My current job is the lead teacher in a More at Four classroom. I have been in this position for two years. In those two years of teaching, I have had very little experience with assistive technology. Until taking this course I did not really know much about it other than it was devices that help modify classroom instruction for children with disabilities. The course competencies we completed helped me understand there is more than just electronic devices that can be used with children. Strategies as simple as ways of communicating or breaking a difficult task down into simple steps are also examples of assistive technology.
As for assistive technology and my future profession, I believe my use with it is going to depend on the students I have. In the area I work in we do not have many if any children that currently have a disability. All the strategies and the resources I have learned about through others in this class will be added and kept in my professional knowledge, so I can pull from it if the need arises.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Task Analysis
The skill I chose for the task analysis is washing hands. Several children improperly wash their hands while I'm in the classroom. They often forget soap or get soap and immediately put their hands under the water rinsing the soap off. Washing hands is an important part of self-help skills, personal hygiene, and encourage healthy habits for the classroom. Especially with young children, germs live on their hands and they have to be taught how to take care of themselves.
The text states in Figure 9-1 "Tasks must be broken into simple short steps that can be sequenced from easiest to most difficult," (p. 307). The task analysis for washing hands that I have created goes like this:
1. Go to the sink.
2. Turn on warm water.
3. Wet hands.
4. Get 1 pump of soap.
5. Rub all over hands (inside, out, between). Make bubbles.
6. Rinse hands with warm water.
7. Get paper towel.
8. Turn off water with paper towel.
I am going to pair these step with pictures. I will introduce this poster during a large group time explaining the steps to the children and when they should wash their hands. Then as I see the children at the sink, I will watch them and refer them to the poster. Hopefully after several times of using the poster for reference the children will pick up the steps to washing their hands properly.
ReferenceCook, Ruth E., Klein M. Diane, & Tessier, Annette. (2008). Adapting Early Childhood Curricula for Children with Special Needs (7th Edition). Columbus, OH: Pearson Prentice Hall.
The text states in Figure 9-1 "Tasks must be broken into simple short steps that can be sequenced from easiest to most difficult," (p. 307). The task analysis for washing hands that I have created goes like this:
1. Go to the sink.
2. Turn on warm water.
3. Wet hands.
4. Get 1 pump of soap.
5. Rub all over hands (inside, out, between). Make bubbles.
6. Rinse hands with warm water.
7. Get paper towel.
8. Turn off water with paper towel.
I am going to pair these step with pictures. I will introduce this poster during a large group time explaining the steps to the children and when they should wash their hands. Then as I see the children at the sink, I will watch them and refer them to the poster. Hopefully after several times of using the poster for reference the children will pick up the steps to washing their hands properly.
ReferenceCook, Ruth E., Klein M. Diane, & Tessier, Annette. (2008). Adapting Early Childhood Curricula for Children with Special Needs (7th Edition). Columbus, OH: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Communication Skills
The child I will be using for the communication strategies has speech and language delays. He has difficulty with coming up with words to use and often mumbles and connects his speech to where it is difficult to understand what he says. Often, he whines and cries because he does not know what to say to express his wants and needs.
The communication strategies will be extremely beneficial for this child be he often does not know the words to use or chooses just not to speak.I believe the strategies commenting and expanding will be most useful for him. Those strategies help build vocabulary which is what this child needs. He needs to hear words while he goes through his day. By the adults in his life using and exposing him to language, it will build his vocabulary to where he can pull from it. To help him use words instead of crying, the strategy access would be most beneficial. This child has difficulty communicating with his peers and often cries when he want to use a toy that another child has. Using the access strategy over multiple times will help the child learn to use words to communicate as well as social interaction skills.
The communication strategies will be extremely beneficial for this child be he often does not know the words to use or chooses just not to speak.I believe the strategies commenting and expanding will be most useful for him. Those strategies help build vocabulary which is what this child needs. He needs to hear words while he goes through his day. By the adults in his life using and exposing him to language, it will build his vocabulary to where he can pull from it. To help him use words instead of crying, the strategy access would be most beneficial. This child has difficulty communicating with his peers and often cries when he want to use a toy that another child has. Using the access strategy over multiple times will help the child learn to use words to communicate as well as social interaction skills.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Motor Skills
Based on my case study child's IEP he does not have any delays in motor or self-help skills. His primary area is with speech. However cutting with scissors prove to be a difficult task for him. My case study child has difficulty with scissors in the way that he holds them and uses them. The child will put his fingers in the wrong hole. Then once his fingers are in the scissors, he twists his arm upside down to try to correct his fingers not being in the right holes. While trying to cut, this causes him frustration because he has an extremely difficult time cutting.
Eye-hand coordination is the key component of being able to cut. The text says upon "encountering sensory stimulation of a particular kind for the first time, children receive (sense) the stimulation," (p.225). After more encounters, the child will "interpret the stimulus," and know what to do. However, if the first impressions is incorrect, later interpretations of that stimulus would be incorrect as well.
