The Steps4Kids Team is not only dedicated to helping all students succeed, but is also dedicated to helping all teachers succeed -- especially those teachers committed to empowering students with special educational needs. Please find below some ideas and resources that may help you support the student(s) in your life and of course we always welcome your input or questions as well! We update regularly so visit often!
Classroom Skills (ADHD, facing forward, lining up, modeling, movement breaks)
Communication (class participation, speech issues, stuttering)
Forms & Letters (behavior charts, parent input form, and more)
Math (addition, charts/tables, perimeter v. area, subtraction, etc.)
Progress Monitoring (daily monitoring, student progress monitoring)
Reading (comprehension, fluency, sight words)
Speech (Assistive Technology, Support Ideas, Stuttering)
Social
Speech (Assistive Technology, Support Ideas, Stuttering)
Social
ACCOMMODATIONS (back to top)
Accommodations are often confused with "modifications" but they are completely different. It is important that staff and parents understand the difference because it can impact a student's learning and testing. Accommodations are measures taken to enable a student with special needs to access content or testing. Accommodations are often changes in the presentation, response mode, timing, scheduling, or setting of the instruction or task. The student is taught the same content and is expected to master the content at the same level as his/her neurotypical peers.
Modifications are actual changes in the content that reduces the level of complexity and academic expectation of the student. Accommodations should be attempted before a student's work is modified to determine whether the student is capable of completing grade level work. If a student's work is modified, the student's testing scores are generally not counted for purposes of state testing under the NCLB Act and can affect a student's grade.
For additional help, consider the below:
1. CCSSO Manual: The Chief Council of State School Officers (a council consisting of the state superintendents of education and others) offers an excellent free downloadable manual that discusses "best practices" to accommodate a student's learning disability. A thorough discussion of different ways to present information is included in addition to sample accommodation suggestions for specific types of learning differences.
2. List of Common Accommodations: We have created a checklist of accommodations that may help you in establishing a strong setting at school and/or at home to help a student succeed. Click Here
3. The National Center for Learning Disabilities provides a parent advocacy brief discussing accommodations that may be helpful: Accommodations Information Sheet
5. Pre-Intervention Referral Manual (PRIM): If you are a teacher or parent looking for coming interventions used to support specific learning disabilities, ask your school district if it has a copy of this helpful manual. With numerous suggestions for over 200 specific learning issues (e.g. lack of focus, disorganization, etc.), this manual offers user friendly tables and worksheets.
CLASSROOM SETTING (back to top)
Many students with special educational needs are affected by the environmental setting in which they are taught. To make a classroom interesting and inviting, teachers often hang or post numerous curriculum related items throughout the room. As the school year progresses, typically more items such as student work samples are posted making the classroom even more visually stimulating. Unfortunately, the very items meant to engage some students can cause distractions, be over stimulating and actually impair the learning of others. Sometimes it helps to examine why items are on the wall - does the posting of work completed several weeks ago truly benefit the students? Consider removing items that are over a week old as the interest and novelty of the displayed work may have lost its value to the the students. Blank walls may help with the setting and add interest to the students' work once it is posted in the blank space.
When preparing a classroom, consider the following:
1. Fewer decorations can be a good thing! Leaving wall areas blank that are above or on either side of the whiteboard area or other core instructional sites in the room. You want your lesson to be the focal point, not the students' work samples on the walls.
2. Use walls as galleries, not storage. Only post work samples that are a product of the week's work so that each student is motivated to complete his/her work since the work samples will have increased visibility if not "camouflaged" by the posting of work samples from the entire year.
3. Make sure all desks face the core instructional area. Often desks in classrooms face each other so that students are facing one another instead of the teacher's instructional area. This can lead to distraction and possibly disruptive student interaction.
4. Keep natural light unobstructed. Do not post anything on windows or other areas where natural lighting is available. Natural light can be calming for some students and reduces the need for classroom lighting that can sometimes present sounds or lighting issues that can cause distractions.
5. Build in Visual Prompts to Help Students Stay on Track. Use colors to provide visual prompts as a means of reducing the need for verbal prompting. If your classroom has learning "centers" throughout the day, consider color coding the areas so that students know exactly where to go based upon their groupings.
CLASSROOM SKILLS (see also Functional Skills section) (back to top)
To reduce the need for verbal and physical prompting, consider using visual prompts that make clear what the student needs to do. Consistent visuals can lead to consistent behaviors!
