SpEd 417/517 Course Objective:

1. SpEd 417/517 Course Objective: • Demonstrate the ability to provide cognitive instruction using functional life activities for students with profound mental retardation

2. Westling & FoxChapter 7 • Effective teaching • determining objectives to teach • function over form • extending the objective • partial participation • Good general teaching practice • Learning new behaviors and skills • Operant learning

3. Principles of effective teaching • Functional tasks and materials • Natural settings and cues • Transdisciplinary services and integrated therapy • Interaction with individuals who do not have disabilities • Data-based instruction • Partial participation • Scheduling matrix

4. Prioritizing Objectives • Categories of behaviors • Simple, discreet behaviors - simple movements that occur across different settings • Continuous, ongoing behaviors - how long will a behavior occur • Complex, chained skills - chain of related behaviors required to complete a task • Functional routines - task analyses that contain several behaviors in a chain • access to a particular activity in the natural context • initiated by a natural cue in the environment • natural consequence serves as reinforcer - “critical event”

5. Prioritizing Objectives • Behavioral cusp - behavioral change that has consequences for the learner that go beyond itself • access to new reinforcers, contigencies, environments • generativeness • competition with inappropriate responses • number of people affected • social validity

6. Operant Learning • behavior occurs as a function of the environment • behavior + consequence = high probability of future occurrence • antecedent (discriminative stimuli) + behavior + consequence = high probability of future occurrence when antecedent is present • differential reinforcement leads to learned behaviors • stimulus control = when a behavior is influenced to occur or not occur by certain environmental conditions (antecedents and reinforcers)

7. Systematic Instruction • Early form - adult controlled learning situations including task selection, preparation of materials, use of direct prompts, determination of acceptable performance, and schedules of rewards • Combination of environmental, incidental, and systematic strategies that are neither intrusive or stigmatizing can be most effective and least restrictive alternatives • Art and Science • Analytical approach is the “science” - define needs and solutions and evaluate effectiveness • Intuitive approach is the “art” - necessary when solutions are not predictable or effective

8. Principles of systematic instruction • How often and where instruction will occur? • How the student will be prepared for instruction? • What system and type of cues and prompts will be used to elicit the desired performance? • What adaptations will be used to enhance performance? • How performance will be assessed? • How will home/school communicate about performance?

9. Westling & FoxChapter 7 • Instructional tactics • Prompting systems • Non-direct instruction • Modifying stimulus materials • Natural cues • Reinforcing correct responses • Delivery of reinforcement • Correcting errors • Increasing compliance • Writing an instructional program

10. Instructional Tactics • Modifying stimulus materials • stimulus shaping and fading • modifying complexity • Natural cues • Reinforcing correct responses • selecting reinforcers • preference assessment • food and drink as reinforcers • Correcting errors • types of errors • error correction procedure • Increasing compliance

11. Instructional Tactics • Instructional prompts - gestural, verbal, auditory, pictorial, model, physical, mixed • Use of prompts • Constant time delay vs. progressive time delay • System of least prompts • Most to least prompts • Antecedent prompt and test • Nondirect instruction • observational vs. incidental learning

12. Behavioral Supports • Reducing problem behavior - functional analysis • Description of behavior • Identification of variable • Hypothesis - what maintains behavior • Predictors and consequences • Behavioral support plan • Description of problem behavior • Hypothesis • Environmental procedures to address problem behavior • Plan for implementing changes in immediate antecedents • Consequences • Monitoring and evaluation procedures

13. Westling & FoxChapter 8 • Generalization • train and hope • use of consequences • arranging antecedents • use of peers • self-mediation • Applying generalization strategies • tactics of generalization programming • incorporating peers • self-instruction • decision rules • general case method

14. Westling & FoxChapter 8 • Teaching skill maintenance • skill overlearning • learning through distributed • distributed practice • intermittent reinforcement • ratio vs. interval • building on learned skills • maintenance schedule • home and community application • Writing instructional programs to include generalization and maintenance

15. Environmental Analysis • Ecological inventory • analysis of activities required within a particular setting • delineate the types of performance and skills that would be expected by a person without a disability in the environment • following analysis, the ability to function in the environment is directly observed to determine instructional needs and interventions

16. Activity • Consider different learning environments • classroom setting • simulated activity • real-life setting • Consider each domain area and one activity • Home Living • making bed • cooking • Community • making purchase • using the bus

17. Activity • Vocational • job interview • washing dishes • Recreation/Leisure • playing darts • going on a date • School • using the library • completing a science experiment

18. Activity • Classroom • what materials are needed? • what does the environment look like? • are there any natural cues? • Simulated activity • how would materials look different? • how could the environment enhance success? • what about natural cues? • Real life setting • what is the amount time and financial investment? • what is the environment like? • how are natural cues presented?

