Audrey Sharp
Ch. 5
1/25/05
Teaching Students with Developmental
Disabilities
- Developmental Disabilities: Physical or mental disabilities that impair
the person’s functioning in language, learning, mobility, self-care, or
other important areas of living. (p. 127)
- Intellectual
functioning
- Social
skills
- Motor
skills
- Communication
skills
- Mental
Retardation:
(Classification System, Levels of support, p. 128)
- Limited
intellectual functioning
- Slower
rates of learning (particularly complex and abstract tasks)
- Limited
personal independence (adaptive behavior)
- Require
systems of support (coordinated set of services and accommodations
matched to the student’s needs)
- Down
syndrome – one of the most common chromosomal disorders
- Fetal
Alcohol Syndrome – one of the top 3 birth defects, completely
preventable (caused by mothers drinking during pregnancy)
- Autism:
- Varied
range of abilities
- Disability
manifests in language and personal/social behavior
- Typically
appears within the first 3 years of life
- Severe
Disabilities:
- Require
extensive, ongoing support in more than one major life activity
(mobility, communication, self-care, learning, employment,
self-sufficiency)
- Multiple
disabilities: severe mental retardation in addition to one or more significant
motor or sensory impairments
- Dual
Sensory Impairments: deaf-blind, can vary from severe retardation to
giftedness
- Instructional Guidelines and
Accommodations
- Planning
Systems:
- Planning
Pyramid (pp. 189-193, p. 141)
- MAPS:
to facilitate participation in inclusive settings (p. 141)
·
Includes family, friends, special education teachers,
general education teachers, and specialists
- COACH:
focuses on individualization, family participation, and the active
involvement of related service providers (pp. 141-142)
- Person-centered
planning – assists in planning for transition into adult life
- Discrepancy
analysis: reviews each specific step or skill and determines how the
student can do them as compared to his/her nondisabled peers. (p. 142)
- Task
analysis: a further breakdown of each individual step or skill with
necessary adaptations (p. 143)
- Curriculum
Adaptations:
- Collaboration
with Special Education teacher (Questions for decision-making about
student participation, p. 144)
- Modified
grading (using IEP, modified learning goals, task analysis)
- Communication
boards (pp. 135-137)
- Encourage
reasons for, modes of, and ways to make choices about communication in
the classroom (Chart, p. 138)
- General
Classroom Support:
- Circle
of Friends exercise (p. 135)
- Peer
tutoring (pp. 144-146)
- Treat
students with developmental disabilities the same as you would other
students (give them a locker, desk, etc.)
- Provide
environmental accommodations: changes made to the physical
learning environment so that each student can participate successfully
(p. 147)
- Use
age-appropriate, respectful interaction
- Involve
the student in everyday routines (partial
participation, p. 144)
- Utilize
school-wide support systems for assistance with specific issues
- Encourage
student to student interaction in the classroom
- Cooperative
Learning
- Hands-on/experiential
instruction
- Functional
practice: builds bridge between school and real life (Examples, p.
148)
- Encourage
parental/family involvement
NOTES: