Accommodating All Children in the Early Childhood Classroom

1. Accommodating All Children in the Early Childhood Classroom

2. The activities and materials used in most EC classrooms are designed to meet the needs of many children, with or without disabilities. When they do not meet the specific needs of a child, they can be adapted or expanded to accommodate that child’s individual needs.

3. The purpose of an adaptation is to assist children in compensating for intellectual, physical or behavioral challenges. They allow children to use their current skills while promoting the acquisition of new skills. Adaptations can make the difference between a child merely being present in the class and a child being actively involved.

4. Developing adaptation and accommodations for a child with special needs is a continuous process that involves each child’s collaborative team.

5. How do we do this? • Assess the child’s abilities and the environment • Identify the goals and objectives • Identify the expectations for the child’s participation • Select / create the adaptations that will address the goals, objectives and expectations • Evaluate adaptation’s effectiveness

6. To meet a child’s specific needs, changes may need to be made in: • Instructional groupings / arrangements • Lesson format • Teaching strategies • Curricular goals & learning outcomes • Adaptations to the method for responding • Environmental Conditions • Modification(s) to instructional materials • Level of personal assistance • An alternative activity

7. Large groups Small groups Cooperative learning groups Peer partners One-to-one instruction Independent tasks Instructional groupings or arrangements

8. Whole class discussion Games Role-playing Activity-based lessons Experiential lessons Demonstrations Thematic lessons Lesson Format

9. Simplifying directions Addition of visual information Use of concrete materials / examples Sequencing learning tasks from easy to hard Repeated practice opportunities Changes in schedule of reinforcement Elaboration or shaping of responses Verbal prompts Direct physical assistance Teaching Strategies

10. Identifying the specific outcomes Requiring different levels of activity for successful completion Example: Goal is sorting blocks to work on classification Child with a disability might focus on reaching, grasping, and releasing skills Curricular goals and learning outcomes

11. Augmentative communication system Eye gaze Demonstrations Adaptations to the method of responding

12. Lighting Noise level Visual input Auditory input Physical arrangement of the room Physical arrangement of equipment Accessibility of materials Environmental Changes

13. Physical adaptation to facilitate participation Increase stability Improve ease of handling Accessibility Visual clarity or distinctiveness Size Modification of instructional materials

14. Periodic spot checks Close continuous supervision Peer assistance Adult assistance Can vary from day to day Can vary from assistant to assistant Level of Personal Assistance

15. This curricular adaptation should be used as a last choice when the previous conditions cannot be used to meet a child’s needs. Maybe you don’t need to adapt the activity… maybe you need to CHANGE the activity An alternative activity