Assistive Technology

I have used some low tech type of assistive technology devices to help the children with disabilities communicate, make choices, participate in activities and meet their individual needs in my classroom. The occupational and physical therapists who work with the children with disabilities in my classroom explain and demonstrate how to use some assistive technology for me to be able to help my students effectively. I had children with cerebral palsy and developmental delays in my More at Four classroom. I provided adaptive scissors with non-slip pad for my student with cerebral palsy. It helped him cut out papers using only his left hand. It helped him participate in activities with his peers.

I have used picture schedules to help my students with routines and help them get ready for transitions. I used pictures of the children themselves and placed Velcro on each picture. I had a button that was shaped like a child with Velcro on it. The child who was diagnosed with speech-language impairment and had a difficult time understanding our schedule and transitioning would move this child-shaped button from one picture or activity to the next. I used picture communication system to help my students with speech-language impairment. In one of my previous courses, I also used a talking photo album. I placed pictures and recorded stories, simple instructions, and food choices to help a child when reading stories and communicating her needs and wants.

To meet the individual needs of the children with disabilities in my classroom, it is important to know about their disabilities and how they can increase, maintain, or improve their functional capabilities by using appropriate assistive technology. I have gained useful information about assistive technology and I am looking forward to learning more and using them in my classroom to help children with disabilities communicate and participate in activities with their peers, become active and productive participants, and meet their individual needs.

Task Analysis

My study child always runs out of the door when it is time for her to go home and leaves her parent or grandparent in the classroom. She will stop whatever she is doing, cleans up her center fast and runs out of the door. Her teachers and I will call her back to the classroom. We and her parents or sometimes grandparents will run after her and get her back inside. For the task analysis, I would like to teach her to follow the steps to do the task of checking out, replacing her name tag back onto her cubby and getting her things before walking out of the door with her parent or grandparent.

The steps are:
1. Check out and replace your name tag onto your cubby.
2. Get your coat from your cubby and put it on. Put one arm into one sleeve.
3. Get your bag from your cubby and carry it on your back.
4. Get your green, speech-language therapy folder and show it to your parent/grandparent.
5. Check your cubby for other things to take home.
6. Say and wave goodbye to your teachers and friends.
7. Walk out of the door with your parent/grandparent.

I will use pictures of her checking out for the day and replacing her name tag back onto her cubby. I will use a picture of her coat and the proper way of putting it on. I will have a picture of my study child's book bag and of her getting it from her cubby. I will use a picture of her green, speech-language therapy folder that she needs to show her parents or grandparents for any notes from the speech-language therapist on her session days. I will have a photograph of her checking her cubby for any newsletter or anything she needs to take home. I will have a picture of her waving and saying goodbye to her teachers and friends. Finally, I will use a picture of her walking to the door.

Teaching my study child the steps of checking out for the day and getting her things from her cubby instead of running out of the door when it is time to go home will give her knowledge of what she needs to do to complete the task and help her attain her functional goals. It will also teach her to be responsible for her own belongings, be safe in the classroom and the center/school premises and become independent.

My Focus Child's Communication Skills

My focus child is a five-year-old girl with lots of smile. She has speech-language impairment. She usually answers questions with a smile and uses an average of two to three word phrases. She has good language comprehension, but she was significantly delayed in expressive language development and articulation/phonology development. She uses a limited number of one-word utterances and a few short phrases throughout the day with multiple speech errors which makes her speech very difficult to understand. She has been receiving speech-language therapy and has shown very good progress.

To improve her communication skills, I will give her plenty of opportunities to interact with her typically developing children and teachers. As stated in our text, "Interaction is the first key to the development of communication skills. Infants and young children must learn to experience the pleasures of turn taking and reciprocal interaction." My focus child enjoys playing in different learning centers, especially in dramatic play, library/writing, and blocks. Her interest in playing in these centers will give her many opportunities to interact with other children. I will observe and join in when appropriate and in the right time to encourage and help sustain play and taking turns in conversations.

For the child to learn true communication skills, it must be functional for the child. I will model speaking and language skills during meal times. I will sit with her and the other children at the table during meal times and talk about the foods we are eating, what our favorite foods are, and other things that the children would like to talk about. I will have my focus child sit with the children who play with her most of the time and who have good communicating skills. I will identify high-preference objects and activities to make communication functional by observing her and interviewing her family. While she plays with favorite toys in learning centers, draws pictures, and does her classroom routines, I will talk to her, ask questions, or ask for her help to encourage her to talk. I will provide her with a responsive environment where she knows she is being heard and listened to. I will listen attentively to what she is saying and I will speak clearly and not too fast. I will emphasize the key words as well as the sounds of letters she has difficulty producing.