1. Facing Forward during centers/Focusing difficulties - Students with attention disabilities such as ADHD or those with an Autism Spectrum Disorder may have difficulties tending to a task. Common behaviors include getting up, looking around, bothering other students and/or not focusing upon the activity. The goal of most instructors is to have the student face the direction of the instruction to best optimize their access to the content being taught.
To reduce the need for physical or verbal prompting, try putting colored circles on the activity table where a student may place his/her hands so that when needed, a discreet tap on the circles can redirect a student to put his/her hands on their designated. By using colored "visual prompts" of the circles, the student knows exactly where to put his/her hands which if placed correctly on the table, will force the student to face forward and keep his/her hands away from other students.
For activities where students sit on the floor or in chairs without desks, consider putting red tape on the chairs (and/or on the floors) so that students know where to put their hands (or feet) to avoid bothering other students.
Some studies have shown that the use of balancing balls instead of chairs can help children focus. Here's an article on how one classroom tried this.
The teacher can also wear a small red circle around his/her neck or a clip on sticker so that students can look at the red circle instead of the teacher's face in the student has a difficult time looking at people's faces. Something to consider is that some studies indicate that gaze aversion is healthy and an indication that the student is thinking or learning about something. The goal is to reduce atypical behaviors not to make the student look forward 100% of the time as that 100% goal may itself not be "normal" for neurotypical children.
2. Lining Up: Often students in special day classes will have difficulties understanding the importance of personal space. Due to sensory or other issues, student may get too close to another student or inappropriately jump or hug other students when they are lining up to exit for recess or other activities. Consider using appropriately spaced colored circles or other shapes on the ground to show each student where they should stand when lining up. These items may be taped on the ground or loose so that they are portable and usable as needed.
3. Following a Scheduler: The goal for any child with a disability is for the child to become as independent as possible. Determine what things a student can best remember or what they notice the most and use that to help them follow instructions or a scheduler. Colors, for example, are easy for students to remember or notice. Consider making each center a color either by using a colored table cloth or hanging a colored symbol from the ceiling over the table. The student can then check his/her scheduler and go to the colored center that correlates to the scheduler.
4. Video Modeling: Many studies demonstrate that students can learn and retain lessons better when video modeling supports instruction. The best forms of video modeling for students are typically self modeling (showing the student doing the activity correctly), peer (showing peers doing the skill or activity), and point of view modeling (showing the activity or skill from the student's perspective). All that is needed is a device that can shoot video footage (e.g. a camera or video camera). Most computers come with some form of a dvd editing program.
Make sure when filming that the targeted skill is shown clearly and slowly enough for a student to observe each sequence needed to complete the skill. Use the video at least once a day to help student with memorization and practice of the skill. Video modeling can be a great tool for showing how to tie shoes, count 1:1 correspondence, math sequencing, answering literal questions on worksheets and many other academic skills. We hope to have some samples available soon on this webpage.
For students who have difficulties focusing due to sensory integration issues or hyperactivity, movement breaks or sensory breaks can be effective to help a student refocus. Often a quick movement or sensory break will help return a student to his or her work more effectively than a consequence.
Consider teaching school activities using items that provide positive sensory input (e.g. shaving cream to write letters or numbers, sensory bottles filled with items that correlate to a math problem or 1:1 correspondence). Sensory balls or a special cushion may also be helpful for the student to sit on. Fidget toys or another squishy item (e.g. balloons or bags filled with sand or beans) may also help students keep their hands to themselves.
In some classrooms, it may help to have a sensory treasure box instead of the more traditional reward chest filled with items that provide sensory support which can be calming to some students. Other classrooms may benefit from having a special corner in the room with a beanbag, music piped through headphones, etc. where students can "escape" and regroup when needed.
Other helpful sources:
"Brain Breaks" (ideas on how to incorporate movement into the classroom)
Brain Gym Exercises for the Classroom (provided by the LiveStrong Foundation)
Child Development Information (Offers simple suggestions to help maintain a student's attention)
Hyperactivity Support (by Jim Wright, with research support)
Movement Breaks (Mayo Clinic)
National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Recommendations
For some ideas on helpful forms and charts, try these links:
3. Notice of Mainstreaming (used to make sure school is ready for child to start)
4. Parent Input Form (Complete and distribute at an IEP meeting to help staff understand your child)
5. Sample letters:
There are many excellent resources available to help students learn important functional skills.
