Special Education Questions

Question 1

The Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) provides the mechanism for planning and documenting the early intervention services required for an infant or toddler (birth to two and eleven months) with a disability and her/his family. The legal requirements for this document is required under federal law to include a comprehensive, coordinated, and multidisciplinary method of delivering supportive services for children under the age of three. It’s main focus is on the needs of the family as a whole rather than just the student. The IFSP must include a statement of the child’s functional ability across five developmental areas which are Physical, Cognitive, Communication, Social/Emotional and Adaptive. As well, a statement of the family’s resources, priorities and concerns relating to enhancing the development of the family’s infant. The IFSP is reviewed six months after the IFSP has been written because the needs of infants and toddlers change rapidly. The IFSP must include a statement of the measurable results or outcomes expected to be achieved for the infant or toddler and the family, as well as pre-literacy and language skills as developmentally appropriate for the child. The outcomes and services of it are:

outcomes	services
Define child and/or family responses that could be any things help child’s growth and devolvement, and based on his/ her weakness and strengths.	Define service provider responsibility
Criteria to measure change. They are standards by which one can judge whether outcomes have been me.	Criteria to define implementation
Identify expected results, procedures by using staff observations, parent report, Anecdotal notes, Checklists. The team use there procedures to know child’s progress	Identify necessary services methods
Timelines, As IFSP’s are reviewed every 6 months, the timelines refer to the dates when progress toward achieving the outcome will be assessed.	Identify time frame for implementing services

The Individualized Education Program (IEP) provides for planning and documenting the special education services of school aged students with exceptionalities, three through twenty-one years of age. The IEP team must include: the parents, general education teacher, special education teacher, a representative of the local education agency, and at the discretion of the parent or agency, other individuals who have knowledge or expertise regarding the child including related service personnel as appropriate. This document must include a statement of the child’s present educational level, academic and annual goals that are designed to meet the child’s needs. Also, the IEP must include a statement showing the child’s progress toward meeting annual goals. An IEP meeting can happen once a year or at the parent’s discretion. The team describe what the child will learn or focus on in the upcoming year in school. Goals look at big steps. They state what the child is expected to learn during the year. For example, Wafaa is six years and only knows the names of a few objects. An annual goal ( or in other cases, long term) for Wafaa could be, Wafaa will correctly name 60 new objects, so the goal is kind of global, focus for a year, and difficult to Measure. Objectives (or in other cases, benchmarks or small term) are smaller steps. They break the annual goal down into smaller pieces. For example, Wafaa has the goal of naming 60 new objects. This goal may be broken down into several objectives such as:

1. Wafaa will name 20 new objects in her environment.

2. By March 15, Wafaa will name 20 additional new objects in her environment.

3. By June 15, Wafaa will name 20 additional objects in her environment.

As a result, the objectives are kind of specific, guides daily Instruction, and easy to measure. After that, when Wafaa meets all of these objectives, she also reaches her annual goal. Goal development must be based on assessment data including the following considerations:

· Student’s past and projected rate of development compared with long-range

· plans for his or her future

· Student’s present physical and communicative capabilities

· Inappropriate behaviors interfering with learning

Question 2

The Models of service delivery from birth to three years of age.  Their parents could provide in different of settings and service models. The designated service coordinator responsible to list all services on children’s IFSP. Depending on the size and scope of services provided by the LEA, group services that include participation from many disciplines may be provided for several children. LEA provide service like specialized instruction, but sometimes it may require to provide other services. On one hand, LEAs sometimes prove services to children who are low-incidence disabilities every year, and the specialized staff members not just provide and work with those children and their families, but also work with older children. On the other hand, LEAs  provide service to children who are in a wide range of disabilities and work with some agencies like a regional center or California Children Services. All of them should work collaboratively because it would help them to provide a continuum of services. LEAs are working with Early Head Start and Healthy Families America Home Visiting programs to provide a range of services to children and their families in order to make a natural environments. Early intervention programs have several jobs. First, they must support to build relationship between child and his or parent and help child’s healthy growth and development. Second, teachers and parents must work together to provide information to children’s needs, so it would help them to grow and develop. Also, they need opportunities to interact with others who share common concerns. Additionally, all early intervention must be made available at no charge to children and their families through the LEA of residence or a regional center, other LEAs or special education local plan areas (SELPAs), other community agencies (e.g., Easter Seals, California Children Services), or partners (Early Head Start) or contracted services.

