Teaching Students with Lower-Incidence Disabilities Chapter 4 Professor Abbott

Lower-Incidence Disabilities Less common in schools Cover wide range of disabilities Can be present at birth (congenital) Can be acquired (adventitious) Some have severe disability, others mild Some are temporary, others permanent, or life-threatening

Monitor medical guidelines Classroom Adaptations for Students with Physical Disabilities and Other Health Impairments Prepare the class Monitor medical guidelines Plan for fatigue Establish emergency procedures Plan for seizures Moving and positioning students Adapt for chronic medical conditions Dealing with terminal illness How do you learn to deal with these situations? How do you help other students deal with these issues?

Additional Classroom Adaptations Adapt the physical environment Adapt instructional materials Assistive technology Adapt instruction Instructional support Time Peer assistance Adapt evaluation How will these accommodations differ from those made for students with higher-incident disabilities?

Communication Strategies for Students with Autism Establish effective communication Augmentative or Alternative Communication is important PECS- Picture exchange communication system teaches students to use pictures and symbols to communicate Sign language Writing with Symbols or BoardMaker

Strategies for Students with Autism Direct Instruction Small group or one-to-one structured, teacher directed lessons, with direct questioning and response Applied Behavior Analysis Use of reinforcement for appropriate behaviors and careful documentation of behaviors Develop Social Competence Social stories Simple sentences and pictures to demonstrate the desired social behavior

Strategies for Students with Visual Impairments Adapt the physical environment Enlarge and enhance printed materials Use assistive technology Increase visibility of materials Convert print to Braille formats Use oral output devices Use Descriptive Video Service Use tactile and three-dimensional models Be explicit giving oral presentations How has the use of assistive technology changed the way we teach students who have visual impairments?

Strategies for Students with Visual Impairments (continued) Adapt the physical environment Use technology including FM systems Use visuals Use language cards Reiterate major points Use hand signals or devise a signaling system Alert students as to when to look or listen Use a “listen, then look, then listen” sequence of instruction Repeat information Plan for interpreters Adapt evaluation

Questions