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.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
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/
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/
Saturday, March 5, 2011
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.
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.
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