The Models of Service Delivery for preschool is that  it should consider to provide service to children with the least restrictive environment first. The setting could any place such as the home, community and private preschools, family care and child care, Head Start, and State Preschool and play groups. In fact, service delivery models used in California are as follows:

· Co-enrolled programs within the same classroom environment and co-located activities

· Special education services and services provided to children enrolled in publicly funded programs, such as State Preschool, Head Start, or General Child Care

· Dual enrollment in a special education and early education or child care program

· Special education and designated instruction and services provided to children enrolled in private preschools and child care settings

· Reverse mainstreaming in a special day class that children without disabilities attend by invitation

· Special education and designated instruction and services provided to children in their homes

· Special day class

Inclusive programs are very important programs to help and assist children with disabilities. This programs help parent who have children with disabilities to increased involvement in their children’s program. As a result, Inclusive programs have a lot of benefits:

· peer role models

· a higher-level curriculum

· improvement in language use

· social skills, behavior skills, and overall development

· Learning tolerance and accepting individual differences benefit preschoolers who are typically developing.

· Positive understanding for themselves and others

· Friendship devolvement

· access to general curriculum

· increase parent participation

· Opportunities to master activities by working with their peers.

Our goal in special education is to help students be more eligibility in ordered to live like normal students. As a result, we should provide natural environments for them. Early intervention services must be provided in natural environments. Children from birth to three years of age support and instruction within natural environment and inclusion home, community-sponsored activities, day care center, restaurant,  child development program, play groups, adult education and parent participation program, parks and recreation centers, library, Gymnastic-type classes, teen parenting program, early head start program, or Parent cooperatives. Those service options must be provided by LEAs to meet individual needs. Natural environments are defined as locations where children of the same age who do not have disabilities participate. The services are focusing on the families because families are the most important associates for children because they live with them 24 hours. The children also receive instruction in speech and language,  specialized instruction, or occupational therapy. As result, the desired result is that children with disabilities will have more opportunities to participate in high-quality programs throughout the community. Although many programs experience difficulty in finding opportunities for infants and toddlers to participate in natural environments in community settings, the Sacramento County Office of Education Infant Development Program, for example, has been able to develop inclusive opportunities in various areas of the county. Through advertisements in local newspapers, and  invite children with and without disabilities and their families to participate.

Question 3

The developmentally appropriate strategies for teaching are:

· Teachers should be acknowledge for what children do or say. For example, they give children positive attention or reinforce to them when children answer right question, try to answer, or help their peers.

· Teachers should encourage persistence and effort for what children has done. For example, they say to child, “You give right good description for chocolate, so keep going.”

· Teachers should give deep and specific feedback rather than general feedback. For example, teachers say, “I like your drawing the house and the color, but if you use the ruler, you would draw very perfect house.”

· Teachers should be a role, ways of solving problems, and behavior to other rather than just telling them. For example, “ Excuse me Wafaa may I play with your toy.”

· Teachers should demonstrate when children show the correct way to do something. For example, “ Children writing the letter W perfectly.”

· Teachers should create or add challenge so that a task goes a beyond what the children can already do. For example, when teacher remove some dolls, and ask who many dolls she/he remove them and what are the characters.”

· Teachers should ask question that help children’s thinking. For example, “ Teacher lets a child touch something without seeing it. Then asks what is this? She/he and  his/her peers can give  some description for that thing.

· Teachers should give assistance to help children complete their work. For example, “ Can you think of name of the story that we just read it. What do you think of the good dog, or how about the friendly doggy?

· Teachers should provide information like give children facts, verbal labels, and other information. For example, After the insect stay in the cocoon for two weeks, it becomes butterfly.”

· Teachers should give directions for children’s actions or behavior. Check your schedule quietly, or if you want to go the bathroom, please tell me.”

The relationship of these strategies to the implications for teaching are on below:

· Student Activity

In a classroom, students must be paying attention to what teacher demonstrate. Students may see some of good behaviors from demonstrating because teacher should demonstrate carefully to show to students the correct way to do so. Students must do more than sit and watch to become component in the field .thus behavioral educator put students activity at the center of teaching procedures.