1. Visual & Multi-Modality Support (helps to reduce the need for verbal prompting). An excellent demonstration of how to use supports to help a person understand their responsibility in performing functional and other skills can be found on the Positively Autism website. The demonstrations can be useful for any classroom or child and are not limited to students dx with an ASD.
Printables:
Sheets with letters to clocks - lots of them
Images to use:
GOAL WRITING (back to top)
Many goals are written so generally that interpretation can differ from person to person. Phrases such as "as appropriate," "student will respond" or "will demonstrate his understanding" do not define what is appropriate, or how the student will respond or answer. Academic goals should be written using a state's general education standards that are related to the student's developmental level. The reason goals should relate to general education standards is so that parents and other members of the student's IEP team understand what level of material should be used when implementing the goal and for testing the progress. Goals should also include information that describe how the student's progress will be measured. Too often IEP goals will state "as measured by teacher data" but in such instances, it is unclear how data is being taken, what kind of data is being taken or what is being used to form the basis of the data. Progress can also be measured by work samples, student progress monitoring, observations of specialists (e.g. behavior specialists or someone under their supervision), objective tests, district assessments related to the student's academic level, or other testing or assessments. Progress needs to be measured in terms of proficiency and consistency in the proficiency.
Before drafting a goal, first determine the "baseline" of the student's academic or functional skill. Baselines may differ depending on the setting. A baseline is what a student can do at the time that is related to the goal area. For example, for an annual goal related to addition, a baseline may state that a student can count to 30 in a 1:1 clinic/therapy setting but not in a classroom. If possible, include baselines for all settings as these may be helpful in determining the annual goal for a student. Knowing baselines from smaller settings may help the IEP team have higher expectations in terms of the annual goal set.
Before drafting a goal, first determine the "baseline" of the student's academic or functional skill. Baselines may differ depending on the setting. A baseline is what a student can do at the time that is related to the goal area. For example, for an annual goal related to addition, a baseline may state that a student can count to 30 in a 1:1 clinic/therapy setting but not in a classroom. If possible, include baselines for all settings as these may be helpful in determining the annual goal for a student. Knowing baselines from smaller settings may help the IEP team have higher expectations in terms of the annual goal set.
In drafting academic goals, consider this checklist:
___ 1. Identify the general education standard that forms the foundation of the annual goal. If a child is functioning at a 3rd level but is in 5th grade, take a look at the 4th grade standards as a possible foundation for the annual goals. The IDEIA requires that the general education curriculum be accessible to students with special needs.
___ 2. Identify what accommodations or modifications will be implemented in order for the student to reach the standards based goal. (For example, will the student need to use a word bank or a dynavox to demonstrate his/her understanding of reading text? Will math problems need to be presented so that no more than 4 are listed on a page? Will math problems be at a 3rd or 5th grade level? Does the student's reading or math material need to be in a larger font?)
___ 3. Identify how progress will be measured. This is in especially important component of a goal because it is the determinant of whether a student has made the expected progress required by the goal. When setting forth how the goal will be measured, consider including the following items:
a. Timing of the measurement: 3 consecutive trials over a two week period? bi-weekly district assessments?
b. What what will be examined to determine the student's skill level? Work samples? Objective tests? Observation logs by someone specifically trained to take data and who uses a specific form to ensure that observations are consistent in terms of what is being observed and how long, etc.
c. Whether the student's skill level will be measured using a special device, accommodation or other intervention (e.g. is annual goal that the student will complete his multiplication tables with 80% accuracy when problems are presented in pairs in 24 print on letter sized paper?)
Goals should be specific enough to make sure all team members know what the annual goal is and how and when to test the student so that the student has a true opportunity to demonstrate his or her skills.
Teaching math to students with learning disabilities is about teaching students a process that they can do each time they see a certain type of math problem whether it be a numerical equation or a word problem. Remember, each student has his or her own way of learning best. Often a student is not able to master a math skill because they simply need to memorize the process to use. Help them memorize the process then focus on the answer. Consider breaking down exercises using color schematics or allowing the student to use highlighters to highlight significant information. Many times students have difficulties with math work that are unrelated to the actual math -- for example, they may simply need to space their numbers further apart because visually they get confused if the numbers are too close. Graph paper with larger squares is especially helpful to help students line up their decimals or numbers and is a wonderful accommodation.
