Fostering Student Independence: How to Develop a Needs Assessment and Fade Plan

1. Fostering Student Independence: How to Develop a Needs Assessment and Fade Plan Council For Exceptional Children April 7, 2005 Janet Hull School Based Resource Teacher Anne Arundel County Public Schools Jhull@AACPS.org

2. Participants will be able to: • Identify at least two questions to ask before determining the need for a Temporary Support Assistant (TSA), (Using Decision Making Flowcharts as part of a Needs Assessment) • Identify reasons for building student independence • Identify elements of a Fade Plan • Identify examples of prompts • Identify at least three guidelines for “Effective Prompting” • Identify two means by which prompts can be faded

3. Temporary Support Assistants (TSA) Questions to ask before determining the need for Temporary Support Assistance: • Is the IEP appropriate? • Are there goals/objectives to increase independence? • Have all existing school resources been utilized? • Can the student’s needs be met by current staff and/or peer? • Have you consulted with Central Office staff within your school system for suggestions and recommendations?

4. Temporary Support Assistants (TSA) Temporary Support Assistant Decision Making Flowcharts Pose the following Questions: • Is there a significant academic, health, behavior or transition concern? • Has the administrator/designee observed this student? • What interventions/programs have you tried? What was the success? • How long was the intervention attempted? • What data was collected to assist in the decision making process? • What specific academic, health, behavior or transitional behaviors necessitate the need for Temporary Support Assistant? (be specific) • Do these needs necessitate the use of a Temporary Support Assistant?

5. Consider the positive and negative impacts of the assignment of a TSA: Negative consequences include: • May create an unnatural and more restrictive environment • Isolation from classmates • Dependence on adults • Impact on peer interactions • Failure to develop self-regulating behavior

6. Consider the positive and negative impacts of the assignment of a TSA: Positive outcomes include: • Align to goals of independence • Bridge the student into a less restrictive environment • Use of a Fade Plan can lead to increased student independence

7. Why Build Independence? • Builds self-esteem • Motivates a student to achieve • Gives student a sense of purpose to family and friends • Support for long-term care providers • Social acceptance • Reduces stereotypic labels • Provides a “bridge” for bringing two worlds together • Allows staff and student to focus on instruction

8. Elements of a Fade Plan • Provides Background Information • Defines roles/responsibilities of case manager/paraeducator • Included in Student Portfolio • Includes those goals/objectives on student IEP that support student independence • Describes support needed during: Transitions Classroom Behavior Self-help • Describes prompt hierarchy

9. Student Portfolio • Copy of Needs Assessment/Fade Plan • Daily/Weekly checklists documenting success on the Fade Plan • Behavior Checklists • Work Samples/as appropriate • Notes reflecting ongoing communication • Minutes from quarterly review of progress on the Fade Plan • Copy of Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) and Behavior Implementation Plan (BIP), as appropriate • Notes from Learning Lab attendance

10. Needs Assessment/Fade Plan Student: ________________________________ School: _________________________________ Grade: _____________________ Date: ___________________________________ Disability: __________________ Case Manager: Special education teacher assigned to a school building that will oversee/support the paraeducator as work with the identified student Responsibilities: (case manager and paraeducator date and initial each of the responsibilities listed below) Date Initial Initial __________ __________ __________ Review responsibilities of paraeducator __________ __________ __________ Provide paraeducator with student schedule __________ __________ __________ Provide paraed. with information regarding student disability __________ __________ __________ Review current IEP with paraeducator __________ __________ __________ Review data collection method for documenting success (responsibility of paraeducator for recording) __________ __________ __________ Introduce student/paraeducator __________ __________ __________ Monitor/observe paraeducator working with the student quarterly __________ __________ __________ Case manager assesses need for additional training/resource support with paraeducator Date responsibilities are completed: ______________________________

16. Prompt Hierarchy Most to least intrusive: • Full physical • Partial physical • Verbal prompt • Visual prompt • Modeling • Natural teacher prompt/cue

17. Guidelines for Effective Prompting: • Do not provide a prompt for a skill that a student currently performs independently. • Gain student attention • Prompt a desired response initially • Use the least intrusive effective prompt • Prompt from behind when using full physical prompts • Avoid verbal prompts whenever possible • Avoid unplanned prompts (e.g. facial expressions, eye contact)

18. Guidelines for Effective Prompting • Use prompts in conjunction with reinforcement • All prompts need to be faded over time (Refer to Fade Plan) • After a student masters a skill, discontinue using the prompt • Continue providing reinforcement when the student exhibits the desired response/behavior • Fading prompts are needed to avoid “Prompt Dependency”

19. What is the ultimate goal? • The fading process is complete when the student consistently responds correctly • The goal is no assistance from the adult

20. Fading Prompts Fading prompts: Allows students to change from responding to instructional prompts to responding to natural cues in the environment. Fade prompts to allow responses to occur independently! • The reduction of the intensity or magnitude of a particular type of prompt over time while maintaining the reward contingency. • Prompts can be faded in terms of: • Intensity • Location

21. Fading Prompt Intensity Intensity: • Verbal prompt: Gradual decrease in volume (quietly) • Verbal prompt: Saying less of the word (Bob – “B”) • Visual prompts: Decrease highlighting or coloration to become lighter and lighter until they disappear • Physical prompt: Reduction of tight hand over hand to shadowing

22. Fading Prompt Location Location: • Full physical hand over hand to wrist, to the elbow, to the shoulder, to next to (within 1 foot, to 3 feet, to 5 feet away, etc.) • Proximity to student: next to student, within line of vision within the classroom, etc.

23. Participants will be able to: • Identify two questions to ask before determining the need for a Temporary Support Assistant (TSA) (refer to decision making flowcharts) • Identify reasons for building student independence • Identify elements of a Fade Plan • Identify examples of prompts – most to least intrusive • Identify at least three guidelines for “Effective Prompting” • Identify two means by which prompts can be faded