To teach my focus child language and concepts, I  also comment on what she is doing using behavioral reflections. I repeat and recast her own words or phrases in different ways to emphasize important words. I match her word with a slightly more elaborated response. I expand what she says syntactically and semantically. I have also used manding with her when she builds constructions or draws a picture. I say, "Tell me about your picture." This allows her to talk about her drawing.  I have denied access to the computer by allowing another child to play on it. She said, "Hey, my name here." She tried to inform the other child that she put her name tag on the choice board to play in the computer center first. The other child, stood up and place her name tag on the choice board. With the use of these effective communication strategies and by providing her with a responsive environment, I believe that my focus child will continue to make remarkable progress.

Resources:

Cook, R.E., Klein, M.D., & Tessier, A. (2008). Adapting early childhood curricula for children with special needs (7th Ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

My Focus Child's Self-Help and Motor Skills

My focus child is a five-year-old child with lots of smile. She has speech-language impairment. She has been attending in child care setting since she was an infant and first received services through the North Carolina Infant Toddler  Program. She received play therapy beginning at age 20 months. She initially received some physical therapy consultations. Her parent reported that she continues to receive PT session one time a year for her left leg with amniotic band.

Amniotic band syndrome (ABS) is a congenital disorder caused by entrapment of fetal parts which are usually a limb or digits in fibrous amniotic bands while in uterus. ABS is a rare condition caused by strands of the amniotic sac that separate and entangle digits, limbs or other parts of the fetus. Occasionally, reconstructive surgery might be needed to correct deep constriction grooves, fused fingers or toes, cleft lip, or clubbed feet (The Fetal Treatment Center). It is not genetic, nor is it caused by anything a pregnant mother did or did not do during pregnancy (http://www.amnioticbandsyndrome.com/). My focus child had amniotic band surgery on her left leg and continues to have orthopedic care once a year.

My focus child uses her self-help skills well. She feeds herself using utensils, uses the bathroom independently, washes hands, and undresses and dresses herself. Having attended the same child care center helps her to be familiar with and to carry on own routine activities. She does not require specially designed physical education. My focus child's amniotic band on her left leg does not seem to bother her or cause difficulty in participating in gross motor activities. She is very active and enjoys playing in different learning centers and on the playground. She can swing across the monkey bars and climb up and down a firefighters' pole. She climbs up, down and around a jungle gym and plays with a ball. She has very good fine motor skills as well. She writes her full name, draws and colors pictures and builds constructions, showing good control and coordination. Overall, my focus child shows no delay on her self-help and motor skills.

Resources:

The Fetal Treatment Center (2009). Amniotic Band Syndrome. Retrieved March 18, 2011 from http://fetus.ucsfmedicalcenter.org/

Amniotic Band Syndrome. Retrieved March 18, 2011 from http://www.amnioticbandsyndrome.com/

Focus of Social Story

My study child has speech-language impairment and the target skill that I am working on with her is how to "start and sustain play with other children." It is necessary to carefully observe what she does when she plays in dramatic play and blocks centers where she chooses to play most of the time. There are many opportunities for her to interact with other children and play with them, engaging in similar activities while borrowing, lending and sharing toys with them in dramatic play and blocks centers. However, children with speech-language impairment may not have the language necessary to make their needs known or to engage in appropriate verbal interchange (Cook, et al., 2008).

When my study child smiles and tries to give a toy to another child, sometimes my physical prompting such as nodding my head and smiling at her to signal to her that she is doing the right thing of sharing, showing and giving toys to the other children and my modeling and guiding her hand are not enough. I need to give her words that she needs to initiate and sustain play behavior. I need to supply the words to her such as, "Go and tell her/him, 'I am cooking dinner. What do you want to have for dinner?'" I will also help her identify the toys she is playing with and the actions she is doing for her to use them when talking to other children. I will model to her using referential language when naming things and actions specifically. I will say, "You are cooking an egg. The egg is frying in the pan." Then I will say, "Ask him/her, 'Do you like fried eggs?'" to encourage her to initiate conversation and play behavior.

