9/23/2015Einat Saraf - The israeli Assessment Team 1 To teach me is to understand me Einat Saraf- Educational Counselor, The Israeli Assessment Team

9/23/2015Einat Saraf - The israeli Assessment Team 2 LEARNING Learning is a basic and essential need for every human being. To learn is to build day to day meaning, to develop an approach for understanding the world with the possibility of active participation. Learning provides a sense of success. Learning develops a sense of capability.

9/23/2015Einat Saraf - The israeli Assessment Team 3 Learning For girls with Rett Syndrome For girls with RS, learning and communication are sources of strength; they are perhaps their most important life skills. Due to the complexity of the syndrome, girls with RS require methods of learning and teaching which are suited to their needs. Girls with RS require an adjusted learning environment and belief in their abilities on the part of their teachers.

9/23/2015Einat Saraf - The israeli Assessment Team 4 Without accessible learning we will see:  Inconsistent look  Quick view that we cannot identify  Distraction  No appropriate behavior – avoidances. i.e. closing eyes, falling a sleep  Inconsistent learning- i.e. not being able to recognize something which they knew before

9/23/2015Einat Saraf - The israeli Assessment Team 5 Rett syndrome and understanding According to research girls with RS succeed in acquiring knowledge, in learning and understanding day to day routines; and in developing the ability to classify Such as in the development of matching skills, finding the same and the different, and recognizing written logos (pictures, symbols, and word). From this we understand that they have short and long term memory and the ability to learn.

9/23/2015Einat Saraf - The israeli Assessment Team 6 Why is it so hard to teach girls with RS? The physical aspect:  The difficulty in speech and hand function prevents the girl from express herself.  The Apraxia element of the syndrome which causes a looooong time reaction.  When time passes and the girl does not respond we think that the girl either didn ’ t understand or didn ’ t know the answer;  The complexity of the medical aspect of the syndrome- epilepsy, constipation, etc. - can all interfere with the learning process.

9/23/2015Einat Saraf - The israeli Assessment Team 7 The social-cognitive aspect  They have less opportunities to learn  Not provided with age appropriate curriculum  Have less time for study per day – research shows that girls with Rett syndrome have only 40 minutes for academic learning in a 6 hour day  Having less opportunities to interact with peers and thus less opportunities to develop their language and their general knowledge base  experience less expectations from teachers, therapists and family for cognitive learning  do not have sufficient access to learning and communication equipment.

9/23/2015Einat Saraf - The israeli Assessment Team 8 How to teach a child with RS: Look at children with normal development and ask not why but how

9/23/2015Einat Saraf - The israeli Assessment Team 9 Principles for teaching girls with RS: … "if a student doesn't succeed we must check our teaching methods and not blame the disability. Don ’ t wait until your student will be ready- the basic assumption is that the student is ready and you must find the way to include him in an active way in the learning process" ( Koppenhaver )

9/23/2015Einat Saraf - The israeli Assessment Team 10 The most important principles are:  TEACH DONT TEST  DON ’ T GINE UP ON THEM - BE PATIANT

9/23/2015Einat Saraf - The israeli Assessment Team 11 Principles for teaching girls with RS: 1. A basic belief should be that they understand that if she can't show her knowledge it doesn't mean that she doesn't understand. 2. Separate between understanding and functional level and targets. 3. Ensure the accessibility of the educational and communicational environment

9/23/2015Einat Saraf - The israeli Assessment Team teach strategies for choice and make sure that the choice is real, relevant and happens throughout the day. 5. give them the time they need. 6. girls with RS develop strategies for organizing themselves – i.e. Closing their eyes to listen when they concentrate

9/23/2015Einat Saraf - The israeli Assessment Team Find motivational factors 8. provide options for learning from their daily lives and from subjects which are taught in the age appropriate educational frame. 9. Provide peer learning for enjoyment and play – the more communication they will initiate, at a higher level, with richer vocabulary and at a higher cognitive level.

9/23/2015Einat Saraf - The israeli Assessment Team Due to the complexity of the syndrome, it is easy for them to be passive. It is our duty to challenge them.

9/23/2015Einat Saraf - The israeli Assessment Team 15 Relevant learning areas for girls with RS: Use of communication aids for expression and choice-making Expansion of world knowledge and vocabulary Exposure to written language in their daily environment and through book reading Learning language characteristics – letter recognition, rhyming, similar words, etc. Teaching age-appropriate academic subjects

9/23/2015Einat Saraf - The israeli Assessment Team 16 Dr. Seuss says: “ If you go out you find a wonderful places ”…. It is our duty to open the door for them, and not their duty to guess what we expect them to do