Consider visiting The Teachers Corner which offers numerous very easily customized worksheets in terms of presentation, spacing, etc. to create individualized worksheets for your students.
Addition: Consider color coding sheets so that students can correlate manipulatives to the numbers written in the white boxes then have them physically move all the manipulatives over to the green/red rectangle to emphasize that adding is putting everything together, then have the student count the sum in the red/green box and write it in the red/green/white box below it.
Charts & Tables: If students are experiencing difficulties with charts or tables, consider creating classroom exercises that helps the students create their own data to use in the tables or charts. One day (or over a week depending on the level of numbers being used) give out tickets to students or groups based upon their assistance to one another or to the teacher and have them keep their tickets in plastic bags taped to their desks or on wall. Or, at the end of each day have them write down their number of tickets on the board. Then, after the ticket activity is concluded, create a table either as a class or using individualized worksheets that set forth how many tickets each student earned on each day. Use the data from the table to create a chart. The following week consider using the ticket data to discuss mode, averages, and other mathematical terms. Make the data "meaningful" to the students.
Multiplication: The multiplication table is mostly a rote memory skill but the completion of an actual multiplication problem uses a very different skills and presentation. Often students have troubles knowing which number to multiple and where to write down the result. Graph paper will help student's line up their numbers and color coding the multiplier can also help (e.g. "first do the green number, then do the red." For students with visual perception or sensory issues, consider allowing them to use a visual 'blocker" that enables them to cover up one number while they complete the one at issue (e.g. a popsicle stick or handmade cut of a rectangle with a little square cut out to put over the number).
Perimeter v. Area: Using "magic" boxes.
To help a student appreciate that the perimeter is the measurement of a shape's outside, consider getting a box or plastic container -- make sure they have tops -- and attach velcro strips to all four sides. Then laminate the numbers and attach them to the velcro strips. To make the boxes fun, attach numbers to the outside and have the students write down the numbers and add them to find the sum for the perimeter (remind them that "perimeter" has a t for a + sign so that they know to add to find the perimeter). To figure out the area, have them multiply the b x h to get a number then have them open the top to see if they are correct. Inside consider using a graphic image divided into squares to represent the area then fade this visual image to the number only. If the student or students get the P and A right, they earn what is under the image (e.g. extra recess, line leader, special show and tell with their parent, etc.) (Note: This activity is intended to teach the concept that the outside is the perimeter and not to teach 3D measurements of area).
By having students take turns they learn how to respond to different tasks to help them retain the steps involved in subtraction equations. Be sure to teach subtraction using both horizontal and vertical mats so that students understand that the equation requires the same process even when it is presented differently (i.e. horizontally v. vertically).
Figure 1 Figure 2
After the student masters the equation mats, start using a similar smaller version on worksheets and teach students to cross out items on the worksheet to show them that they can "take away" things or subtract things by crossing them out to find the answer. (Figure 2). Eventually fade the color to gray and then to simple lines on which the numbers can be written or displayed to make equations more grade appropriate. (back to top)
Vertical Math Problems: Sometimes students are not able to complete their math problems because of spacing issues or visual issues. Numbers spaced close together can cause confusion for some students when adding, carrying over or borrowing numbers. (Fig. A)
Graph paper can help students correctly line up and space their digits, decimals or other items when solving a math problem. Graph paper comes in different sizes and larger boxes may be helpful for younger students or students with fine motor deficits. Regular notebook paper turned sideways so that the lines are vertical instead of horizontal can also be helpful.
Another option is to teach students their own strategies to use. If numbers spaced closely make it hard for students to solve problems, teach them how to write the numbers on a separate piece of paper so that the numbers are spaced better. (Fig. B) Or, teach them how to draw lines down to create columns. (Fig. C).
Fig. A Fig. B Fig. C
Remember, when teaching or testing math, determine which particular skill you want the student to learn or demonstrate. For example, when testing division, if a child knows his her multiplication facts and can perform multiplication using multiple digits but has a hard time doing the multiplication for purposes of multiple digit division problems, consider allowing the student to use a calculator to do the multiplication portions so that they can focus more on learning the division process.
