Chapter 10 Instructional Content © Taylor & Francis 2015

WHAT DO ALL STUDENTS NEED TO LEARN? A Nation at Risk resulted in increased attention to curriculum and accountability. Numerous groups and individuals have input into deciding educational goals. Much of the school reform movement aims to improve science, math, and literacy standards. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are the academic standards of choice in many states. © Taylor & Francis 2015

WHAT DO STUDENTS WITH CIDs NEED TO LEARN? Critical skills are the skills needed to participate in daily routines. Many critical skills need to be taught explicitly to students with CIDs. Functional curriculum includes a focus on practical skills needed for everyday living. Independent living skills include hygiene, toileting, dressing, home living, and personal mobility. Many independent living skills need to be specifically taught, but others need to be strengthened. Personal mobility includes teaching students to reach various destinations and to use various routes and public transportation when traveling. Communication skills are a frequent goal for students with CIDs. © Taylor & Francis 2015

WHAT DO STUDENTS WITH CIDs NEED TO LEARN? Speech problems include difficulty with articulation such as substitutions, omissions, distortions. Voice problems include difficulty in pitch or voice intensity. Language disorders include delayed language and underdeveloped vocabulary. Many students with severe CIDs have difficulty with basic communication functions. Nonsymbolic communication involves changes in voice, pitch, or body tone. Communication goals require decisions involving form versus function. Communication training is a common intervention for students with problem behavior. Many students with CIDs require instruction to improve their social interactions and relations. © Taylor & Francis 2015

WHAT DO STUDENTS WITH CIDs NEED TO LEARN? Social skills are specific behaviors that connect people to one another. Social perceptions involve understanding how people relate to one another. Social skills include initiations, responses to initiations, continued interactions, and terminations of social exchanges. Relationship-building skills involve problem solving, understanding the perspectives of others, and reading logistical barriers. © Taylor & Francis 2015

WHAT DO STUDENTS WITH CIDs NEED TO LEARN? Students with CIDs typically receive academic instruction. Academic instruction might include access to the general education curriculum and the CCSS, or a focus on functional academics linked to career development. Decisions about the amount of academic instruction in a student’s program generate a great deal of discussion among professionals and parents. Many students with CIDs require instruction in transition and community living skills. © Taylor & Francis 2015

WHAT DO STUDENTS WITH CIDs NEED TO LEARN? As states adopt the Common Core State Standards, two questions emerged involving placing such a heavy academic focus on students with CIDs: Can these students participate meaningfully in the Common Core? What will these students miss by participating in a primarily academic curriculum? © Taylor & Francis 2015

PRINCIPLES FOR DECIDING INSTRUCTIONAL CONTENT Students with CIDs require instruction that is planned and purposeful. Instructional planning requires that participants have a future, environmental focus. Criterion of Ultimate Functioning. If the student could not perform the proposed skill, would another person have to do it for the student, or could the task go undone? Quality-of-Life Criterion. This asks whether the skills taught to students would improve their life quality. Age Appropriateness Criterion. This requires matching the skills taught and materials used to a student’s chronological age. Student interest is important when selecting instructional outcomes. © Taylor & Francis 2015

WHERE DO TEACHERS GAIN INFORMATION ABOUT INSTRUCTIONAL CONTENT? Individualized Educational Program (IEP) is the formal mechanism for planning an instructional program. Individualized Family Services Program (IFSP) is the formal mechanism for planning programs for infants and toddlers. Instructional assessments yield important data when planning instructional programs. Person-centered planning is relevant in selecting instructional goals because significant people in a student’s life make statements about the student’s long-term dreams and hopes. © Taylor & Francis 2015