Embedding Instruction Opportunities for Young Children with Special Needs

1. Embedding Instruction Opportunities for Young Children with Special Needs SST Region 11 - Columbus, OH November 20, 2009

2. EMBEDDED INTERVENTION Weaving Teaching and Intervention into Routine Activities

3. Recipe for Embedding Instruction for Children with Special Needs • Functional learning goals and objectives • Opportunities for children to learn and practice functional skills or behaviors across the curriculum and across daily activities • Developmentally appropriate routines and activities Material taken from Project Open House, Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney

4. A Routines-Based Approach What’s the best way to address children’s learning goals and objectives? Most experts in early childhood and early childhood special education will agree that a “routines-based approach” works best (Bricker, Pretti-Frontzcak, & McComas, 1998; Sandall & Schwartz, 2002). Material taken from Project Open House, Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney

5. What are Routines? Activities that are predictable (may occur at the same time of the day or in same sequence every day)

6. Family / Home Wake up Eat meals Church on Sunday Laundry on Mon. & Weds Classroom Snack Outside Play Circle Time Centers Examples of Routines

7. A “Routines-Based” or “Activity-Based” Model for Intervention: Embedded Instruction - Focuses on a child’s daily routines or activities like snack, playtime, circle time, dramatic play as a context for learning and OPPORTUNITY for EMBEDDING - Teachers give children opportunities to practice targeted IEP or IFSP goals or activities during these daily routines or activities instead of creating special instructional time. Material taken from Project Open House, Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney

8. Daily Routines and Activities Provide Opportunities for Learning for Young Children Material taken from Project Open House, Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney

9. Why does a “routines-based” approach help young children learn? • Children learn best when they’re interested and motivated. • Children learn best when opportunities to learn and practice skills occur throughout the day, instead of just during one period of time. • It’s difficult for busy early childhood teachers to take time out of the classroom schedule to provide special instruction to meet children’s learning needs. Material taken from Project Open House, Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney

10. How do I use a “Routines-Based” approach? • Find good times to help children learn about and practice new skills or behaviors. Good times are times when children usually use certain skills. For example, • Taking turns during a board game • Using names of objects when playing in the housekeeping area • Requesting things during a meal Material taken from Project Open House, Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney

11. Using a “routines-based” approach: • Know what children are interested in, what gets their attention or what motivates them • Favorite activities…going down the slide, being read to, playing with blocks • Favorite foods…apple juice, graham crackers, pizza • Favorite people…Ms. Susan, friend Tommy, next door neighbor Mr. Gray. Material taken from Project Open House, Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney

12. Finding Time to Help Children Practice Once teachers have identified some times that children naturally use skills, they can devise learning opportunities embedded within the routine or activity. . . . Some examples? Material taken from Project Open House, Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney

13. Let’s help Justin practice following directions….. Justin is 5 and has trouble following 2-part directions (like “Put away the truck and come sit down.”) It’s important that Justin learns how to follow directions because he’s going to kindergarten next year. Material taken from Project Open House, Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney

14. Tom’s Plan Tom is Justin’s teacher and knows that Justin really likes to look at books after lunch. He decides to use clean-up after lunch (and before books) as a time to help Justin practice following directions. Material taken from Project Open House, Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney

15. More About Tom’s Plan… • Once Justin is through with lunch, Tom gives him a chance to practice following directions by saying… • “Justin, when you’re done with lunch, throw your cup away and push in your chair.” • He helps Justin follow the direction if Justin needs help. Material taken from Project Open House, Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney

16. Planning for Ashley • Ashley is 4 and has a language delay and problems in communication that often cause her to have difficulty interacting with other children. Her IEP includes the following objectives: • Engage in conversations with other children • Use words to describe common objects • Take turns playing with toys and materials Material taken from Project Open House, Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney

17. How would you help Ashley? • Using Ashley’s matrix, identify ways that her teacher can give her help with her IEP objectives during the activities or routines marked with an “X”. Material taken from Project Open House, Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney

18. Ashley’s Activity Matrix Material taken from Project Open House, Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney

19. Robert Will Walk Unassisted for10 Feet • Set up furnishings in the classroom so that it’s easy to mark 10 feet—from the snack table to the bookcase. • During daily classroom activities, Robert’s teacher can easily keep track of how far he walked (e.g., halfway from the snack table to the book case—about 5 feet). • Remember that Robert’s teacher has to make sure that he has opportunities to walk unassisted and a good reason to go from one place to another. Material taken from Project Open House, Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney

20. What about kids like Todd? • Finding interesting activities and other children’s favorites during the day isn’t a problem for most children. However, for children like Todd, finding interesting opportunities to practice skills can be challenging. Material taken from Project Open House, Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney

21. Do you know kids like Todd? Todd is 3 and is in Maria’s preschool classroom. He doesn’t seem to be interested in anything. He spends most of his day wandering around the room, rarely playing with toys or engaging in activities. How can Maria help Todd practice skills during daily routines if Todd’s not interested? Material taken from Project Open House, Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney

22. Setting Up Opportunities to Get Children Interested Here are some ways that Todd’s teacher can get Todd interested in the activities around him… • Provide interesting or novel materials in the classroom. Consider cycling toys or materials that children are tired of and adding novel toys / mateials that can spark Todd’s interest. Material taken from Project Open House, Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney

23. Setting Up Opportunities to Get Children Interested • Place a desired toy or object within Todd’s view but out of his reach. Todd might become motivated to ask for help so he can get the toy or the object. • Provide “just a little” bit of a preferred material or activity so Todd has a chance to ask for more. For example, Todd’s teacher might just give the children one cracker so they’ll have a chance to ask for more. Material taken from Project Open House, Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney

24. More tricks to get children interested… • Todd’s teacher might provide Todd and others a chance to make choices between activities or materials. For example, providing different drinks during snack (milk or juice) requires him to make a choice and tell the teacher what he wants. Material taken from Project Open House, Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney

25. More tricks to get children interested… • “Sabotage” an activity by “forgetting” to provide all of the materials that Todd wants or needs. For example, “forgetful” teachers can give children paintbrushes and paper, but no paint! Children love to remind the teacher what they’ve forgotten! Material taken from Project Open House, Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney

26. More tricks to get children interested… • Set up an absurd or silly situation that violates a child’s expectations. For example, Todd’s teacher might decide to serve the children blocks and plastic animals for snack and wait to see their reactions! CAUTION: When using these “tricks of the trade” remember not to single a child out. Todd would feel badly if he was the only one in the class who always had to ask for “more”. Material taken from Project Open House, Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney

27. What about Ashley? Ashley needs help naming common objects…how could her teacher use one or more of the “creating interest” strategies to create an interesting learning opportunity for Ashley? Material taken from Project Open House, Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney

28. How about these? • Add novel materials to the room that are objects that Ashley is familiar with—for example, new dolls, a new kind of toy animal, ball, etc. • Sabotage a situation by leaving out an essential item (that’s a common object) that Ashley needs to complete a task. • “Violate expectations” by giving Ashley and some others an inappropriate substitute for an item (e.g., blocks for snack). • Let Ashley choose between two types of a common object (e.g., red cups or blue cups for snack). Material taken from Project Open House, Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney