1. Accommodating All Children in the Early Childhood Classroom

2. The activities and materials used in most EC classrooms are designed to meet the needs of many children, with or without disabilities. When they do not meet the specific needs of a child, they can be adapted or expanded to accommodate that child’s individual needs.

3. The purpose of an adaptation is to assist children in compensating for intellectual, physical or behavioral challenges. They allow children to use their current skills while promoting the acquisition of new skills. Adaptations can make the difference between a child merely being present in the class and a child being actively involved.

4. Developing adaptation and accommodations for a child with special needs is a continuous process that involves each child’s collaborative team.

5. How do we do this? Assess the child’s abilities and the environment
Identify the goals and objectives
Identify the expectations for the child’s participation
Select / create the adaptations that will address the goals, objectives and expectations
Evaluate adaptation’s effectiveness

6. To meet a child’s specific needs, changes may need to be made in:
Instructional groupings / arrangements
Lesson format
Teaching strategies
Curricular goals & learning outcomes
Adaptations to the method for responding
Environmental Conditions
Modification(s) to instructional materials
Level of personal assistance
An alternative activity

7. Instructional groupings or arrangements
Large groups
Small groups
Cooperative learning groups
Peer partners
One-to-one instruction
Independent tasks

8. Lesson Format Whole class discussion Games Role-playing
Activity-based lessons
Experiential lessons
Demonstrations
Thematic lessons

9. Teaching Strategies Simplifying directions
Addition of visual information
Use of concrete materials / examples
Sequencing learning tasks from easy to hard
Repeated practice opportunities
Changes in schedule of reinforcement
Elaboration or shaping of responses
Verbal prompts
Direct physical assistance

10. Curricular goals and learning outcomes
Identifying the specific outcomes
Requiring different levels of activity for successful completion
Example:
Goal is sorting blocks to work on classification
Child with a disability might focus on reaching, grasping, and releasing skills

11. Adaptations to the method of responding
Augmentative communication system
Eye gaze
Demonstrations

12. Environmental Changes
Lighting
Noise level
Visual input
Auditory input
Physical arrangement of the room
Physical arrangement of equipment
Accessibility of materials

13. Modification of instructional materials
Physical adaptation to facilitate participation
Increase stability
Improve ease of handling
Accessibility
Visual clarity or distinctiveness
Size

14. Level of Personal Assistance
Periodic spot checks
Close continuous supervision
Peer assistance
Adult assistance
Can vary from day to day
Can vary from assistant to assistant

15. An alternative activity
This curricular adaptation should be used as a last choice when the previous conditions cannot be used to meet a child’s needs.
Maybe you don’t need to adapt the activity… maybe you need to CHANGE the activity