Providing Intentional Instruction to Children with Autism in Inclusive Settings

Ilene Schwartz

University of Washington

Ilene@uw.edu

Autism is a collection of overlapping groups of

symptoms that vary from child to child

Siegel, 1996, p.301

There is no one right way to educate children with autism

Three important questions

• What are you going to teach?

• How are you going to teach those skills and behaviors?

• How will you know that your teaching has been effective?

Educating Children with Autism

• National Research Council, 2001

• Report was developed at OSEP’s request

Characteristics of Effective Programs

• Entry into program as soon as ASD is seriously considered

• Active programming 25 hours a week, year round

• Small group and 1:1 programming• Family component• Low student/teacher ratios (no more than 2

children with ASD per adult in classroom• Program evaluation and assessment

Content of Programs should include

• Social skills

• Expressive, receptive, and non verbal communication skills

• Functional communication system

• Engagement and flexibility in developmentally appropriate activities

• Fine and gross motor skills

Content (continued)

• Cognitive skills, including play

• Replacement of problem behaviors with socially acceptable alternatives

• Independent organizational skills and other behaviors that support participation in general education settings

Components of an Effective Program

(Dawson & Osterling, 1997)

• Appropriate curriculum including attending, imitation, communication, play, and social interaction.

• Highly supportive teaching environment and generalization strategies.

• Predictability and routine.• Functional approach to challenging behavior.• Transition support• Family involvement

Project DATA (Developmentally Appropriate Treatment

for Autism)Technical and Social Support

for Families

Integrated Early

Childhood Experience

Collaboration and

Coordination

Extended, Intensive

Instruction

Quality of Life InfluencedCurriculum

Quality Early Childhood Program

Curriculum modifications & adaptations

Embedded Learning Opportunities

Child-focused Instructional Strategies

Building Blocds

Curriculum Modifications

High Quality EC ProgramHigh Quality EC Program

Embedded Embedded LearningLearning

OpportunitiesOpportunities

CFISCFISFew children

Some Children

All Children

Structural Base to Effective Programs

• Functional objectives and meaningful activities

• Frequent reinforcement and effective motivational systems

• Functional communication systems

• Behavior intervention system

The Building Blocks model provides a set of educational practices

designed to help teachers do a more effective job of including and

teaching young children with disabilities and other special

needs in early childhood classrooms and settings.

Why Building Blocks?

• To understand how teachers and teams create early childhood classrooms that enable all children to participate, interact and learn important and valued outcomes.

• To understand what practices work in everyday classrooms.

What is the instructional sequence

• A-B-C

• S-R-S

• Instruction-Response-Consequence

A Discrete Trial

• Instruction – Prompt (if necessary)

• Child’s Response• Consequences

• Inter-trial Interval

A Discrete Trial

Instruction or Discrimitive Stimulus (SD)

Child’s Response

Consequence

Prompt if

necessary

Inter-trial Interval

Antecedent

Behavior

Consequence

Teaching Loop

• Alerting

• Instruction

• Child Response

• Feedback

• What does inclusion mean?

• What does it mean for a young child to be successful in an early childhood classroom?

• What does inclusion mean?– Individuals define

inclusion differently.– Inclusion is about

belonging and participating in a diverse society.

• What does it mean for a young child to be successful in an early childhood classroom?– Sense of belonging– Genuine child

learning– Opportunities to build

friendships

Using the Building Blocks model can help all children

participate, learn, and thrive in their preschool classrooms.

Based on the work of the Early Childhood Research Institute

on Inclusion.

The foundation

Quality Early Childhood Program

• Safe• Engaging• Responsive• Culturally and

linguistically relevant

Use an Activity Matrix to: Plan for specialized instruction Assess individual needs in classroom setting Plan when data collection will occur Plan activities and materials necessary for incidental

teaching or embedded instruction (wheels on the bus) (what is it big circle)

Activity Matrix -- Individual

Comm. Social Motor Adapt.

