Refliction

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Chapter 8

Adapting Learning Environments for Young Children with Special Needs

Introduction

Components that are necessary to support the individual needs of a child with special needs in an inclusive learning environment
Curriculum modifications and adaptations;
Embedded learning opportunities; and
Explicit, child-focused intervention or instructional strategies.

Young Children with Cognitive Delays or Disabilities

Educators and specialists should not assume that all children with cognitive delays share the same challenges to those who have learning difficulties.

Special Education programs should work towards maximizing the potential of students to minimize the impact of their developmental deficits.

Young Children with Cognitive Delays or Disabilities

Adapting the Home and Classroom Environment

Teachers and parents should start with the child’s interest in mind.

Professionals often recommend embedding intervention or instruction into typical classroom activities and routines.

Consistency in the routine provides the child with security and promotes self-assuredness.

Young Children with Cognitive Delays or Disabilities

Adapting Materials and Equipment

Hands-on and multi-sensory activities should be planned.

Visual cues may be necessary to prompt children to follow the classroom activities and exhibit appropriate behavior.

Have multiple ways of presenting these abstract concepts in concrete ways.

Cognitive Delays

Adapting Intervention and Instruction

It is important to focus on the child’s strengths when planning for instruction to reduce the level of frustration and promote self-esteem.

Use of prompts and praise are often necessary to engage children to communicate and socialize.

Cognitive Delays

Generalization – learning to use a skill outside of the context in which it was initially acquired

Cognitive Delays

Task Analysis – an instructional strategy often used with children with cognitive delays

Involves breaking down a skill or activity into smaller, more manageable steps

Cognitive Delays

Scaffolding – a teacher directed activity wherein the teacher provides various forms of support to help a child learn a new task

Cognitive Delays

Strategies to promote generalization:

Using a variety of adults when teaching a skill

Embedding skills into activities

Creating activities similar to the generalization setting

Young Children with Social and Emotional Delays or Disabilities

Behavior disorder is frequently used to describe a wide variety of social and emotional challenges that include, but are not limited to:

Conduct disorders (aggressiveness, disruptive or destructive behaviors),

Difficulty with interpersonal relationships,

Depression, or

Anxiety disorders (over-anxiousness, withdrawal)

Social and Emotional
Development Delays

Adapting the Home and Classroom Environment

Sandall and Schwartz (2008) offer ways to structure the environment for success:

Provide a balance between child-directed and adult-directed activities.

Provide a variety of areas within the classroom that have boundaries and are easily viewed.

Ensure materials are organized and in good working condition.

Offer activities that provide many ways for children to respond.

Social and Emotional
Development Delays

Adapting Materials and Equipment

Are materials used for self-expression readily available?

Are learning materials safe and do they promote various social interaction?

Are there enough materials?

Are the materials reinforcing to children?

Social and Emotional
Development Delays

Functional Behavior Analysis – a process of gathering information and data about the particular behavior

Social and Emotional Development Delays

Positive Behavioral Supports – a comprehensive approach focusing on facilitating appropriate behaviors while reducing or preventing challenging behaviors

Social and Emotional
Development Delays

Time out – a strategy that involves removing a child to a location away from reinforcing conditions

See Table 8-2: Guidelines for using time-out successfully

Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

The definition of autism found in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 states that autism is a developmental disability significantly affecting:
Verbal and nonverbal communication and
social interaction,
Is generally evident before age three, and
Adversely affects a child’s educational performance.

Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Adapting Home and Educational Environments
Structure and predictability are important adaptations when teaching new skills to children with autism.
Three additional temporal adaptations identified to be successful for both home and classroom environments are:
(1) provide “break times;”
(2) match active and sitting activities; and
(3) adjust the schedule if needed

Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Adapting Materials and Equipment
Consider the functional level of the child
Using visual supports such as pictures of real objects, picture symbols, and written words incorporated into daily routines and schedules have been found to be an excellent strategy in assisting the child with ASD
Social Story
PECS
Boardmaker Software Family

Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Adapting Intervention and Instruction
Naturalistic teaching strategies or interventions
Identifying the child’s most and least preferred toys and activities
Mix high-preference choice activities with low- preference activities to promote the introduction of new desired skills
Five formats of teacher talk:
Recasting, repeating, expanding, questioning, prompting

Young Children with Communication and Language Delays or Disabilities

Communication – The exchange of messages between a speaker and a listener

Language – The use of symbols, syntax, or grammar when communicating with one another

Speech – The oral-motor action used to communicate

Communication and Language Development Delays

According to the Federal definition in IDEA 2004, children diagnosed with speech and language impairment refers to children with a communication disorder such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a language impairment or voice impairment that adversely affects a child’s education performance.

Communication and Language Development Delays

Potential causes of language delays:

Related to cognitive delays

Sensory impairments

Emotional problems

Autism or PDD

Motor impairments

Linguistic and cultural differences

Communication and Language Development Delays

Echolalic Speech – repeats what is said instead of generating an original sentence

Communication and Language Development Delays

Adapting the Home and Classroom environment

General Guidelines:

Provide a language-rich home or classroom setting

Children’s nonverbal and verbal communication should be responded to by teachers and caregivers

Communication and Language Development Delays

General Guidelines, cont.