19. Presentation

20. Curriculum & Instruction • Curriculum • Determines strengths, interests, dreams, and nightmares • Determine capabilities and challenges for child • Decide the challenges to be addressed • Write activity-based goals and objectives • Instruction • Determine individual student plans • Determine individual teaching strategies • Develop strategies for measuring progress

21. Curriculum • General education curriculum • General education curriculum adapted to focus on the most essential skills • Sequenced functional skills curriculum • Embedded functional skills curriculum

22. Instruction • The intervention methods associated with each of the various disciplines, as well as the more multifaceted interventions designed by an educational team collectively. • The goal is to enable students with disabilities to participate in a variety of home, school, and community routines, with a variety of people, using the supports and responding to the cues that occur naturally in those settings.

23. Instruction • Teams need to consider appropriate adaptations and supports (ie. AT, related services) to allow student to benefit from special education. • Due to unique learning needs, instructional stategies need to be designed in consideration of special physical, sensory, and health issues. • Teams need to have the ability to determine the difference between specific impairments and behaviors. If behavior is identified as the issue, then teams need to implement strategies to reduce challenging behaviors

24. Stages of learning • Acquisition - learn it • Maintenance - use it routinely • Fluency or proficiency - make it better or faster • Generalization - use it anywhere and whenever possible

25. General education reform literature • Advocates instruction designed to reach children and youth of diverse cultures, abilities, and learning styles • Actively involve them through hands-on and exploratory activities, interdisciplinary and thematic instruction, and community-referenced instruction • Guide them to work individually, with partners, and in small groups to learn the academic curriculum as well as the social • Only as special as necessary - participate in regular curriculum as long as it meets the students needs

26. Integration phases • Full inclusion - ages 3-6 • Integration - ages 7-10 • Community intensive - ages 11-13 • Transition - ages 14-18 • Integrated work and community living - ages 18-22

27. Determine individual student plan • Scheduling matrix • ensures meaningful inclusion • opportunity to learn skills at naturally occurring time and in response to natural cues • practice skills in different situations • organizing day • Methods for participation in regular education opportunities • specific adaptations • curriculum adaptation strategies • Same curriculum (S) • Multilevel curriculum (ML) • Curriculum overlapping (CO)

28. Scheduling Matrix

29. Determine individual teaching strategies • Prepare student for instruction • positioning • transition time • opportunities for movement • awareness of daily routine • Determine individual learning styles - multi-sensory emphasis

30. Develop strategies for measuring progress • Will it be useful or meaningful? • Is it practical? • Portfolio assessment

31. Ecological InventoryAssignment #2 • Life Domain - describe domain area • Environment - describe the environment where activity will take place • Sub-environment - describe actual location of instruction • Activity - describe activity • Skills - list at least 10 detailed skills/steps that are required to complete task for non-disabled person

32. Ecological Inventory • Domain: Recreation/LeisureLeisure is recognized as a state of being which is characterized by an individual's perceived freedom, intrinsic motivation and feelings of pleasure; the leisure state is usually achieved through participation in recreational activities.

33. Ecological Inventory • Environment: Local YMCAThe F-M Family YMCA is a not-for-profit community service organization dedicated to enhancing the spirit, mind, and body of all persons through quality leadership, programs, services, and facilities.

34. Ecological Inventory • Sub-Environment: Climbing wall roomSensory Characteristics: Large open room, sound of humming from vents, sounds of other climbers/helpers, bright lights, contrasting colors of rocks/wall, feeling of rocks on hands/feet, shifting body position, moving extremities, pulling of muscles to climb upward, swinging of body from pulley system, ringing of bell, descending body

35. Ecological Inventory • Activity: Climbing on the climbing wallIt’s an exciting and adventurous total body workout that combines grace, precision and skill. Climbing develops a unique combination of balance, strength and flexibility providing a complete experience for the body as well as the mind and spirit.

36. Ecological Inventory • Standing while putting on gear • Grasping straps while stepping into gear • Pulling gear up to waist • Pulling straps up to shoulders • Waiting for gear to be strapped to pulley system • Reaching above head and grasping rocks • Stepping with one foot onto rock • Alternately placing feet and hands on rocks • Maintaining postural control to hang onto rocks Skills

37. Ecological Inventory • Reaching to ring bell at the top of the wall • Releasing rocks to allowing body to hang from pulley system • Pushing off wall with legs while being lowered to ground • Waiting for gear to be released • Pulling off gear from shoulders and waist • Stepping out of gear