Math Programs that may be of help: (back to top)
The Teachers Corner (excellent free source -- users can easily individualize worksheets for math and english in terms of fonts, presentation, etc.).
Touch Math (Offers free samples and downloadable sheets)
Math Resources:
National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY) Offers ideas on what constitutes "best practices"
What Works Clearinghouse (Is the program used on your child effective? US Dep't of Ed analyzes efficacy of programs)
PROGRESS MONITORING (back to top)
Over the last several years, there has been considerable attention given to how the progress of students is monitored. For many parents and their students, getting a report each trimester is insufficient and may mean that an entire trimester has passed before a parent learns that an individual education program goal has not been met. The trimester benchmark is based upon the benchmark reporting periods for neurotypical children and is not based upon a student's individual program or needs. The solution for many has been to adopt "curriculum based monitoring," also known as "student progress monitoring" which requires the development of an educational program that enables the monitoring of a student's progress in their goal areas every week or two weeks to ensure that progress is adequate. The failure to make the expected progress towards a goal can be addressed within weeks as opposed to months.
To study student progress monitoring, the US Office of Special Programs/US Dept. of Ed funded a 5 year contract to create the National Center on Student Progress Monitoring. After studying the student progress monitoring model and comparing it with the typical trimester reporting model, the National Center on Student Progress Monitoring found that progress monitoring is a scientifically based practice that includes benefits such as accelerated learning, more informed instructional decisions, documentation of student progress for accountability purposes, more efficient communication with parents about student’s progress, and higher expectations for students by teachers. Research relied upon by the US Dept. of Ed. demonstrated that when teachers use student progress monitoring, students learn more. See also the information provided by Reading Rockets, a national multimedia project funded by a grant from the US Dept. of Education/OSEP.
This monitoring approach requires the breaking down of a student's annual goal into far more benchmarks or "mini" monitoring periods than the traditional trimester benchmark model used by most school districts. So, for example, if a student's goal it to learn to ready words at a fluency rate of 120 words and the student's baseline is 50 words a minute, then the student needs to learn how to read an additional 70 words per minute or approximately two words faster every two weeks. Once the program has been individualized, it clarifies the team's educational mission and helps all members (both at home and at school) understand what is expected of the student each week so that support can be consistently directed in all settings.
To track the student's progress to determine whether the breaking down of the skills is working, schools or programs have the student take a test after each "mini" monitoring period (e.g. weekly, bi-weekly or monthly) using the same type of test that would normally be administered at the end of the year to determine a student's progress towards the annual goal. If the student is progressing satisfactorily towards the goal, the data from the weekly/bi-weekly/monthly testing should reveal an upward trend of correct answers with the ultimate goal being the accuracy goal stated in the IEP. For example, a goal might be that the student should be be able to add numbers with sums to ten and commit the addition facts to memory. The progress monitoring sheet would set forth what the student is expected to learn each "mini" monitoring period in order to complete addition equations with sums of 10 by the end of the year. At the end of each "mini" monitoring period, the student would be given a test setting forth addition problems with sums of 10. At the beginning the year, the student would normally not be able to complete the test with a high degree of accuracy. However, as the months pass, the student's correct answers on such a test should increase to demonstrate the student's acquisition of the addition process and an increased memorization of addition facts.
Sample Informational Form click here
Other:
READING (back to top)
Reading has many facets and determining the particular area in need of support is crucial. Areas such as comprehension, fluency, phonemic awareness are all important components to a successful reader but may require different approaches before each area is mastered. A child may be great at memorizing sight words (or high frequency words), for example, but not be able to sound out new words or sufficiently understand what has been read. Consider looking at the suggestions offered by "Reading Rockets" and other organizations or sites that provide free reading support.
Here are some ideas to help in each area:
1. Comprehension
Often a student must write down something in order to demonstrate his/her comprehension of material. For students with disabilities -- especially those with fine motor skills -- the addition of another task (e.g. writing) may diminish the student's ability to actually demonstrate his/her comprehension of selected text or activity because the student is focusing too much on the writing. Here are some ideas on how to test a student's understanding that reduces or eliminates the task of writing:
- Type answers (use a touch screen on a computer or iPad)
- Use cloze activities (a sentence where the student fills in the blank)
- Use a word bank (to help student select the answer from a group of words)
- Use art or drawings to have the student draw or paint what their answer or understanding was
- Use carrier phrases (e.g. I think that ...) and have the student fill in the information
- Use software that types what the student stays (e.g. Dragon Naturally Speaking)
- Engage peers to speak their understanding and have disabled student select which response s/he agrees with
- Have student highlight portion on the page which demonstrates his/her answer or understanding.
