providing intentional instruction to children with autism in inclusive settings ilene schwartz...
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Providing Intentional Instruction to Children with Autism in Inclusive Settings
Ilene Schwartz
University of Washington
Autism is a collection of overlapping groups of
symptoms that vary from child to child
Siegel, 1996, p.301
There is no one right way to educate children with autism
Three important questions
• What are you going to teach?
• How are you going to teach those skills and behaviors?
• How will you know that your teaching has been effective?
Educating Children with Autism
• National Research Council, 2001
• Report was developed at OSEP’s request
Characteristics of Effective Programs
• Entry into program as soon as ASD is seriously considered
• Active programming 25 hours a week, year round
• Small group and 1:1 programming• Family component• Low student/teacher ratios (no more than 2
children with ASD per adult in classroom• Program evaluation and assessment
Content of Programs should include
• Social skills
• Expressive, receptive, and non verbal communication skills
• Functional communication system
• Engagement and flexibility in developmentally appropriate activities
• Fine and gross motor skills
Content (continued)
• Cognitive skills, including play
• Replacement of problem behaviors with socially acceptable alternatives
• Independent organizational skills and other behaviors that support participation in general education settings
Components of an Effective Program
(Dawson & Osterling, 1997)
• Appropriate curriculum including attending, imitation, communication, play, and social interaction.
• Highly supportive teaching environment and generalization strategies.
• Predictability and routine.• Functional approach to challenging behavior.• Transition support• Family involvement
Project DATA (Developmentally Appropriate Treatment
for Autism)Technical and Social Support
for Families
Integrated Early
Childhood Experience
Collaboration and
Coordination
Extended, Intensive
Instruction
Quality of Life InfluencedCurriculum
Quality Early Childhood Program
Curriculum modifications & adaptations
Embedded Learning Opportunities
Child-focused Instructional Strategies
Building Blocds
Curriculum Modifications
High Quality EC ProgramHigh Quality EC Program
Embedded Embedded LearningLearning
OpportunitiesOpportunities
CFISCFISFew children
Some Children
All Children
Structural Base to Effective Programs
• Functional objectives and meaningful activities
• Frequent reinforcement and effective motivational systems
• Functional communication systems
• Behavior intervention system
The Building Blocks model provides a set of educational practices
designed to help teachers do a more effective job of including and
teaching young children with disabilities and other special
needs in early childhood classrooms and settings.
Why Building Blocks?
• To understand how teachers and teams create early childhood classrooms that enable all children to participate, interact and learn important and valued outcomes.
• To understand what practices work in everyday classrooms.
What is the instructional sequence
• A-B-C
• S-R-S
• Instruction-Response-Consequence
A Discrete Trial
• Instruction – Prompt (if necessary)
• Child’s Response• Consequences
• Inter-trial Interval
A Discrete Trial
Instruction or Discrimitive Stimulus (SD)
Child’s Response
Consequence
Prompt if
necessary
Inter-trial Interval
Antecedent
Behavior
Consequence
Teaching Loop
• Alerting
• Instruction
• Child Response
• Feedback
• What does inclusion mean?
• What does it mean for a young child to be successful in an early childhood classroom?
• What does inclusion mean?– Individuals define
inclusion differently.– Inclusion is about
belonging and participating in a diverse society.
• What does it mean for a young child to be successful in an early childhood classroom?– Sense of belonging– Genuine child
learning– Opportunities to build
friendships
Using the Building Blocks model can help all children
participate, learn, and thrive in their preschool classrooms.
Based on the work of the Early Childhood Research Institute
on Inclusion.
The foundation
Quality Early Childhood Program
• Safe• Engaging• Responsive• Culturally and
linguistically relevant
Use an Activity Matrix to: Plan for specialized instruction Assess individual needs in classroom setting Plan when data collection will occur Plan activities and materials necessary for incidental
teaching or embedded instruction (wheels on the bus) (what is it big circle)
Activity Matrix -- Individual
Comm. Social Motor Adapt.
Circle
Snack
Free
Choice
Activity Matrix -- Class
Caleb Sophie Mile Adam
Circle
Snack
Free
Choice
Matrix of Support
Time/Activity
SupportNeeded
Behavior and Comments
Reading Indep. 1 2 3
Math Needs written dir.
1 2 3
Journal Out of class SLP
1 2 3
Recess Library 1 2 3
Staffing MatrixTime/Activity
Objective Who?
Reading comprehension
Classroom teacher
Math Addition Walk to math
Journal Ind. work motivaider
Recess Social int. Para prof
Quality Early Childhood Program
Curriculum Modifications & Adaptations
Teachers and other members of the team make modifications to activities, routines, and learning areas in order to include children with special needs and to enhance their participation.