· Selection the best performance

Students come to the school to learn from teacher’s teaching, behaviors, and guiding them. So teacher should not just teach them, but also guide them to help them learn and develop. Students must do not” learn by doing alone” because teachers should give assistance to help children complete their work. Also, teacher should give feedback to them when students solve problem correctly or wrongly to help them know. However, teachers should give them deep and specific feedback rather than general feedback Giving feedback to them is not to just turn on the assignment in the next day, but also, to help them understand the assignment.

· The step Determined by Students Performance

Teachers should operant good conditioning in the classroom. Teachers also must figure out what students could do, and base the first step on that level of performance. What teachers are asked of each students depends on individual performance levels. Teacher must create a variety of teaching so that help students do not get bored. They can provide information that interesting like giving facts, verbal labels, and other information.

· The need for Fluent Performance

Providing the contingencies that select the best of what student do is part of operant conditioning . The competent performer behaves fluently  and accurately without hesitation. To move successfully to complex performance you must have both prerequisites and component skills. When teacher help them, students can develop and improve. Then teacher can see students’ progress. If teachers use those strategies and make good relationship between theses implications for teaching, they will create good learning and teaching environment to students.

            The role of interpersonal relationships are the foundation of learning and teaching.  There are some aspects of role of interpersonal relationships:

Teachers link together students, other teachers, school administrators, families, and community members to foster the learning success and healthy development of their students.

· Teacher and other school staff

Some studies show that teachers are often isolated from their peers and other school professionals. Therefore, increasing teachers' opportunities for interaction and collegiality has been a goal of recent efforts to increase teacher professionalism.

· Teacher and families

When teacher have good relationships with families, it will impact students' learning and well-being and many teachers attempt to involve parents in school management or classroom activities. These parent-involvement efforts help establish and foster parent-teacher relationships, and include parents in educational interventions, which are significantly more effective than those without parent involvement. Also, when there are positive relationships between parents and teachers, the resources of the home and school contexts are amplified, providing great positive outcomes for children.

· Teacher and students

· Respect for diversity. It refers to the different individual in the school such as gender, race, culture, religion, etc.

· Social support for adult. It refers for how teacher support and care to build relationship between them and children. For example, teacher are willingness to listen to students and try to know students  individually and give some concern about the children’s problem.

· Create good environment. to help students develop and learn, teacher should create healthy, safe, and engaged relationship.

· Get on the child’s level for face-to-face interactions.

Question 4

· Creates a Caring Community of Learners

· Fostering positive relationship

Teachers should are worm, caring, and responsive environment for children. They also should create good relationship with their families. For example, when a child absent, teacher reminds his/her pees that he absent, so that may help children to know that the teacher always thinks about them. Or when a child fall down, she should hold him and guide him how to ride. Teachers should not just help children learn, but also motivate them to play together. For example, in the Sensory or free choice times, teacher encourages them to play together to make flowers by using clay, build a building or castle by blocks, or using their imagination to play like they are father,  mother, son, or sister, so they can learn social skills and improve their imaginations.

· Building classroom community

Teachers should try to create a cohesive community like they often refer to we, our, or friend. For example, when teacher reminds children that your friend is absent,  she/ he try to tell them that when you see him/her tomorrow, tell that you miss him/her. Also, teachers should encourage also children to work with their peers in problem solving. For example, there are two groups. One is for young children and others are for old children, so teacher helps the children to build their friendship and also work together for answering some question like can you write your name?

· Teaching to Enhance their Development and Learning

· Environment and schedule

Teachers ensure children that the environment is safe to assist them to be more independent. For example, When children play outside, teacher and all associates watch them, so it helps children to feel that they are safe. Also, all children should have their own schedule, so after each pried, they can check their schedules to know what is next, which help them to be more independent. They organize daily schedule that allow to organize their day, so if they are absent, associates do not face any problem for the schedule and allow to change periods from active to quiet.