To help him work on this fine motor skill, I could model the proper way to hold scissors. Then, I can help guide him in cutting making sure his arm does not twist around. After several times of guiding him in separate situations, he can begin to try it on his own. Repetition of the proper way to hold scissors and guidance while cutting will be an effective way to help him relearn how to use scissors, because somewhere he has had a misinterpretation.
Reference
Cook, Ruth E., Klein M. Diane, & Tessier, Annette. (2008). Adapting Early Childhood Curricula for Children with Special Needs (7th Edition). Columbus, OH: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Eye-hand coordination is the key component of being able to cut. The text says upon "encountering sensory stimulation of a particular kind for the first time, children receive (sense) the stimulation," (p.225). After more encounters, the child will "interpret the stimulus," and know what to do. However, if the first impressions is incorrect, later interpretations of that stimulus would be incorrect as well.
To help him work on this fine motor skill, I could model the proper way to hold scissors. Then, I can help guide him in cutting making sure his arm does not twist around. After several times of guiding him in separate situations, he can begin to try it on his own. Repetition of the proper way to hold scissors and guidance while cutting will be an effective way to help him relearn how to use scissors, because somewhere he has had a misinterpretation.
Reference
Cook, Ruth E., Klein M. Diane, & Tessier, Annette. (2008). Adapting Early Childhood Curricula for Children with Special Needs (7th Edition). Columbus, OH: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Social Story
Social stories were first developed by Carol Gray. She developed them to help children learn how and why we should act in a certain way during a social situation using relevant terms a child can understand.
My particular case study child has a speech and language impairment. My study child will communicate with his teachers and with myself when I come to observe, but he will not communicate with his peers. He will play alongside and even with them, but he will not speak any words to them.
The social story for my child will be to help him learn to communicate with his peers. There are several reasons it is important for him to learn this social skill. One is because he can learn from his peers and the conversations that they hold. Also, learning how to express his feelings through words will prevent any undesirable behavior from either him or another child. Socialization is key in young childhood and if he doesn’t socialize, he is really missing a major point in the developmental process.
Reference:
The Gray Center. (2011). Social Stories. Retrieved March 5, 2011, from http://www.thegraycenter.org/social-storiesSaturday, February 26, 2011
Goals Embedded Into Activities
My child has a speech and language impairment that is based on the way he produces certain sounds and pronouncing the ends sounds in words. The goals that are in place for him are to better help him better those impairments listed above. To help assist him and meet his goals, I will plan activities that align with his goals and their purpose will be to improve the problems he is having.
An important factor when planning activities to reach goals is that the "activity should lend itself to repetition with minor variations." This ensures that each activity completed with the child focuses on the same goal each time rather than bouncing back and forth between different goals. When the same goal is used, it provides consistency for the child to help them work towards that goal.
After speaking with my case study child's teacher, trying to get some ideas of what he likes to do, she told me he enjoys blocks and puzzles. To work on his objectives I plan to use activities where he can play with blocks and puzzles and incorporate words that are associated with those things he is playing with. For instance, he needs help producing final sounds in words, so if he building with colored blocks, I will emphasize the "d" in red and have him repeat it to me while playing. That way he can practice saying sounds and words he has difficulty with in a very natural way.
An important factor when planning activities to reach goals is that the "activity should lend itself to repetition with minor variations." This ensures that each activity completed with the child focuses on the same goal each time rather than bouncing back and forth between different goals. When the same goal is used, it provides consistency for the child to help them work towards that goal.
After speaking with my case study child's teacher, trying to get some ideas of what he likes to do, she told me he enjoys blocks and puzzles. To work on his objectives I plan to use activities where he can play with blocks and puzzles and incorporate words that are associated with those things he is playing with. For instance, he needs help producing final sounds in words, so if he building with colored blocks, I will emphasize the "d" in red and have him repeat it to me while playing. That way he can practice saying sounds and words he has difficulty with in a very natural way.
Reference:
Cook, Ruth E., Klein M. Diane, & Tessier, Annette. (2008). Adapting Early Childhood Curricula for Children with Special Needs (7th Edition). Columbus, OH: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Importance Of Collection of Progress on IEP
Collection of progress is important and can help accomplish two things:
1. Determine if the activities being developed for the child are developmentally appropriate.
2. Determine if the objectives are developmentally appropriate.
A system is needed to monitor progress of a child with an IEP. The system is usually created or set up by the professional. What ever system that is used shows two things: progress being made or progress not being made. If progress is being made, the activities seem to be working and are appropriate. If progress is not being made, it is obvious something has to be done. It could be the activities or it could be the objectives. From the progress chart, the professional can make adjustments as necessary to the activities being provided to the child.
The same goes with the objectives. Collection of progress on an IEP can give the professional an indication of whether or not the objectives are appropriate. The text states, “Children should be able to demonstrate proficiency performance or 80% accuracy one on objective before moving to the next.” When a system is set up to measure that particular objective, it let’s the professional know if the objective is too hard or inappropriate for the child based on their progress performance.
Reference:
Cook, Ruth E., Klein M. Diane, & Tessier, Annette. (2008). Adapting Early Childhood Curricula for Children with Special Needs (7th Edition). Columbus, OH: Pearson Prentice Hall.
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