Demonstrate the ability to provide cognitive instruction using functional life activities for students with profound mental retardation

Demonstrate the ability to provide cognitive instruction using functional life activities for students with profound mental retardation

SpEd 417/517

Course Objective:

SpEd 417/517

Course Objective:

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

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

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”

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

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)

• 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

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?

Principles of systematic instruction

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

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

• 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

Instructional Tactics

• 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

Behavioral Supports

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

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

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

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

Activity

• Vocational• job interview• washing dishes

• Recreation/Leisure• playing darts• going on a date

• School• using the library• completing a science experiment

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?

Presentation

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

Curriculum

• General education curriculum

• General education curriculum adapted to focus on the most essential skills

• Sequenced functional skills curriculum

• Embedded functional skills curriculum

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.

• 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

Instruction

• Acquisition - learn it

• Maintenance - use it routinely

• Fluency or proficiency - make it better or faster

• Generalization - use it anywhere and whenever possible

Stages of learning

• 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

General education reform literature

• 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

Integration phases

• 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)

Determine individual student plan

Scheduling Matrix

General Education Classes Other EnvironmentsIEPGoalsIncrease active participation in activities

Increase formal communication skills

Develop active postural controlPrevent progressive deformities

Develop functional self-help skills

Increase attending behavior

Increase social interactions with peers

• Prepare student for instruction• positioning• transition time• opportunities for movement• awareness of daily routine

• Determine individual learning styles - multi-sensory emphasis

Determine individual teaching strategies

• Will it be useful or meaningful?

• Is it practical?

• Portfolio assessment

Develop strategies for measuring progress

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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