· Teaching methods

Teacher should engage children by using variety of learning experiences. They create interest areas. For example, books in the shelf, bicycle outside, blocks in the free choice, sand and clay in the sensory place. Also, if they want to teach them about some animals, they could bring real animals so that help them to get experiences. they help them to acquire new skills by using informal assessment like asking questions to them, so they can think to answer, and that the same time they can assess them. They support children’ developments, and try to engage them. For example, in writing time, teacher can guide them directly. Teacher motivate children to learn collaboratively for solving problem. For example, in the story time, teacher ask children a question that help them to talk to each other and think for answer.

· Communication and language use

Teachers talk often warmly to children. For example, when she talk to them, she sit-down and look to their eyes. Teacher use wide-ranging vocabulary because children who are in preschool do not know a lot of vocabulary. As a result, it would help to improve English language learners.

· Motivation and positive approaches to learning

Teachers motivate children by using rewards such as sticker or privileges. Also, they give them reinforcements so it helps children to continue learning. For example, teacher say good job.

· Guidance

Teachers should be role models, clam, patent, and behave with a good behavior. For example, teacher does not show her/ his anger to children, when any problems happen. Teacher have strategies, so when anything happen to children, she/ he quickly step to solve the problems.

· Planning Curriculum to Achieve Important Goals

· Curriculum essentials

· Comprehensive scope; important goals

The curriculum addresses children’s goals in all their developments such as physical, social, language, etc. Also, curriculum give some standers and foundations that help teachers to follow them to archives good learning.

· Coherence and integration

Teachers integrate ideas from different domain through themes or play opportunities. For example, teacher bring different themes of family, School supplies, or holidays.

· Effective implementation

Teachers follow what the curriculum has, so it helps children to get all knowledge that they are supposed to learn. Also, teachers assess each child’ progress for getting all the knowledge that they have taught them.

· Physical development

· Health and fitness

Parenting practices, access to health care, and socioeconomic status play a large role in children’s health. Children spend 36 hours a week in the child care, so that is not few. As a result, teachers should provide health habits in eating, cleaning, and exercise. For example, before children eat, they should wash their hands. When teachers care children, it helps to facilitate children’s internalization of health habits. By practicing these habits, children may eventually be motivated to engage in health practices to protect their own health. Teachers also, should  demonstrate knowledge of some steps like brushing their teeth with children, so they can imitate them.

· Gross motor development

Movement provides to children to develop physically, cognitively, and emotionally, so teachers should make sure that children use all muscles in jumping, running, and climbing.  Also, teacher can demonstrate knowledge of the names of body part.

· Fine motor development

Teachers encourage children to develop their fine motor skills through working with some materials such as touching sands or clay, playing with puzzles, and writing. Children develop movement skills and concepts at different rates, especially up to kindergarten. This variability may be especially evident in children with special needs.

· Language and literacy

· Listening, speaking, and understanding

The rate of children’s early language growth and later language outcomes is directly related to the verbal input that children receive when communicating with adults and other children. Teachers encourage in conversation with both individual children and small groups, so children be able to understand and use language to communicate with others.

· Book reading and motivation

Teachers read at loud to children, and they should try to look for an Interesting book in order to make them enthusiasm. Also, they should at loud to enhance their vocabulary.

· Phonological awareness

Teachers engage oral language experiences for children in songs or books. Teachers also help for spelling. For example, The child chants, “brother” after singing along to, “What word do you get when you say ‘bro and ‘ther together?”

· Writing

Learning to write involves social, and physical development. Children in the next phase start using actual letters to write. Teachers write using scribbles that are from picture. For example, the child draws with paints with pencils, and crayons.

· Letter, word, and print knowledge

The ability to recognize letters is a basic step in the process of learning to read and write.  Teachers draw children’s attention to letters and their sounds by using different strategies. For example, match some letter names to their printed form.

· Building knowledge and comprehensive

Teachers engage children with questions to help them recall what teachers have said. Teachers give good comments to children to help children correct it.

· Mathematics

Teachers should recognize children’s interest in mathematics. Teachers should encourage children for problem solving in order to help children think. Teachers try to help children count the numbers every days. Also, they should encourage them to name some numbers. For example, teacher asks, “ what is this number?”, so the child will answer, “ one|.”

· Science

The study of science is about finding out how the world works. Teachers should provide and bring real things to help children get experiences.  Teacher should provide some interesting things like let children observe object and events in the environment. For example, teacher brings seeds and show them to the children. Then teach them how they can plant the seeds, After that, they can see the plants when they grow, so this activity will help children to get some experiences about the plants.

· Technology

Teachers should make thoughtful by using technology such as playing ipad and computer  in the classroom. Teachers can provide some information about technology. for example, what is the benefit of technology?

· Social competence; social studies

Young children acquire social and emotional competencies in ways that are often different from how they acquire competence in the naming of letters or numbers. Playing is a very important things in preschool because it helps children’s emotional development. Teachers also should  guide them and watch for their feelings or attentions. For example, teacher asks him to put his/her shoes in the right place after he/  she arrive the classroom.

· Creative arts

· Creative / aesthetic development

Teachers help the children to know their hopes in arts such as dance, music, visual arts and try to explore and support their hopes.

· Visual arts

The visual arts offer many ways to experience playful exploration, self-expression, creativity, and the joy of learning for children. Teachers should give children opportunities to explore different art martials. For example, when the Easter Holiday come, the teacher brings some different colors of papers that look like rabbit, eyes, and some collage to make a rabbit.

· Music and movement

Teachers operate a song to sing with children. Then they ask a child for repeat the song individually or with her.

· Assessing Children’s Development and Learning

· strategic and purposeful

Assessment is very important to gather information about children in order to make design-making, but it should done by four things, beneficial, purposes, planning, and adapting curriculum to meet children’s development and learning and then help teachers and families to know children’s progress.

· systematic and ongoing

All information are collected by teachers every year.

· integrated with teaching and curriculum

Assessments are consistent with developmental and learning goals for children. Also, teachers use assessment to know how they plan activities by using sort- and long-rang plans for each child. Teachers can look at each child’s abilities and also assess collaborative work with peers and adult.

· valid and reliable

Assessment should demonstrate validity and reliability a test cannot be valid if it is unreliable. Teachers gather information from families about preschool children’s health and devolvement.

· communicated and shared

Teachers should do not forget about transitions. For example, if a child prepare to move to kindergarten, teachers should talk with kindergarten teachers. As a result, the child is prepared to the next level and the teacher knows his/ her history.

· Establishes Reciprocal Relationships with Families

Teachers should have good relationship with families. Families can work with teachers to know children’s needs then make decisions for children perfectly. Teachers should create a welcoming environment in the classroom at all time for families. Also, they should use a translator if families do not speak English.

Question 5

One of the main challenges for families with CP infants is to manage their child’s chronic health problems effective while juggling the child’s everyday needs. That is why providing such care is detrimental to both the physical health and the psychological well-being of parents of children with chronic disabilities. One beneficial objective for this case study would be establishing a relationship with the family. Families of children with chronic disabilities feel alone or as an outsider like how Marsha feels. They feel that they are the only people in their child’s life that know what’s best of them. If we call ourselves a team why is it so hard to build a relationship with the parents? In this case, caregivers should be able to communicate daily with parents in a warm, honest, and respectful way to build a mutual understanding, and trust, which help in resolving any issues that arise (Copple, p. 87). Sadly, some caregivers communicate with parents only when there are problems or conflicts. By establishing a relationship with a family we get to know the family as a whole as well as we are able to understand the progress they are making in their child’s life. Many problems can be resolve by talking them out, we are not mind readers and neither are parents, so making them feel part of a team in their child’s life will make things easier for caregivers when working alongside parents.

Feeding and swallowing disorders are relatively common in early infancy and can be severe markers for significant health implications. Children with CP have a higher incidence of under nutrition, growth failure and poor health. One objective that comes to mind for Carl would be to provide help when it comes to eating independently. An interdisciplinary team approach offers the benefit of coordinated consultation and problem solving for multiple interrelated problems. Having a specialist as part of the team is a must. Keep in mind that within this interdisciplinary team an Occupational Therapist that can provide sensorimotor techniques that help strengthen oral-motor control and counteract abnormal tone and reflexes to improve oral feedings. Keep in mind, that results don’t happen within days or months, it’s a work in progress but as long as we can maintain a daily application of techniques and strategies we can help the child overcome any obstacle. Strategies that we can implement for this child can include oral sensorimotor management, positioning, oral appliances and neuromuscular stimulation. The purpose for these interventions is to address different aspects of feeding difficulties, reflecting the range in specific problems associated with feeding and nutrition in CP (looking at the long run feeding difficulties of the child). For example, oral appliances have been used to stabilize the jaw, tongue coordination, lip control and chewing. 