Most of the time my study child does parallel activity. As the text states, "Behavior on this level includes independent play among children that uses toys like those used by the other children" (Cook, et.al, 2008). To help my study child move toward complete involvement and associative play, I will also encourage the children without disabilities to share toys with my study child and to ask toys from her. In this way, the children without disabilities can also model to my study child how to act as initiators of involvement. It will encourage them to play together and help them sustain play behavior.

Resource:

Cook, R.E., Klein, M.D. & Tessier, A (2008). Adapting early childhood curricula for children with Special Needs (7th Ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Embedding IEP Goals of Focus Child into Learning Activities

The attainment of the child's IEP goals and objectives depends on the effectiveness of the strategies used by the teachers in interesting and motivating activities that the child engages in. Observing my study child in her everyday interaction with peers and materials in the classroom give me valuable information on which activities I can do with her that would interest and motivate her to participate and help in attaining her IEP goals.

Our text states that the content of the curriculum must include goals that are meaningful and relevant to each child and as much as possible, intervention strategies should evolve around activities that target specific skills within the context of functional and normal daily activities (Cook, et al., 2008). It is important that I plan activities that are meaningful and relevant to my focus child for her to be able to use the skills she is going to learn in her everyday experiences. As stated in our text, "When including young children with special needs in educational settings, early educators must select activities that allow for a wide range of abilities as well as interests. Intervention should be embedded within the daily activities and routines (Cook, et al., 2008)." It is important that the activities I plan for my study child originate out of her natural play behavior. My study child enjoys looking at books, pretending in dramatic play center, building in blocks center, and drawing pictures. Therefore, my activity plans to help her accomplish her IEP goals will be embedded in those daily play experiences that she is interested and motivated to participate in.

The use of language  is a critical factor in assisting children's learning. My focus child has speech-language impairment and using effective strategies to help her make progress in her speaking and language skills is essential. Strategies such as using referential language in naming things and actions, when talking about picture scenes from the book that we read, objects she plays with and actions she does in dramatic play and the constructions she builds and draws, will have positive effect on her language development. It will help her identify specific objects and actions, and it will encourage her to use these words when talking about what is going on in the book, her drawings and her pretend play. Providing comprehensive input is important for my focus child to be tuned in and understand what I am talking about, even if she does not actually understand all the words. As she enjoys playing in different learning centers, I can follow that lead and talk about what she is doing, playing with and experiencing. The classroom provides plenty of opportunities for peer interactions and concrete objects that she can see, feel or hear that we can talk about according to her interest.

One recommended child-focused practice is that adults use systematic procedures within and across environments, activities, and routines to promote children's learning and participation. It stated that specialized procedures (e.g., naturalistic strategies and prompt/prompt fading strategies) are embedded and distributed within and across activities (Sandall, et al., 2005). It is important for me to provide my focus child opportunities to learn and practice targeted skills during routine, planned, and child-initiated activities.

Resources:

Cook, R.E., Klein, M.D., & Tessier, A. (2008). Adapting early childhood curricula for children with special needs. (7th Ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Sandall, S., Hemmeter, M.L., Smith, B.J. & McLean, M.E. (2005). DEC recommended practices: a comprehensive guide for practical application in early intervention/early childhood special education. Missoula, MT: Division of Early Childhood.

Importance of Collection of Progress on IEP Goals

Progress monitoring is a scientifically-based practice that is used to assess children's performance on their work towards the attainment of their IEP goals and evaluate the effectiveness of instruction. It involves collecting and analyzing data to determine student progress toward specific skills and making instructional decisions based on the review and analysis of the data (http://www.pattan.net/).

Monitoring children's progress through data collection and analysis is an effective way to determine if the classroom instruction or therapy session is meeting the needs of the child, and benefits all those involved in the education process. Data collection can be done through observation and use of monitoring forms and other formal and informal assessments. When data on the child's progress are collected,

• early childhood professionals can evaluate their instruction based on data not hunches and decide what needs to be focused on during work or therapy sessions,
• parents can be kept well informed about their child's progress, supported by specific information about how their child is responding to instruction and intervention,
• the IEP team will have the data-based information needed to determine current instructional levels and if the child still meets eligibility for special education and needs specially designed instruction.

Certain information must be recorded, kept up to date, and made available to parents and other members of the child's educational team.  Progress must be monitored on an ongoing basis. Collection of progress on IEP goals is important because it facilitates constant fine tuning and adjustment of programs and procedures. It is also important that it is done in the simplest manner possible, efficient and functional (Cook, 2008).

