he can watch peers in pretend roles
- D.Join beside him with a matching set of cars, imitate his actions, then model one new action
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. Join beside him with a matching set of cars, imitate his actions, then model one new action
Starting from the child's own interest, the adult uses contingent imitation to build engagement and then models a small expansion, such as driving a car up a ramp, a core strategy of naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions. Removing the cars eliminates his motivation, and placing him in dramatic play assumes he can learn complex pretend roles by watching without direct support.
Question 4 · Assessment
A first grader receives Tier 3 intervention in letter-sound fluency. His aimline calls for 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, and 30 correct letter sounds per minute over weeks 1 through 6. His scores for those weeks are 21, 22, 20, 21, 22, and 21. Using a four-consecutive-point decision rule, what should the team do?
- A.Raise the goal, since the first two points fall at or above the aimline.
- B.Continue the intervention, since the weekly scores show very little variability.
- C.Continue the intervention, since the average score is close to the goal.
- D.Change the intervention, since the last four points fall below the aimline.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. Change the intervention, since the last four points fall below the aimline.
Under a four-point rule, four consecutive data points below the aimline signal that the instruction is not working and should be changed; weeks 3 through 6 (20, 21, 22, 21) all fall below aimline values of 24 through 30. Raising the goal applies only when consecutive points are above the aimline, and low variability around a flat trend does not indicate adequate progress.
Question 5 · Partnering and Collaborating
A kindergarten team is frustrated that a 5-year-old with an IEP leaves the circle area several times each morning. Team members disagree about why, and each proposes a different intervention. Which step should the team take FIRST in a collaborative problem-solving process?
- A.Define the behavior in observable terms and gather data on when and why it occurs
- B.Brainstorm a broad list of possible interventions before narrowing the options
- C.Vote on which of the proposed interventions to try first and then evaluate it
- D.Ask the parent which of the proposed interventions she would prefer to see used
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Define the behavior in observable terms and gather data on when and why it occurs
Collaborative problem solving begins by defining the problem clearly and collecting data; without that, the team cannot select an intervention matched to the function of the behavior. Voting or brainstorming interventions before the problem is defined is the most common error in team problem solving.
Question 6 · Child Development and Early Learning
While building a ramp, 4-year-old Priya mutters, "Big block first... no, that's wobbly... put the flat one under." A new assistant wants to tell her to work quietly. According to Vygotsky, which response is MOST appropriate?
- A.Record the talk as a concern, since talking aloud at four suggests language delay
- B.Discourage the talk, since it reflects egocentric thought that she should soon outgrow on her own
- C.Allow the talk, since self-directed speech helps her guide and regulate her own actions
- D.Redirect the talk to a peer, since speech only supports learning when it is social
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. Allow the talk, since self-directed speech helps her guide and regulate her own actions
Vygotsky viewed private speech as a tool for self-regulation that is gradually internalized as inner speech, and it increases during challenging tasks. The view of private speech as egocentric talk that simply fades away is Piaget's, and talking aloud during problem solving is typical, not a sign of delay.
Question 7 · Child Development and Early Learning
Four-year-old Ethan's speech is hard to understand. He says the same word differently on each attempt, visibly gropes with his lips and tongue to start words, and makes more errors as words get longer. His muscle strength and tone for eating are normal. Which disorder is MOST consistent with this profile?
- A.Childhood apraxia of speech
- B.Developmental stuttering
- C.Flaccid dysarthria
- D.Phonological speech sound disorder
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Childhood apraxia of speech
Childhood apraxia of speech is a motor planning disorder marked by inconsistent errors on repeated productions, groping, and increasing difficulty with longer words, with normal muscle strength. Dysarthria results from weakness or poor muscle control that also affects eating, and a phonological disorder produces consistent, rule-based error patterns.
Question 8 · Curriculum, Planning, and Instruction
Which sequence correctly orders Smilansky's categories of cognitive play from earliest to latest developing?
- A.Functional, constructive, dramatic, games with rules
- B.Functional, dramatic, constructive, games with rules
- C.Dramatic, functional, constructive, games with rules
- D.Constructive, functional, games with rules, dramatic
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Functional, constructive, dramatic, games with rules
Smilansky described functional play (repetitive actions with objects) first, then constructive play (building or creating), then dramatic or symbolic play, and finally games with rules. Placing dramatic play before constructive, or placing games with rules before dramatic play, reverses the developmental sequence.
Question 9 · Assessment
A preschool teacher who leads a large group needs to estimate the percentage of center time a 3-year-old is actively engaged with materials without continuously watching him. Which method is MOST practical?
- A.Event recording, counting each separate instance of engagement that is observed
- B.Whole-interval recording, scoring only if engaged for the entire interval
- C.ABC recording, noting what occurred before and after each engagement
- D.Momentary time sampling, scoring engagement only at the end of each interval
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. Momentary time sampling, scoring engagement only at the end of each interval
Momentary time sampling requires only a brief check at the moment each interval ends, giving an estimate of the proportion of time engaged while freeing the teacher to teach. Whole-interval recording demands continuous observation throughout each interval, and engagement is a continuous behavior that is poorly suited to counting discrete events.
Question 10 · Partnering and Collaborating
The parents of a 3-year-old with Down syndrome want their child to attend the community preschool her older sister attended. The district operates only a self-contained preschool class. How should the preschool special educator help the family advocate?
- A.Recommend that they enroll privately in the community program and give up special education services for the year
- B.Explain that the district can only offer placements in programs it operates, so the self-contained class is required
- C.Advise them to request a due process hearing right away, because a self-contained class always violates the LRE requirements
- D.Inform them that the IEP team must consider services in regular early childhood settings, including community programs
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. Inform them that the IEP team must consider services in regular early childhood settings, including community programs
Preschool LRE requirements apply even when a district has no general preschool program; the IEP team must consider alternatives such as community programs, Head Start, or itinerant services in those settings. Saying only district-run programs are possible misstates the law, and claiming a self-contained class always violates LRE overstates it.

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