2. Fluency
Fluency is the rate with which a child can decode and read words. The Learning Disability organization offers a chart with reading rates and other related information.
3. Phonemic awareness (back to top)
Students need to learn how to sound out words to help them read new words when they arise in text. For students who experience difficulties with phonemic awareness, consider making visual cue cards that show what the student's mouth should do when a particular letter is presented. Make this a fun project by taking pictures or video of different students as they sound out letters (or words!). For the letter p, for example, take a video of a child saying the "p" near a feather to show how the "p" sound blows a little air out. Students will love making these visual aids as they learn their letters too!
4. Rote memorization of sight/high frequency words. (back to top)
Some students with learning disabilities have excellent memorization skills and can best learn sight words through the use of memorization strategies. The most commonly used "sight word" lists are those composed by Dolch and Fry (from the National Institute for Literacy). These word lists consist of the most commonly used words in the English language. If your child can read these, they are off to a great start. Important to remember though is that a student still needs to learn how to "decode" or sound out the sounds in the words in order to learn how to read new words. Developing a phonemic awareness is an important component to reading and should be addressed in addition to rote memorization of words.
5. Testing:
The National Institute for Literacy has a list of free tests on its website.
If you wish to learn more about the type of reading test your child or student may need to take, take a look at this list.
6. How to help build skills:
Books on Tape
Make bingo cards and play bingo using words instead of letters
Tape record yourself reading a book so that the child can listed to your voice as s/he reads along.
Take a family or class video and add subtitles
Make a book using items or objects the child likes with words that correlate to the photos or pictures
Break down paragraphs in to smaller amounts of text or sentences and have child answer literal questions by highlighting text.
Note: The student may have vision issues that go undetected by typical vision tests. Try using a slant board to present the material at an angle as this can help reduce eye strain and enhance a student's reading enjoyment.
SOCIAL (back to top)
Studies have shown that strong social skills are one of the most important factors to determining a child's academic success. The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities has information on how learning disabilities affect students socially. The majority of students with learning disabilities are socially impaired. (For a list of studies exploring the importance of friendship and social skills, click here.)
Social Support in the Classroom: To help a student with a learning disability feel more included and to help neurotypical (NT) students feel more inclusive of a learning disabled student, create opportunities where students can be rewarded for working together. Consider having a "marble jar" where the teacher can place a marble every time s/he sees the students working together (e.g. helping with a worksheet, helping to stay focused, helping to line up, etc.). Once the marble jar has been filled, a special activity can take place ideally lead by the parents of or the student with the learning disability so that the NT students are excited about helping and sharing in the reward (eg. pizza party at school, special art lesson, etc.).
Social Support on the Playground: Consider starting a peer buddy system where older students as part of their community service can play with learning disabled students during recess. Where appropriate, older students can be trained how to support a child's disability on the playground. Many schools have created student leader programs where student leaders are paired with students with disabilities and trained by the special education teacher (with the parents' permission) about ways to communicate with and provide support for the disabled student.
A student with speech deficits can be perceived as being more impaired than s/he really is due to the student's inability or difficulties in communicating what s/he knows. A student who is speech impaired may also exhibit behaviors that arise from their frustration in not being understood, as opposed to exhibiting behaviors due to an emotional disturbance or other cause. A student's success both socially and academically is to determine how the student can best participate in academic and other activities in a way that is socially acceptable to his/her peers and related to the task at hand.
In many instances, a child who is speech impaired may better participate in classroom activities if the question or activity is presented in a way where the information demand is reduced. Below are some examples that are worth trying in order
Sample Communication Support ideas:
1. Answer provided ahead of time: Preteaching and reteaching material can help prepare a student for the rigors of classroom activities. With a nominal amount of work, the teacher or parent can photocopy the pages from which the questions will be asked and highlight them for the student, writing a number by the highlighted answer if necessary. As the teacher poses a question to the class, s/he can write a number on the board as a clue to the student so that the student knows where to look on his/her sheet to find the answer. Or, in cases where the student needs additional assistance, the instructional aide or teacher can write down answers on index cards and provide the student with the answer so that the student can hold the card up to participate and respond. At a minimum, supports should be in place that enable a student to participate in a way that is on topic to provide meaningful participation and peer acceptance (even if it means prompting or providing the answer to students at times!)