Analysis of the child's progress allows educators to step back and see whether the educational strategies they are employing allow the child to make adequate progress toward his/her IEP goals. If the child is not making adequate progress, the data can be used to provide guidance about how a particular teaching strategy might be changed. Teachers/specialists can incorporate the data collected into decision making about how a child should be taught. The important point about record keeping is that it must be done to carefully monitor the child's progress and the effectiveness of intervention procedures (Cook, 2008).

Resources:

Cook R.E., Klein, M.D. & Tessier, A. (2008). Adapting early childhood curricula for children with Special Needs (7th Ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Progress Monitoring, http://www.pattan.net/teachlead/ProgressMonitoring.aspx Retrieved on February18, 2011.

Importance of the Individual Education Plan and How it is Used to Implement Services

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires that an individualized family service plan (IFSP) be generated for infants, toddlers, and their families and that individualized education programs (IEPs) be developed for preschoolers who are eligible for services. These written individual education plans are important for the family and for each professional working with the child with disability to have a clear understanding of all aspects of the child's program and to work toward the child's attainment of these goals and objectives in a timely manner. The cognitive, physical, communication, social/emotional, and adaptive development of the child can only be achieved through a collaborative effort by all members of the team.

With the IFSP, the team will identify the family's strengths and resources as well as their concerns and priorities. They will identify the child's strengths and present levels of development. Directly related to the family's priorities and concerns, they will identify the IFSP outcomes that they would like to work on in a specific time frame and the responsible agency or group that will provide the services. It also includes the transition plan. The purpose of the IFSP is to identify and organize formal and informal resources to facilitate the families' goals for their children and themselves.

With the IEP, the team will identify the child's overall strengths and summarize the assessment information. It includes the parents'/family's concerns and vision for their child's future. They will identify the present level of academic and functional performance of the child. From these information, the IEP annual goals and short-term objectives will be identified to meet the child's needs. Procedures for evaluating achievement goals and objectives will be discussed. With the written individual education plan, parents, professionals and other agencies can determine placement options and related services for the child. To implement the plan, the team will identify strategies for program delivery--when, where, by whom, and with whom.

The effectiveness of the child's individual education plan can be assured only with proper implementation and monitoring of the plan. The child's family, special education teachers, regular education teachers, and other agencies will work together to implement the goals and objectives. Proper implementation and monitoring depend on appropriate sharing of information among those involved with the child and on regular evaluation of the child's achievement and progress towards meeting the goals and expectations set out in the individual education plan.

Resources:

Cook, R., Klein, M., & Tessier A. (2008) Adapting Early Childhood Curricula for Children with Special Needs (7th edition). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.

Council for Exceptional Children D.V.I. Quarterly, The Importance of IFSP, Retrieved from http://www.cecdvi.org/ on February 11, 2011

Importance of Family Involvement in the Individualized Plan

Parents/Families of children with special needs play a very important role in planning for the education of their children and working effectively with teachers and other professionals in creating a meaningful individualized plan. Family involvement in the individualized program process is very important and has many benefits.

• Family involvement increases the teacher's and other professionals' understanding of the child's environment. Parents/families are the experts on their child and the information that they share with the teachers and other professionals are essential to the better understanding of the child's environment as well as development. Teachers and other professionals will gain information on the parents'/families' concerns for enhancing their child's education, priorities, and their vision for their child's future.
• Family involvement adds to the parents'/families' knowledge of the child's educational setting. They gain information on how their child learns in school, the strategies used in the classroom and the level of academic and functional performance of their child.
• Family involvement improves communication between parents/families and the school. Collaboration will be easier and effective in providing services and support for both the child and his/her family when there is a respectful and open communication established and maintained. 
• With improved understanding between home and school, family involvement will increase the likelihood that mutually agreed upon educational goals will be attained to benefit the child. Parents/families can also indicate which objectives they can help teach or reinforce at home.

Parents/families are empowered when they are well-informed of the services and resources available to them and how to access them, and when they know that teachers and other professionals support and truly care about their child and their family. Whatever strategies early interventions use to encourage family involvement, success will most likely depend on the ability of the professionals to develop a sense of trust.

Families have diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and opinions about what is important and how intervention activities should be implemented. Specific interventions must be derived from an understanding of what each family wants for their child. With the family's involvement in the individualized plan, intervention practices will be individualized and specific to the child's and his/her family's unique needs and situation.

