How Disability Impacts Learning… and what we can do about it! Ellen J. Stoltz, Ph.D. Acting Senior Director, Special Education Department

Three P’s Purpose: To provide new teachers with background knowledge to promote effective instruction by presenting observable traits of students with disabilities; Presentation: Power Point, large- and small- groupwork, hands-on activity; Pay-off: Increase understanding of the challenges of specific disabilities; Develop the concept of Universal Design;

Setting the Scene… Neurodevelopmental Constructs.. Disrupt the Deficit Paradigm… Person First…. Instructional Connectivity

Neurodevelopmental Constructs Across the Grades Temporal-Sequential Ordering: time, seriation, problem-solving Spatial Ordering: patterns,geometric imaging, whole-to-part, spatial concepts, nonverbal thinking Memory: Abstract, symbolic information, procedural recall, rapid recall of facts,

Disability Categories ID= Intellectual Disability HI= Hearing Impairment LSH= Speech and Language VI= Visual Impairment ED= Emotional Disturbance OHI= Other Health Impaired SLD= Specific Learning Disability OI= Orthopedic Impairment Deaf- Blind MD= Multiple Disabilities AUT= Autism TBI= Traumatic Brain Injury DD= Develop- mental Delay

Incidence in Hartford Total Students with Disabilities=3658

Characteristics of Students with Learning Disabilities Achievement below ability; 60-80% of students with LD are males; Comprise 4-10% of population, Familial pattern; Inconsistent performance; Short- and long-term memory deficits; Disorganized in thought, action, and materials; Poor spatial awareness and sequencing in time and space; Socially immature; misinterpret social cues;

What will students with LD struggle with? Numerical Proportional Reasoning Geometry and Measurement Algebraic reasoning: Patterns and Functions

What will students with LD struggle with? ( or how does the student’s disability interfere with benefit from participating in and benefiting from the general education curriculum?) Relational and positional concepts Fractions and decimals One more Skip counting Place value Patterns Multi-step word problems Money Subtraction and division Calendar and time Estimation Operational signs

Strategies for Students with LD Increase Memory: Multisensory Presentation and Response…seeing (V),hearing (A), saying (A), doing (K), writing (V,K,T), acting (VAKT); Increase Organization: Provide routines, graphic organizers for math concepts, visual symbols for math-problem-solving

FACT FAMILIES and UNIVERSAL DESIGN Visual: Auditory: Kinesthetic: Tactile:

ObjectiveProcedureStudent Products Accom/ Mod (VAKT) MaterialsClassroom Management

Characteristics of Students with Intellectual Disabilities Below average intellect AND adaptive skills, IQ=70 or below; Adaptive functioning= communication, social, self-help skills; No specific personality and behavioral features: may be placid, dependent, aggressive, impulsive; Strategy: repetitions with drill, concrete examples, personalized experience, realia, manipulatives, VAKT

Characteristics of Students with Speech and Language Impairment Impaired articulation, expressive language, receptive language; May occur with spoken or sign language; Limited vocabulary, simple grammar and sentences, unusual word order; slow speech; circumlocutions; Poor language comprehension; misarticulations; Strategy: Ask students to retell directions in own words utilizing peers as language models;

Characteristics of Students with Other Health Impairments limited strength, vitality or alertness, including a heightened alertness with respect to the educational environment, attention deficit with/without hyperactivity disorder; tuberculosis, rheumatic fever, nephritis, asthma, sickle cell anemia, hemophilia, epilepsy, lead poisoning, leukemia, or diabetes, adversely affects a learner’s performance Strategy: breaks, hi- protein snacks, visual schedule, 3:1 praise ratio

Characteristics of Students with Other Health Impairments ADD/ADHD: Distracted by sound and movement, impulsive, inconsistent across settings, task- dependent; hyper- alert; Moves from one activity to the next; incomplete work; Winded, easily fatigued, little interest in activities, low motivation; Lethargic, low energy, disorganized thinking; Did you know that… ADHD occurs in different lobes of the brain?

Strategies for Students with OHI Scheduled breaks Hi-protein or complex carb snacks Visual schedule 3:1 praise ratio Elapsed timer Fidget toy Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior (DRO)

Characteristics of Students with Autism Impaired development in social interaction and communication; Restricted repertoire of activity and interests; Lack of social/emotional reciprocity; Lacks awareness of others, prefers solitary interests; Delayed language comprehension; Triggers: gym floor, florescent lights, noise, movement, inconsistency

Strategies for Students with Autism Visual supports (icons, pictures, photo album of school locations) Elapsed timer Numbered turn takers Transition warnings, such as bells, claps, lights Routines

Characteristics of Students with Emotional Disturbance Inability to learn due to poor peer and adult relationships; Abnormal feelings and behaviors under normal circumstances; Physical symptoms or fears associated with school; Emotional/Social behaviors that are of a marked degree and have lasted for longer than six months AND affect learning; 2-16% of population; Bright, easily bored, distracted;

Characteristics of Students with Emotional Disturbance Argumentative, defiant, blames others, loses temper easily; mood swings; Verbal and/or physical aggression; agitated; Passive, socially reclusive; Low self-esteem; poor memory and decision- making; Acting out; poor social relationships; Strategy: anticipate behaviors, be proactive, use preferred activity for leverage, stay calm; puzzle reinforcer, preferred activities, hands-on

What Can You Do To Help?...Universal Design Understand your own Knowing-Doing gap when you present your lessons! Build lessons with the product in mind. Know there are better ways of doing things…tap your internal experts in your classroom! PLAN grouping, traffic flow, multi-sensory tasks, environmental triggers, choices Don’t Assume! Refer to Bloom’s Taxonomy to guide lesson- planning, i.e. knowledge vs. application; Embed accommodations and modifications into the lesson for all students to access; Think VAKT. Repetition: similar (drill) and diverse (multiple ways) to learn the same material;

Additional Ideas… Measure and Display Successes for Learning and Behavior; Link to BIP; Increase Student’s Awareness of How Disability Affects Learning and Behavior; Link to IEP; Utilize an Array of Consistently Applied Strategies to Ensure Success, i.e. highlighting verbs, restating directions in student language; Focus on Student Strengths and Interests for Preferred Activities (leverage); Utilize Visual Supports for Learning and Behavior, such as authentic pictures of student working, daily schedule; point system (individual and group) with puzzle reinforcer and preferred activity; elapsed timer

Questions? Kindergartensigns.com Environments.com