First, an introduction… What is the RISE Project?

2. First, an introduction…What is the RISE Project? • RISE stands for “Restructuring for Inclusive School Environments.” • We are a technical assistance and support project to ensure that students receiving special education services succeed in the classroom. • We believe all students belong, and all students can learn at higher levels. • We believe it is the responsibility of ALL Educators to teach ALL students in ways they learn best. • We promote research-based, best and promising educational practices for all children.. We believe good teaching is good teaching for ALL students.

3. Why Adapt? • Adapting is for ALL students • Adapting is not new • Adapting is best approached through collaborative problem solving • Adapting starts with individual student goals • Adapting maximizes participation in typical curriculum & instruction • Adapting can be supported by instructional strategies

4. Nine Types of Adaptations

5. 6 Steps to Adapting Curriculum and Instruction • Choose the activity. • Identify your curricular goals for this activity. What do you want the children to learn, to experience, to be engaged in? • What is your instructional plan for this activity? How do you want to present the information to the children? • Identify the children in your classroom who might need adaptations for this activity. • Based on your knowledge of each child’s goals and skills, choose and appropriate adaptation or group of adaptations. Start with the most natural, least intrusive adaptations. • Observe and adjust your adaptations as needed during the activity. * A change in the type of adaptation used, * A change in the amount of adaptation needed. * A change in the number of adaptation used.

6. Adaptations for Children with Specific Disabilities Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) • Establish a consistent routine. • Provide clear expectations. • Verbally review the daily schedule. Provide picture cues as reminders. • Plan many short activities or multiple components to a long activity, with clear starting and stopping points • Use simple and clear language. Directions or request should be explicit, concrete, short, and carefully defined. • Limit the type/number of new situations encountered at one time. • Start and finish any learning task with sure success. Children with ADD tend to spend less time on task which are difficult for them. Embedding difficult skills or concepts within tasks on which children succeed may increase time spent on them. • Computer generated instruction is wonderful for children with ADD. Activities and instruction are provided in short steps; and they use consistent, nonthreatening feedback.

7. Possible Adaptations for children with Autism • Establish a consistent routine. • Verbally review the daily schedule. Provide picture cues as reminders. • Provide visual cues in addition to auditory cues. For example, make a picture schedule or picture choice cards. • Ask parents and therapist about the use of augmentative communication (sign language, communication boards). • Verbally rehearse difficult situations. In other words, talk about what you will be doing and what you expect of the child. • Warn in advance for transitions. Provide visual cues such as a sweat band for outdoor play or a napkin for snack. • Accept non-speech communication. Watch for eye gaze (looking toward or away from items), body language, or facial expressions. Listen to the child’s behavior. • Computers are wonderful tools for children with autism. Activities and Instruction are provided in short steps; they use consistent, non-threatening feedback; and they require no social interaction skills. • Items such a shaving cream/gels are good as a calming utensils as well as for teaching writing techniques.

8. Possible Adaptations for the Deaf or Hard of Hearing • Use total communication which involves all means of communication, such as gestures, facial expressions, pictures, demonstration, and language. • Use sign language. Make sure signs used are consistent between home and school. • Teach sign language to peers and other personnel. • Use many gestures, demonstration, modeling. • Use picture cure. • Signal transitions visually (flicker lights). • Avoid standing with your back to the source of light. That makes your face and hands hard to see. • Be sure to get the child’s attention before communicating with him or her. However, avoid taking the child’s face and turning it towards you. Many individuals who are deaf find this invasive and inappropriate. • Use as many visual aides as possible. Visual stimulus is important regardless of the child’s language skills.

9. Possible Adaptations for children with Physical Disabilities • Arrange the classroom and outdoor play areas so that children using wheelchairs, walkers, or crutches can easily pass through. • Be sure tables are the correct height. If a wheelchair needs to fit beneath tables may need to be taller. • Place materials where they can be reached from any position. • Provide materials that are easier to grasp and hold (large cars and trucks, puzzle with knobs, big paint brushes). • Ask about adaptive equipment such as switch toys or devices. • Think about the speed at which you move children in adaptive seating or positioning devices. Slower speeds allow the child to look around during transition. Faster speeds may cause dizziness or unwanted physical reactions. • Be aware that unexpected touching may startle some children with physical disabilities. Let the child know you are going to touch, handle, or move him or her.

10. Possible Adaptations for the Visually Impaired • Maintain consistent room arrangement. • Add tactile cues to anything you would otherwise label with a picture. • Describe or provide hand-over-hand assistance with tasks requiring a visual model. • Provide high contrast materials (place a piece or light paper on the table as a background to colored cars and trucks). • Attach a penlight flashlight to a spoon if you are feeding a child. • Show the child how to explore the physical characteristics of objects. • Describe the parts of an object and how it works. • Many children who are blind enjoy playing with household objects. Toys are often designed to be visually interesting and to foster eye-hand coordination, attributes which do not have any meaning to a child with sever visual impairments. • Some children can transition more easily if they have an object to hold onto. Example, Chole carries a sandbox shovel outside for outdoor play time, or the finger cymbals to music. This is another form of tactile cure which may reduce the fear of the unknown.