Building Blocks for Including and Teaching Preschoolers with Special Needs Susan Sandall, Ph.D....
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Transcript of Building Blocks for Including and Teaching Preschoolers with Special Needs Susan Sandall, Ph.D....
Building Blocks for Including and Teaching
Preschoolers with Special Needs
Susan Sandall, Ph.D.
University of Washington
Objectives
• Describe the Building Blocks framework
• Describe the four levels of support
• Offer examples of planning forms and methods
The Building Blocks model provides a set of educational practices designed to help teachers do a more effective job of including and teaching young
children with disabilities and other special needs in early childhood
classrooms and settings.
Challenges
• ECE - lack of specialized training on the skills needed to teach child with special needs
• ECSE - difficulty in meeting individualized needs within active, busy preschool classroom
• Consulting teacher - lack of effective, easy-to-use methods to share with classroom teachers
Using the Building Blocks framework can help all children
participate, learn, and thrive in their preschool classrooms.
Based on the work of the Early Childhood Research Institute on
Inclusion.
Building Blocks
• Can be used with state standards, guidelines or benchmarks
• Can be used with federal outcomes
The Building Blocks framework can be used with the curriculum that the teacher already uses.
Creative Curriculum
High/Scope
Project Approach
AEPS
Quality Early Childhood Program
Curriculum modifications & adaptations
Embedded Learning Opportunities
Child-focused Instructional Strategies
The foundation
Quality Early Childhood Program
• Safe• Engaging• Responsive• Culturally and
linguistically relevant• Learning opportunities• Positive approaches to
guidance• Meaningful involvement
of families
Quality Early Childhood Program
Curriculum Modifications & Adaptations
Teachers and other members of the team make modifications to activities, routines, and learning areas in order to include children with special needs and to enhance their participation.
Curriculum Modifications & Adaptations
• Environmental Arrangement
• Materials Modification
• Simplify the Activity
• Special Equipment
• Peer Support
• Adult Support
• Child Preferences
• Invisible Support
Curriculum Modifications Study(Sandall et al., 2000)
• 13 focus groups
• Discussed modifications for curriculum areas, learning centers, routines
• >500 modifications
• 8 categories
• Confirmed by experienced teachers and inclusion experts
Environmental
Arrangement
Materials modification
Simplify the activity
Special equipment
Peer support
Adult support
Child
Preference
Invisible support
Quality Early Childhood Program
Curriculum modifications & adaptations
Embedded Learning Opportunities
Child-focused Instructional Strategies
Complete Learning Trial (CLT)
A logically occurring or planned Antecedent is followed by a Behavior that leads to a
logically occurring or planned Consequence
25Embedded Instruction for Early Learning
Antecedent Target Behavior Consequence
Sets out crayons.
“Let’s count thecrayons.”
Touches andcounts thecrayons.
Praise andacknowledge.“Wow, youcounted thecrayons.”
Or, incorrect.
“Do it with me.”Touch and countthe crayons withchild.
Quality Early Childhood Program
Curriculum modifications & adaptations
Embedded Learning Opportunities
Embedded Learning Opportunities
• Teachers create short teaching episodes within ongoing classroom activities and routines.
• Teaching episodes focus on a child’s individual learning objective.
•Minimal changes to classroom activities
•Motivation to participate and learn should be enhanced
•Skills are used in natural contexts
•Skills are used with a variety of people and materials
Advantages of ELO
Research Findings
• Embedded instruction is effective for teaching a variety of valued skills to young children (e.g., Horn et al., 2000).
• A variety of instructional strategies have been embedded effectively (e.g., McBride & Schwartz, 2003).
• Embedded instruction seems to enhance generalization (e.g., Wolery et al., 2002).
Research Findings cont’d
• Teachers assess embedded instruction favorably (e.g., Horn et al., 2000).
• Teachers differ in the extent to which they can apply embedded instruction within their activities and classrooms (e.g., Filla et al., 1999).
• Preservice teachers can learn and use embedded instruction in their field experience placements (e.g., Sandall & Davis, 2004)
Results
• 63 students and children participated
• Variety of objectives taught; most from cognitive domain
• 87% of children made progress
• 42.86% of children achieved objective
Diagnosis # Children
DD 24
Down Syndrome 7
Lang/Speech 7
Autism 21
ADHD 2
Typical 1
Health 1
Total 63
Instructional Domain Selected
Number
Cognitive 40
Social 10
Social-Communication
11
Gross Motor 1
Fine Motor 1
Table 2: Number of ELO instructional objectives by domain
Table 1: Number of children participating in ELO instruction
Quality Early Childhood Program
Curriculum modifications & adaptations
Embedded Learning Opportunities
Child-focused Instructional Strategies
Child Focused Instructional Strategies
• Unique learning objective
• Requires more systematic or more intensive instruction
Getting Started with Building Blocks
• Assess the quality of the learning environment• Plan/revise the schedule• Plan for the individual child• Clarify the learning objective(s)• Construct an activity matrix• Develop learning plans• Implement and evaluate the plan
Child Assessment Worksheet
Date: Child’s Name:
Team members:
Classroom Activities Classroom Expectations Child’s Level of Performance
Strength
Average
Area of concern
Strength
Average
Area of concern
Strength
Average
Area of concern
ITP Activity Matrix
Class: Room: Year:
Key: CM = curriculum modification; ELO = embedded learning opportunity; CFIS = child-focused
instructional strategyName:Free Choice:Dramatic play
Sensory table
Blocks
Books
Writing/Art/Manipulatives
Snack
Outside/Gym
Circle
Date: ChildÕs Name:
Team members:
What are you going to do?
What are you going to say?
How will you respond?
What materials will you need?
How many opportunities will you provide each day?
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Three Approaches for Collecting Information
Benefits Possible Drawbacks Notes -Helps in understanding
why behaviors occur -Helps in understanding under what conditions behaviors occur
-May be time consuming -May rely on teacher’s memory -Takes time to summarize and interpret
Products or Work Samples -Products are created naturally from child’s play and participation -Seems authentic -Appeals to families and other teachers
-Not all activities result in products -Requires storage space -Need repeated samples from similar activities -Takes time to summarize and interpret
Counts -May increase objectivity and precision -Variations of counting are useful across a variety of behaviors -Efficient
-May seem unnatural -Requires skill -Takes time to summarize and interpret
Building Blocks
• Provides a framework for planning and teaching
• Builds on a quality early childhood setting
• Provides for individualized levels of support
Quality Early Childhood Program
Curriculum modifications & adaptations
Embedded Learning Opportunities
Child-focused Instructional Strategies