Early Childhood and IDEA

What students are served under IDEA Part C?

Students with disabilities from birth to 36 months old are served under the IDEA Part C.

What is an IFSP?

An IFSP is the abbreviation for Individual Family Service Plan. IFSP is a plan that is designed for special services for young children, birth to three years old, who are developmentally delayed. Once the child reaches 3 years the IFSP is replaced by an Individual Education Program (IEP).

What is important to remember when thinking about EC and AT?

It is important to think about age appropriate device when considering Assistive Technology for the Early Childhood. Assistive Technology should enable students with disabilities to participate in activities within the home, school, and community.

An AT Tool for Early Childhood

Proloquo2Go

The proloquo2Go is an AAC device that is ideal for early childhood students with communication problems. This AT tool is designed to promote language development in young children. 

Implementation

Proloquo2Go can be used on any device so implementing this AT in an classroom is easy. This app can be implemented by installing it on an iPad and it is ready to use in assisting students in communicating with their peers and teachers.

Resources

http://www.assistiveware.com/product/proloquo2go

http://expressive-solutions.com/implementation-of-proloquo2go-for-students-with-aac

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/proloquo2go-symbol-based-aac

http://www.teacherswithapps.com/app_reviews-proloquo2go/

Reading

Components of Reading

Reading consists of five components:

• Phonemic Awareness
• Phonics
• Fluency & Prosody
• Comprehension
• Vocabulary

  Difficulties Students with Disabilities have in Reading

Some common problems students with disabilities have in reading are:

• Decoding - Decoding is the ability to apply your knowledge of letter-sound relationships, including knowledge of letter patterns, to correctly pronounce written words.

• Reading Comprehension - the act of understanding what you read.
  

• Focusing on the Text - the ability to pay attention to what is being read. 

One Way to Make Reading Books Accessible

Reading books can be made more accessible through the use of e-books. E-books can be an exciting development for all readers especially those who are print-disabled and blind readers because their properties make them ideal for finding alternative forms of access. When an e-book is presented in an accessible format on an accessible e-book reader, the user can choose to read the book using text-to-speech, Braille, or magnification. E-Books are readily available online through sites such as bookshare.org.

Reading AT Tool

The Intel Reader is is handheld mobile device that has a text-to-speech software; it uses technology to read text aloud. It is equipped with a high resolution camera that will capture texts and then convert the text into spoken words which it reads aloud to the user. The device highlights the words while they are being read, this feature assist students in identifying what is being read.

Implementation

The Intel Reader can be used for all age group. The reader can be implemented by scanning words from any age appropriate reading material in any classroom. It will then convert the words to speech and read aloud to students.



The Intel Reader can be accessed at:

https://www.gh-accessibility.com/products/intel/reader

AAC Device

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is all forms of communication that are used to expressed thoughts, needs, wants and ideas. AAC serves as an alternative to people who cannot speak. It is a method used to replace or supplement speech for persons with disabilities.

There are two types of AAC - aided and unaided.The unaided type relies on the body to convey messages. This includes gestures, sign language and body language. The aided system uses tools or equipment in addition to the body to communicate. This includes low tech devices such as paper and pencil to high tech devices such as an iPad with a speech to text app or a communication board.

Resources

• AAC Institute

http://aacinstitute.org/ 

•   - International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication

https://www.isaac-online.org/english/home/

• Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America

http://www.resna.org/

• Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Communication Enhancement

http://www.aac-rerc.com/

• State Assistive Technology Programs

http://resnaprojects.org/allcontacts/statewidecontacts.html

Example of an AAC Device

The Eye-Speak is a communication system that uses the eyes, it is designed for people with extreme mobility and communication problems such as ALS, LIS, MD, and SCI. This device will write and speak for you. This device consists of a pair of glasses in which the lenses display a screen with a virtual keyboard. It has a micro camera that detects the position and the movement of the eyes and, in this way, identifies the key the user is looking at. The user selects the keys with the movement of the eyes, being able to write words and phrases. Then, using the built-in speaker system, the user translates what was written into sound by selecting the key "speak" after typing a word or phrase.

Implementation in the Classroom

• Teacher needs to first be familiar with the device and the features it offers.

• Calibrate the system once.

• Affix the device to the student’s face and it is ready for use.

• The device can also be connected to a laptop or desktop computer to send emails or use other internet services.

Behavior

What is a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)?

A Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) is a plan that is designed to help improve or modify a behavior by addressing its cause. It is based on the results of a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) which is used to determine the function of the behavior. This behavior must be observable and measurable - behaviors such as fighting, avoidance, interruptions, aggression, inappropriate comments, and excessive talking.

Why is it Important to Keep Data on Students' Behavior?

Once a behavior Intervention Plan is created, it is important that the data is kept and tracked so that correct decisions can be made to continue, change, or stopped the intervention that were implemented.  It also provides students with effective feedback about their behavior; this allows students to monitor themselves and take responsibility for their behavior. Data collection tells whether interventions and strategies are working. Some tools that can be used to gather data on students' behavior are Excel, Class Dojo or the Behavior Tracker Pro.

Behavior AT Tool

Class Dojo is a  free online tool that allows teachers to set up classes and keep track of positive and negative behaviors in the classroom. It is an excellent tech tool for behavior management for all age group - from kindergarten to high school. Class Dojo is user friendly; it is easy to set-up and use. First, you create an account using your school email, once your account is created you can choose an icons for your class and begin setting up your class. The program automatically assigns fun avatars for each student, but you can change them and add photos of your students. Next, you can use the pre-set positive and negative behaviors or personalize them. For example, you can add positive behaviors such as participation, being responsible ect.   This tool allows you to award points to individual students or the entire class instantly.Another excellent feature that class Dojo has is that it enables parents to have insight into their child’s behavior during the day. The teacher inputs parents' email addresses into Class Dojo, print out an access code and send to parents; this code gives them access to see all their child’s information.

Resource:

https://www.classdojo.com/

The Writing Process

What are the Components of the Writing Process?

There are five major components of the writing process:.

• 
  
• 
  
• Prewriting
• 
  

• Drafting
• 
  

• Reviewing

• Editing

• Sharing or Publishing

What are some difficulties students with disabilities have in writing?

Most students with disabilities have difficulties with writing especially students with attention deficit disorder (ADD) who finds the writing process overwhelming because of their inability to remain focus. Students with language and learning disabilities (LLD) will also find writing difficult because they do not have the ability to plan; their writing is usual very short, not very coherent, and not very refined. These students also have difficulties with spelling, and subscription both. Their writing usually contain misspelled words and punctuation errors, and capitalization problems. Other difficulties that students with disabilities face are: mechanics in writing where they struggle to use a writing instrument due to fine motor problems; and they also find writing difficult because they lack the pre-requisite skills needed for writing due to learning disabilities.

Technology Tool to Assist students with the Writing Process

The Paper-Based Computer Pen is an excellent tool to assist students in the writing process especially students with disabilities. This pen records and links audio by using a special paper. It allows the student to take notes while recording; these notes can be replayed by touching the pen. This pen has a camera that records everything that is written; it also has a microphone that records the speaker and computer device that remembers everything that it sees and hear so that it can be replayed.

This pen can be very beneficial to students who struggle with reading, writing, and memory. This tool can be implemented in the classroom by syncing it automatically to any IOS device, iPad, laptop or computer. One resource for this technology tool is http://www.livescribe.com/en-us/smartpen/