Question 6

The two objectives that were stated in question number five were: 1. is to establish a relationship with the family, 2. is to provide help when it comes to eating independently. For our first objective, our IFSP outcome will be family centered. The reason for this idea is to create an outcome alongside the parents to assess what activities are meaningful to the individual family members. Furthermore, by establishing a family centered outcome, we are focusing on a social development with the parent. The problem arises when we don’t consider the parent during our sessions. By not including the parents we are not making them part of the team and they feel like they are being exiled from their child’s life. Our first outcome will be participation based. During the OT sessions or any sessions involving Carl we would like to see parent participation when needed and for the parent to get a pre and post report of what was being observed and done during these sessions. Marsha will learn about resources and techniques during sessions with the interdisciplinary team in particular with the Occupational Therapist. By including Marsha along our sessions we give her the support she seeks and that is an emotional stability and a partnership that she needs in order to be successful in her child’s life. How the above outcome will be monitored and recorded will be through pre and post reports given to the parent to make sure that she is in fact being part of the team and being taken into consideration. The records will be provided during the sessions that can occur once a week or three times per month depending on the severity of the child.

The second outcome deals with Carl and providing him the necessary means to eat independently. We already know that Carl is at a low discrepancy stage when it comes to feeding. In fact, he is able to eat solid meals but as difficulty grasping utensils and difficulty in feeding himself. Carl will be practicing sensorimotor management and positioning to help achieve an independent eater. We know that he has a severe disability as well as poor muscle control that prevent him from holding a utensil for long especially when it comes to placing it to his lips to chew the given food. What we can do is facilitate appropriate trunk and head positioning during feeding to reduce risks of aspiration by enabling more effective oral management of food which will facilitate physical abilities. As well, we can carry out oral motor exercises that will reduce food spillage which in return will increase the quantity of food intake. The above objectives can be done four times a week and the fifth session will be done independently by the child with little to no help in order for him to acquire and implement the techniques being taught on an everyday setting. The following can be recorded through a anecdotal record, running record and a tally chart in order to record progress during the child’s eating sessions.  

Question7

The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children is an international organization for those who work with young children with special needs from infancy through age eight. DEC’s Recommended Practices in Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education recommend for using assistive technology to enhance and improve the lives of children and their families.

Using technology could:

· help children develop independence in

· communicating with others

· accessing the environment

· developing social and adaptive skills

· moving throughout the environment

· engaging in daily life skills

· interacting with others

· promoting health and safety

· finding a position that makes it easy to play

· increase children’s ability to participate in routines and activities in different environments including early childhood programs, recreational activities, transportation, and social environments

· facilitate children’s participation in age appropriate and developmentally appropriate activities

· Assess children’s development, understanding of concepts, and ability to participate in typical routines and activities.

Assistive technology refers to both high and low tech tools that allow children of all ages to be more independent. Example of high tech assistances such as voice synthesizers, Braille readers, large keyboards, Dolphin pen, switch activated toys, and computers. When teachers use high teach, it will help children with disabilities. However, teachers must keep in their minds the level of technology necessary for children to fully participate that is best and appropriate to children’s needs and abilities. The most important thing that before using high teach assistance, we should explore less intrusive yet effective low-tech alternatives. Also high tech assistances would help children with disabilities to have opportunities to develop their skills by using them and if they have difficulty in curriculum, they help to access to the curriculum.

Example of low tech tools that are equally valuable in the early childhood classroom such as special handles on utensils and paint brushes, book holders, reading stands, sign language, gesture, a handle attached to a stuffed animal, pillows and bolsters make it easy to interact with peers during circle time, or spoons and forks with short handles or a stool to help a child reach the sink are examples of assistive technology because they do in fact enable the child to do something that would be harder without help. Also, it aids children with special needs navigate the early childhood environment. Finally, the right match of assistive technology can create magic when it allows children to be more independent and expressive.