Importance of Participation or Engagement
• Quality of early care settings is associated with child outcomes
• Higher quality settings are associated with better outcomes
• Higher quality child care programs produce higher levels of child engagement (Raspa, McWilliam, & Ridley, 2001)
• Engagement mediates the relationship between quality and other reported child outcomes
Curriculum Modifications & Adaptations
• Environmental Arrangement• Materials Modification• Simplify the Activity• Special Equipment• Peer Support• Adult Support• Child Preferences• Invisible Support
Environmental
Arrangement
Materials modification
Simplify the activity
Special equipment
Peer support
Adult support
Child
Preference
Invisible support
Quality Early Childhood Program
Curriculum modifications & adaptations
Embedded Learning Opportunities
Embedded Learning Opportunities
• Teachers create short teaching episodes within ongoing classroom activities and routines.
• Teaching episodes focus on a child’s individual learning objective.
Strengthening Teachers
• Specialized instruction is an important component of inclusion (ECRII, 1998)– Participation in a community-based or general
education is not enough. The individual needs of children with disabilities must be addressed.
– Specialized instruction can be delivered through a variety of effective strategies, many of which can be embedded in the ongoing classroom activities.
• Adequate support is necessary to make inclusive environments work (ECRII, 1998).– Support includes training, personnel,
materials, planning time, and ongoing consultation or coaching.
– Support can be delivered in different ways and each person involved in inclusion may have unique needs.
• Teacher and team must be able to deliver special instruction for children who need it.
• The consulting teacher must be able to provide help to the classroom team.
• Teachers and consulting teachers need methods that are effective, acceptable, and feasible.
•Minimal changes to classroom activities
•Motivation to participate and learn should be enhanced
•Skills are used in natural contexts
•Skills are used with a variety of people and materials
Advantages of ELO
Research Findings
• Embedded instruction is effective for teaching a variety of valued skills to young children (e.g., Horn et al., 2000).
• A variety of instructional strategies have been embedded effectively (e.g., McBride & Schwartz, 2003).
• Embedded instruction seems to enhance generalization (e.g., Wolery et al., 2002).
Research Findings cont’d
• Teachers assess embedded instruction favorably (e.g., Horn et al., 2000).
• Teachers differ in the extent to which they can apply embedded instruction within their activities and classrooms (e.g., Filla et al., 1999).
• Preservice teachers can learn and use embedded instruction in their field experience placements (e.g., Sandall & Davis, 2004)
ELO Basic Steps
• Clarify learning objective and determine criterion
• Gather baseline• Use activity matrix to determine when and
where instruction can take place• Design instructional interaction• Implement instruction• Keep track of the amount of instruction• Probe child progress
Quality Early Childhood Program
Curriculum modifications & adaptations
Embedded Learning Opportunities
Child-focused Instructional Strategies
Child Focused Instructional Strategies
• Unique learning objective
• Requires more systematic or more intensive instruction
Instruction is not the same as opportunity
Instruction is:
• Planned
• Tied to an outcome
• Provides feedback on performance
• Is evaluated for its effectiveness
• Responses are obligatory
CFIS Basic Steps
• Clarify learning objective and determine criterion• Gather baseline• Use activity matrix to determine when and where
instruction can take place• Design instructional interaction• Implement instruction• Keep track of the amount of instruction• Probe child progress
• Use good instructions, good prompts, and good reinforcement strategies
Let’s plan activities for the following
• Communication• Early Literacy• Fine Motor• Social Interaction• Work with at least one other person and
identify two activities in which you can embed instruction on these goal
Data Collection• Monitoring the effects of instruction requires some
form of systematic documentation.
• Collecting data helps interventionists
– accurately gauge about children’s progress
– decide how to change programs
• Data should be collected regularly on all of the high-priority objectives of each child.
Why collect data? To understand
To communicate
To demonstrate
To improve our practice
To stay in compliance
Selecting/Creating a data sheet
What questions are you asking? Will these data answer those questions? Do these data address the IFSP/IEP objective? Will this format fit into classroom activities? Does this make sense to team members? How will you summarize the data? How will you analyze/use the data?
Evaluating Data• Is the child making progress?• Summarize data in meaningful way
– Graphing
• Determine what the data are telling you • Make instructional decision based on
information
Using Data to Make Decisions
• Use data patterns to inform your decisions about what to change
• Program is working• Task is too difficult• Student can perform some but not all tasks• There appears to be a compliance problem• The student is ready for fluency training
• The child has mastered the program
Data Sheet Resources
• Polyxo.com
• Circleofinclusion.org
Questions?