Resources:

Cook, R.E., Klein, M.D., & Tessier A. (2008). Adapting Early Childhood Curricula For Children with Special Needs. Pearson Education, Inc: NJ

Smith, S. W. (2001) Involving Parents in the IEP Process. http://www.ericdigest.org/ Retrieved on February 3, 2011

The Education for All Handicapped Children Act 1975 or Public Law 94-142

          The Education for All Handicapped Children Act 1975 or Public Law 94-142 is the landmark 1975 federal law that first established the mandate that all school-age children with disabilities must receive a free appropriate public education (Bowe, 2007). Public schools were required to evaluate students with disabilities and create an educational plan with parent input that would emulate as closely as possible the educational experience of typically developing students. Public Law 94-142 served as a tool for the government to provide improved and equalized learning opportunities for all students. The federal government assumed responsibility and laid foundation for states to enact policies and guarantee services for the appropriate education of students with disabilities.

          Six key mandates are outlined in P.L. 94-142 and continue to serve as the guiding principle in serving students with special needs (Cengage.com). States receiving funds were required to comply with the federal mandates which include:

1. Zero Reject/FAPE. It specified that all children, regardless of ability, are guaranteed a free and appropriate public education (FAPE). Local school systems were mandated to serve children ages 6-17 (and ages 3-5 and 8-21 if state also educated nondisabled children in those age groups).
2. Nondiscriminatory Identification and Evaluation. This identified several essential safeguards which include assessments that were administered in a child's primary language, given by qualified personnel, tailored to address specific areas of need, comprised of more than one procedure, selected so as not to discriminate against the child's disability and administered by a multidisciplinary team in all areas related to the suspected disability.
3. Individualized Education Program (IEP). An IEP must be written for each student with an identified disability. Each IEP is uniquely designed to meet the individual needs of a particular student and an IEP team meets annually to develop or update the IEP. The IEP team consists of professionals, parents, and child, as appropriate.
4. Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). P.L. 94-142 mandates that "To the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public and private institution or other care facilities, are to be educated with children who are not disabled, and that special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occur only when the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in the regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily."
5. Due Process. This is a system of checks and balances to ensure accountability and fairness for students with disabilities and their families.
6. Parental Participation. Parents have the right to be included in placement decision, IEP development and evaluation as well as the right to access their child's educational records. Schools should collaborate and communicate consistently with family members.

Outcomes:

          One of the fundamental outcomes of P.L. 94-142 involved a provision of services to children. No longer could the absence of a particular type of service, setting, or professional expertise serve as an excuse for denial of educational services or opportunity. Families were provided with assurances and a means to redress if educational services were believed to be less than appropriate or adequate for their child. The parents and family members are vital members of the IEP team in designing an educational program for their child.

         Public Law 94-142 underscores the importance of the collaborative process in designing an appropriate education for students with disabilities. Members of the IEP team include professionals from a variety of backgrounds as well as students, parents and other advocates. The resources and expertise of their colleagues in improving educational outcomes for students with disabilities must be utilized by the IEP team members.

          Early childhood special education (ECSE) professionals are strongly influenced by the values and tenets of special education and P.L. 94-142. Because of P.L. 94-142, all eligible children with disabilities are provided with a free appropriate public education by qualified professionals in the least restrictive environment appropriate to their individual needs (Findlaw.com). ALL children will have an opportunity to learn and have a chance at success.

Resources:

Bowe, F.G. Early Childhood Special Education Birth to Eight 4th ed. 2007. Thompson Delmar Learning, N.Y.

The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (PL 94-142) 1975. http://college.cengage.com/education/resources/res_prof/students/spec_ed/legislation/pl_9.
Retrieved on January 18, 2011.

The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (PL 94-142) 1975. http://public.findlaw.com/bookshelf-disability-rights-laws/anchor65310.html Retrieved on January 19, 2011.

Introduction

Hello everyone! My name is Olive Slemp. I was born and raised in the Philippines and I became a United States citizen in 2009. I live in Lexington, NC with my wonderful husband, Jack, of seven years and our three dogs. My husband and I met in Saigon, Vietnam and we enjoy going to the beach, walking our dogs and traveling.

I have a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines. I taught preschool in a British international school in Vietnam for nine years before coming to the US. I have been teaching in a More at Four classroom at Von's Kids, Inc. in Lexington since 2006. I love this age group of children and watching them learn and grow and documenting their progress. Teaching in a MAF classroom gives me opportunities to work with children with special needs and their families.
I am in my Senior II internship this spring semester and I cannot wait to obtain my Birth to Kindergarten teaching license this May 2011.
I am looking forward to learning a lot from this course and having a great semester with all of you.