Just Say No!

2. Often parents are asked to choose between inclusion and intensive instruction. What is a parent (or teacher) to do?

3. Just Say No! • Both inclusion are intensive instruction are necessary (and evidence-based) components of an effective program for students with autism and other disabilities.

4. Take action • Develop deep understanding of both inclusion and intensive instruction so that you can help design the bridge • Work with team members to identify important goals and outcomes • Help team members plan instruction in contextual rich settings

5. So, what is inclusion??

6. Inclusion is not a set of strategies or a placement issue. Inclusion is about belonging to a community – a group of friends, a school community, or a neighborhood.(Allen & Schwartz, p.4)

7. “Inclusion is a right, not a privilege for a select few”(Oberti v. Board of Education in Clementon School District, 1993).

8. Inclusion means providing all students within the mainstream appropriate educational programs that are challenging yet geared to their capabilities and needs as well as any support and assistance they and/or their teachers may need to be successful in the mainstream.

9. But an inclusive school also goes beyond this. An inclusive school is a place where everyone belongs, is accepted, supports, and is supported by her or her peers and other members of the school community in the course of having his or her educational needs met (Stainback & Stainback, 1990, p. 3)

10. Inclusion “Bloopers” • Assuming that “being there” is enough • “Dumping” rather than planning • Not individualizing to meet students’ needs • Over using 1 on 1 instructional assistants • Focusing on activities rather than objectives • Underestimating the effectiveness of explicit instruction

11. Inclusion Bloopers -- cont. • Allowing the program, rather than student needs, to be guiding force of services • Assuming sitting quietly is an appropriate alternative to participation • Always attending to the squeaky wheel

12. Children are Children First • All children are good at some things and not so good at others • Education is about identifying where children are and designing instruction at his or her level

13. Treat each student like he or she is with you all day long • Treat each child like he or she contributes to the class in a special way

14. Autism is a collection of overlapping groups of symptoms that vary from child to childSiegel, 1996, p.301

15. Disabilities on the Spectrum: • Autism • Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) • Asperger’s Syndrome • Rett’s Syndrome • Childhood Disintegrative Disorder

16. What is Autism? • Issues in three areas: • social interaction, • communication, • ritualistic behavior • A spectrum disorder: different children affected to different degrees in each area

17. Social Deficits (DSM-IV) • Impairment in nonverbal communication (gestures, eye gaze, etc.) • Failure in developing peer relationships • Lack of spontaneous sharing of enjoyment, interests, etc. • Lack of social or emotional reciprocity

18. What You Might See • Complete lack of interest in others. • Very attached to certain adults, but no interest in peers. • Inappropriate interest in others. • Wants friends, but doesn’t “get it.” • Lack of understanding of facial expression (sometimes with disastrous results). • Behavior problems related to lack of interest in social praise or social consequences.

19. Communication (DSM-IV) • Delay in or total lack of spoken language. • Impairment in ability to initiate or sustain conversation. • Stereotyped use of language. • Lack of make-believe play.

20. What You Might See • Use of augmentative communication systems or no communication system. • Children with very good language, but odd uses: pronoun reversals, strange uses of words. • Children with odd sounding language. • “Scripting” • Repetitive, unimaginative play or no play. • Behavior problems because of limited language.

21. Restricted, Repetitive and Stereotyped Patterns of Behavior (DSM-IV) • Abnormally obsessive interests • Rigid adherence to routines • Stereotyped motor movements • Preoccupation with parts of objects

22. What You Might See • Obsessions with trains, maps, letters, etc. • Hand flapping, vocalizing, spinning, self-injurious behavior. • Lack of interest in “normal” childhood activities. • Tantrums and other behavior problems around routine changes. • Behavior problems around obsessions.

23. Other Aspects of Autism • Onset before Age 3 • Male to female ratio: 4:1 • Mental Retardation • Sensory Issues • Savant capabilities • Is it increasing?? Yes. 1 in 175 is current prevalence

24. Asperger’s Syndrome • Same issues in social interactions and repetitive/stereotyped behaviors • No general delay in language • Average or above average IQ

25. How do students with disabilities learn? • Children with disabilities DO NOT always learn from typical strategies employed in school setting: • Trial and error • Discovery learning • Instruction might need to be direct and explicit • Instruction must provide for many practice opportunities across the day and across many days

26. First Day of School • Be organized…Know the students in your class! • Make the day successful • Use verbal, written, and visual representations of schedules • Provide students with some structured opportunities to respond • Teach school routines, schedules, rules

27. How do I teach a child who …

28. Grade Entry AccessLevel Level Level • Grade Level: Curriculum is grade level content, but presentation may need to be different (e.g. fewer problems on a page, enlarged text, scribe, etc.). The word accommodation is often used to describe the ways students access and demonstrate learning in different ways.

29. Grade Entry AccessLevelLevel Level • Entry Level: Accessing same content area as peers, but content is simplified (e.g. one-digit addition instead of two-digit, reading comprehension passage simplified, and learner is presented with multiple choice to answer comprehension questions opposed to open-ended).

30. Grade Entry AccessLevel Level Level • Access Level: Accessing the curriculum activity, but content area is different (e.g. S. is working on identification of numbers by circling all the fives on the page when peers are working on 2-digit addition, working on a fine motor task by cutting out all the sheep on a page when learners in the classroom are reading a passage about sheep).

31. How do I support students and staff behaviorally? • Needs to be a solid plan • Based on a functional behavior support plan • Should follow the principles that do not allow for the behavior to be reinforce

33. Social Skills