2. Yes/No Questions: Present questions that require only "yes" or "no" answers. Example: "Johnny, are there 365 days in a year?" If necessary, provide a gentle visual prompt by nodding or shaking your head. If the student still answers incorrectly using this 50/50 model, respond positively, "Nice try Johnny ..." and then write down the answer or show the answer and have the student repeat the answer correctly to maintain a speech volley, keep the instructional environment positive, and to reinforce the correct answer.
3. Present Question and offer two answer choices: Present questions so that the student only has to select from two choices. "Johnny, does 2 times 2 equal 4 or 5?" If student has difficulties answering verbally, see if s/he can write the answer on a small whiteboard at his/her desk and hold it up. If the student's fine motor skills are still emerging, try something as simple as "Johnny, does 2 times 2 equal 4? (point to your nose), or 5? (point to your chin)". Student can then point to his/her nose or chin to signal his/her response. Other helpful tools can be the Apple applications that provide switches, typing with audio support, and other applications, Pixwriter, and other programs which also provide audio support for words typed in.
4. Present question and offer multiple written choices from which the student can choose: With a small amount of pre-activity prep, a small chart or answer sheet can be set up
offering numerical or word choices. If doing a math multiplication group activity involving numbers 1 -10, the student could have an 8.5 x 11" sheet with a number chart on it from which s/he can circle or point to numbers.
5. Group support of student: Where appropriate, make it fun by having different neurotypical students in the class offer answers and then have the speech impaired student select the student who s/he thinks has the best answer. If the answer is wrong, then the student with special needs has someone else on the "wrong answer" team. If the student selects the student with the correct answer, it is a great opportunity to praise them both for selecting the correct answer.
Assistive Technology Ideas: (back to top)
There are many "talking" devices to augment communication but as technological advances are made, more "mainstream" supports are entering the market which in many instances are more cost effective than traditional supports.
Examples:
iPad/iTouch -- Speak It Application (cost approx. 99 cents): Using a keypad that pops up on the screen, the student can type in words and then touch the "speak it" button to have the words voiced by an adult male or female's voice to smoothly speak the words. This benefit of this program is that is it far less expensive and more portable than other text to voice programs.
PixWriter: Pixwriter is a program designed by speech therapists which can be modified to use symbols, letters, words, images, photographs and other items. If used on an iPad or other touch screen, the accessibility is even faster than using a mouse. There is a "speaker" button to voice the text or images selected or typed. Teachers can easily customize the "template" to support general ed class discussions.
Whisper Phones (these are light weight phones that students can hold to their ear to magnify their voice so that they can hear themselves speak when they read or talk. Provides immediate auditory feedback. There are also duet whisper phones that enable the teacher to speak to the student or students to talk to each other to increase social speech.
Stuttering:
Speech apraxia can be confused with or co-exist with stuttering. If a student has difficulties getting her or her words out, make sure that the student is evaluated for both apraxia and stuttering as the interventions and programs are very different. To determine if a student has a stuttering or dysfluency issue, see if any of the following increase the student's fluency: singing or choral reading (when the student reads with another person at the same time). If the singing of words or the "choral" reading of words increases fluency, then a stuttering intervention may be helpful. There is conflicting evidence of what causes stuttering or what interventions work to reduce dysfluency. Sometimes respiratory exercises can help.
An easy respiratory-related intervention that can be used at school and at home that can help is the singing of notes (and later the stating and holding of words once note singing is mastered) for a set period of time. Have the student hit a note on a keyboard or "mini piano" (a free iTouch application) and hold the note for 5 seconds. Do this 20 times using different notes in the student's vocal range (usually the middle of the keyboard if using an actual piano). Increase the duration each week for a period of 3 weeks (e.g. 1st week 5 seconds, 2nd week 8 seconds, 3rd week 10 seconds). Thereafter, repeat as needed daily, hourly or weekly. Recent reports examining the use of singing to help individuals regain speech have been encouraging. CNN presented a feature about stroke patients who regained speech after using a program called music intonation. The recent reports about singing to help speech has sparked new rounds of studies by organizations such as The Michael J. Fox foundation which launched a study in March 2010 to evaluate the efficacy of singing interventions with persons with Parkinson's disease and other medical issues.