Turn-taking games should be used to have “conversations” with young children

Actions and objects in the child’s surroundings should be labeled

Communication and Language Development Delays

Adapting Equipment and Materials

When choosing materials, consider the following:

Materials and activities should be based on the child’s interest.

Materials should be placed in a location where the child can see them but is unable to access them.

Materials or equipment should be limited.

Materials should be used for “choice-making opportunities.”

Communication and Language Development Delays

Adapting Instruction

Strategies useful in promoting language development:

The child’s actions and sounds should be imitated

The language that a child uses should be expanded.

Vocalizations can be coupled with gestures, if necessary.

Communication and Language Development Delays

Strategies, cont.

Pauses (verbally and physically) can be used to provide an opportunity to communicate.

Teachers should collaborate with related service personnel (such as the SLP).

Young Children with Sensory Impairments: Vision

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act defines visual impairment as impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects an individual’s educational performance.

Young Children with Sensory Impairments: Vision

Several developmental and readiness areas that may require additional attention includes sensory development, locomotion (crawling, walking), fine motor skills, social development and peer interaction, receptive and expressive communication, and self-care skill development.

Sensory Impairments: Vision

Adapting the Home and Classroom Environment

A child with visual impairment should be encouraged to use whatever vision he/she has.

Home and educational settings should have good lighting and the child should be located in areas away from glares, shadows, or flickering lights.

Sensory Impairments: Vision

Orientation is defined as being aware of where you are, where you are going, and which route you will use to get there.

Mobility is moving from one place to

another (Gargiulo, 2009).

Sensory Impairments: Vision

Orientation and mobility training uses sensory awareness and motor development to help a child move independently through the environment.

See Environmental Adaptations on Table 8-4.

Sensory Impairments: Vision

Adapting Materials and Equipment

Categories:

Visual aids

Use of hands-on real life situations

Tactile methods

Use of Braille

Auditory strategies and aids

Sensory Impairments: Vision

Adapting Instruction

Guidelines for working with children with visual impairment:

Use consistent labels for objects.

Actively assist a child to explore the environment.

Work from behind the child, putting him through the movements of what is expected of him while providing verbal feedback.

Listen and explain everyday environmental sounds and visual information.

Sensory Impairments: Vision

Guidelines (continued)

Teach self-care skills in the places and at the times where they naturally occur.

Present objects before the instruction.

Young Children with Sensory Impairments: Hearing

Federal definition describes deafness as a condition that adversely affects educational performance and is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information or communication through hearing, with or without amplification (hearing aids).

Sensory Impairments: Hearing

Adapting the Home and Classroom Environment

In working with children with hearing impairment, attention should be given to:

The light source in the home and classroom setting

Seating and positioning

Classroom noise and background noise

Sensory Impairments: Hearing

Assistive listening devices

Auditory trainer or FM system – helps manage acoustical problems found in the classroom

Sound field system – system benefits students with minimal hearing loss

Sensory Impairments: Hearing

Cochlear implant – a tiny array of electrodes implanted in the cochlea of the inner ear.

Attached to the tiny transmitter behind the ear

Sensory Impairments: Hearing

Auditory-oral – an educational approach that emphasizes the development of speech, speech reading, and listening with appropriate amplification

Sensory Impairments: Hearing

Bilingual-bicultural – an approach that emphasizes the early use of American Sign Language (ASL)

ASL is thought to be the natural language that permits children who are deaf to advance through the normal stages of language acquisition

Sensory Impairments: Hearing

Total communication focuses on using the individual child’s preferred modes of communication.

Methods of teaching includes:

Oral – Finger spelling

Auditory – Writing

Speechreading – Gestures

Sign language

Young Children with Physical Delays or Disabilities & Health Impairments

Children with physical and/or health impairments represent a diverse group; physical impairments include

Spina bifida, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and spinal cord injury

Health impairments may include

Asthma, cystic fibrosis, leukemia, or diabetes

Physical Delays or Disabilities & Health Impairments

Adapting the Home and Classroom Environment

See Table 8-7 for Suggested Classroom Checklist of Accommodations for Children with Physical or Health Impairments

Physical Delays or Disabilities & Health Impairments

Adapting Materials and Equipment

Specialized equipment for standing, sitting, and ambulation may be necessary because of abnormal muscle tone:

Hypotonic – floppy muscles

Hypertonic – tight muscles

Physical Delays or Disabilities & Health Impairments

Adapting Instruction

Children with physical and/or health impairment may exhibit fatigue, limited stamina and vitality, or require limited physical activity.

Teachers/specialist should consider creating a variety of modifications and options for the child to be able to participate.

Chapter Summary

It is critical for early interventionists and early childhood special educators to identify adaptations for children with a variety of developmental delays.

Adapting appropriate materials and equipment and implementing instructional strategies enables children to maximize their potential in both home and school environments.