Artificial Intelligence . . . In the Early Childhood Special Education Classroom!!?

Abstract

ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI) large language model system, has taken the world by storm. Fearful that students would use ChatGPT to circumvent the learning process, multiple school districts in the U.S. have outright banned its use. Despite this, there are some who suggest that ChatGPT has the potential to reshape the field of education (Heaven, 2023; Morrison, 2023). In order to demonstrate that ChatGPT has the potential to benefit the field of special education, the purpose of this article is to describe how early childhood special (ECSE) teachers can use ChatGPT to facilitate instruction and support daily teaching practices. This article begins with a description of how teachers can access and interact with ChatGPT. Discussion then shifts to how ECSE teachers can use the AI to support instruction. The article concludes with a list of limitations and a brief overview of an alternative to ChatGPT.