WRITING (back to top)
Writing can be problematic for students for many reasons but some of the primary reasons are that students have difficulties with: creation of original ideas, grammar, legibility, organization and punctuation.
Creative Writing: Sometimes a student will produce more creative or sophisticated content if the fine motor/physical writing part of the creative writing activity is reduced or removed. There are many options that may increase a student's creative output.
For kiddos with ADHD or other energy/attention issues, consider using a speech to text program that allows a student to stand and talk to the computer, which in turns interprets the vocal input and creates typed text (e.g. Dragon Speak Naturally - around $60, or other programs that come bundled on computers for Windows or others). Then print out the typed text and have the student edit it (as the speech to text programs are rarely 100% accurate). Or have someone write down the student's thoughts on paper for the student as he/she speaks her thoughts.
For kiddos with fine motor skill issues, consider allowing them to type or use a scribe instead of physically writing their stories. Turn off the text correcting feature if needed if spelling is part of the activity or test.
Use carrier phrases, or topic related word or phrase banks to help students create a sentence that relates to a particular subject matter. Or, start the process by creating a "fill-in the blank" sheet (Fig. 1 below) for common projects which can help a student stay on task and produce more appropriate work. After the student fills in the blanks, have the student rewrite the content reminding him or her that the items in gray are not to be written down -- only the items in black and what they wrote should be written down on paper. The rewriting task will help the student think about the content and punctuation as they write it, help him/her get in the habit of writing full sentences, and enable the student to have a positive writing experience that resulted in a finished presentable project. Repeated use of a writing template may also help the student develop a formula to his or her writing that will ultimately make creative writing more independent. Fade some of the prompts when the student begins to understand what to put in his or her sentences.
Fig. 1
Visual/Graphic organizers: Sometimes students can benefit from visual organizers that help them set up their writing project - a writer's outline but set up differently.
Samples:
EduPlace.com (several free visual/graphic organizers to try)
Legibility: There are many different types of papers that can help a student's writing. Some come with raised lines, colored lines, images and other cues to help students. Some students need the three lined paper or visual to write legibly. Unfortunately, typical classroom worksheets often offer only a single line for a student to use. Worksheets may need to be changed by adding a dashed middle line and top line to the response spaces to help with legibility. Teachers can consider making a stamp that aides or others can use to stamp worksheets or allowing students to write down their answers on separate lined paper.
Spacing: For students with issues spacing, consider writing dashed lines on their worksheets so that they have a visual where to write their letters. The use of dash lines can also help with spelling because it requires the student to think about what letters they have to write on the dash lines. There is also a visual spacing product by Green Bean Products that has templates to help.
Writing Templates: Steps4Kids.com and many other websites offer free three lined and other papers to help writing activities. Sometimes graph-like paper can help too. Steps4Kids offers a free writing template with colored top and bottom lines and gray spacing lines that may help emerging writers with letter spacing and alignment. See "stop go" writing printables too by dotolearn.com.
Pencil Grip/Pencil Grasp: Sometimes legibility is affected by a student's pencil grip. Correct grip formation can ease tension and increase fluidity in writing. Some of the most common problems are the wrapped thumb or hyper-extended thumb. Remind students that the thumb should be on the pencil. (Free Printable Pencil Grip Info Sheet)
Slant Boards: To help a student form a proper grasp of the pencil, special grips and slant boards are also available to help student's learn correct grip formation. When deciding on a slant board, make sure that the board is wide enough for the student to rest his/her wrist flat onto the board and that the board is positioned so that the student's elbow is on the table. Also helpful is having the student use broken crayons or chalk no bigger than 2 inches as the smaller size will make it hard for the student to hold the utensil incorrectly. Finally, there are many pencils in different shapes and sizes that can help such as jumbo sized, triangular shaped pencils. Note: It is difficult to correct a grip so make sure the grip is taught properly as soon as the student begins to write! (back to top)
Video Modeling: Video modeling enable some student to focus better upon the task helping them learn. Our dvds use video modeling shot from the student's perspective. Steps4Kids videos