Refliction

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Chapter 9

Interventions and Instructional Strategies for Supporting Young Children with Special Needs

Practices and Processes Appropriate for Young Children with Special Needs

Evidence-based practices means a decision-making process that integrates the best available research evidence with family and professional wisdom and values

The Five-Step Learning Cycle is anchored in solving problems through the integration of multiple perspectives of professionals and families, as well as other sources of evidence

Practices and Processes Appropriate for Young Children with Special Needs

The five steps of the cycle are:
1. Identify the dilemma,
2. Use a practice focused question,
3. Gather evidence,
4. Make an informed decision, and
5. Evaluate and refine the decision.

Practices and Processes Appropriate for Young Children with Special Needs

Three evidence-based practices in early childhood special education are:
Embedded interventions
Transition practices
Assistive technology interventions

Strategies for Including Children with Special Needs

Selected strategies organized into four categories:

Teacher-mediated strategies

Peer-mediated strategies

Routine-based strategies

Naturalistic (milieu) strategies

Teacher-Mediated Strategies

Teacher-mediated

The term has typically been used to describe teacher-directed explicit interventions designed to promote social interaction by the teaching of a specific skill or skill set.

Teacher-Mediated Strategies

Teacher-mediated, cont.

Includes techniques that an adult (e.g., teacher, parent, other family members, related service professional) can implement before or during activities that promote child engagement with people, materials, or activities.

Teacher-Mediated Strategies

Environmental Arrangements

One of the least intrusive steps that a teacher can take to promote engagement of children within their educational setting

Three strategies that fit within these guidelines: the arrangement of physical space, the selection and use of materials, and the use of structured activities

Teacher-Mediated Strategies

Promoting Acceptance

A strategy that can be viewed as creating and preparing the social environment to be more accepting of a child with disability

Teacher-Mediated Strategies

Promoting Acceptance, cont.

Effective strategies for increasing understanding and promoting acceptance of children with diverse abilities include

The use of active and independent involvement in activities for children with delays or disabilities,
Access to cooperative activities, stories, and
Guided discussions that highlight similarities as opposed to differences

Teacher-Mediated Strategies

The Provision of Prompts and Praise

Prompts and praise are strategies that teachers can employ to promote engagement within the inclusive preschool setting.
Praise can be defined as a verbal reinforcement.
Praise is an effective technique for promoting child engagement among children who have special needs.

Teacher-Mediated Strategies

Prompts may be defined as any assistance or help given by another person (adult).

Teacher-Mediated Strategies

Common prompts include:

Direct and indirect verbal prompts

Model prompts

Partial or full physical prompts

Spatial prompts

Visual/pictorial prompts

Cued prompts

Teacher-Mediated Strategies

Accepting Different Levels and Types of Participation

Partial Participation - When a child uses only a portion of the response
Adapted Participation - When a child may also use an alternative means to participate

Teacher-Mediated Strategies

Monitoring Communicative Input

A strategy wherein the teacher enables children of diverse abilities to participate in group activities

Videotaping a group activity is an excellent strategy for examining the level of communication used when speaking to children

Teacher-Mediated Strategies

Examples of monitoring communicative input:

Use of simple vocabulary and shorter sentence length

A variation in intonation and rate of speech

Contingent responses

Scaffolding

Peer-Mediated Strategies

Peer-mediated Strategies

A collection of procedures which involves the use of peers to promote the learning and behavior of a child with disabilities

Providing structured opportunities for the children to interact with one another (so as to use the skills taught)

Peer-Mediated Strategies

Peer-Initiation Interventions

An early childhood special educator selects typically developing peers who are:
Known to be highly social,
Attend school regularly,
Have little or no history of negative interactions,
Have adequate attention spans and the comprehension to participate in the training sessions, and
Have the willingness to participate in the special play groups.

Peer-Mediated Strategies

The following suggestions are for early childhood special educators and other adults to use when implementing naturalistic interventions or incidental strategies with typically developing peers and children with delays or disabilities.

Observe to identify peer models.

Set up a novel activity.

Invite a peer to join an activity.

Help children to enter activities.

Position children to maximize interaction.

Peer-Mediated Strategies

Cooperative Learning

Another strategy that can utilize peers to mediate learning and child engagement

Goals of cooperative learning are to foster cooperative interaction, to teach cooperative learning skills, and to promote positive self-esteem

Peer-Mediated Strategies

Four essential elements of cooperative learning:

Positive interdependence is promoted.

Communication is required.

Accountability is expected.

Group process is expected.

Routine-Based Strategies

Take advantage of already occurring events such as play, predictable routine activities such as snack time, diapering, circle time and transitions.

Routine-Based Strategies

Play-Based Intervention (strategies)

Play provides an avenue for children to master their thoughts and actions, and contributes to the child’s cognitive, physical, and social/emotional development.

When setting up activities, it is important to provide a range of difficulty in order to support active engagement.

Routine-Based Strategies

Activity-Based Instruction

“A child directed, transactional approach where multiple learning activities are embedded into authentic activities and logically occurring antecedents and timely feedback are provided to ensure functional and generative skills are acquired and used by children” (Pretti-Fronteczak and Bricker, 2004)

Routine-Based Strategies

Changing the Content of an Existing Activity

Research suggests that the modification of well-known games/songs is effective in promoting affection activities because children are paired with peers in pleasurable, non-threatening activities, and there appears to be a desensitization to peer interaction during the activity

Routine-Based Strategies

Transition-Based Instruction

The adult presents an opportunity for participating within the group while children are transitioning to other activities