Circle

Snack

Free

Choice

Activity Matrix -- Class

Caleb Sophie Mile Adam

Circle

Snack

Free

Choice

Matrix of Support

Time/Activity

SupportNeeded

Behavior and Comments

Reading Indep. 1 2 3

Math Needs written dir.

1 2 3

Journal Out of class SLP

1 2 3

Recess Library 1 2 3

Staffing MatrixTime/Activity

Objective Who?

Reading comprehension

Classroom teacher

Math Addition Walk to math

Journal Ind. work motivaider

Recess Social int. Para prof

Quality Early Childhood Program

Curriculum Modifications & Adaptations

Teachers and other members of the team make modifications to activities, routines, and learning areas in order to include children with special needs and to enhance their participation.

Importance of Participation or Engagement

• Quality of early care settings is associated with child outcomes

• Higher quality settings are associated with better outcomes

• Higher quality child care programs produce higher levels of child engagement (Raspa, McWilliam, & Ridley, 2001)

• Engagement mediates the relationship between quality and other reported child outcomes

Curriculum Modifications & Adaptations

• Environmental Arrangement• Materials Modification• Simplify the Activity• Special Equipment• Peer Support• Adult Support• Child Preferences• Invisible Support

Environmental

Arrangement

Materials modification

Simplify the activity

Special equipment

Peer support

Adult support

Child

Preference

Invisible support

Quality Early Childhood Program

Curriculum modifications & adaptations

Embedded Learning Opportunities

Embedded Learning Opportunities

• Teachers create short teaching episodes within ongoing classroom activities and routines.

• Teaching episodes focus on a child’s individual learning objective.

Strengthening Teachers

• Specialized instruction is an important component of inclusion (ECRII, 1998)– Participation in a community-based or general

education is not enough. The individual needs of children with disabilities must be addressed.

– Specialized instruction can be delivered through a variety of effective strategies, many of which can be embedded in the ongoing classroom activities.

• Adequate support is necessary to make inclusive environments work (ECRII, 1998).– Support includes training, personnel,

materials, planning time, and ongoing consultation or coaching.

– Support can be delivered in different ways and each person involved in inclusion may have unique needs.

• Teacher and team must be able to deliver special instruction for children who need it.

• The consulting teacher must be able to provide help to the classroom team.

• Teachers and consulting teachers need methods that are effective, acceptable, and feasible.

•Minimal changes to classroom activities

•Motivation to participate and learn should be enhanced

•Skills are used in natural contexts

•Skills are used with a variety of people and materials

Advantages of ELO

Research Findings

• Embedded instruction is effective for teaching a variety of valued skills to young children (e.g., Horn et al., 2000).

• A variety of instructional strategies have been embedded effectively (e.g., McBride & Schwartz, 2003).

• Embedded instruction seems to enhance generalization (e.g., Wolery et al., 2002).

Research Findings cont’d

• Teachers assess embedded instruction favorably (e.g., Horn et al., 2000).

• Teachers differ in the extent to which they can apply embedded instruction within their activities and classrooms (e.g., Filla et al., 1999).

• Preservice teachers can learn and use embedded instruction in their field experience placements (e.g., Sandall & Davis, 2004)

ELO Basic Steps

• Clarify learning objective and determine criterion

• Gather baseline• Use activity matrix to determine when and

where instruction can take place• Design instructional interaction• Implement instruction• Keep track of the amount of instruction• Probe child progress

Quality Early Childhood Program

Curriculum modifications & adaptations

Embedded Learning Opportunities

Child-focused Instructional Strategies

Child Focused Instructional Strategies

• Unique learning objective

• Requires more systematic or more intensive instruction

Instruction is not the same as opportunity

Instruction is:

• Planned

• Tied to an outcome

• Provides feedback on performance

• Is evaluated for its effectiveness

• Responses are obligatory

CFIS Basic Steps

• Clarify learning objective and determine criterion• Gather baseline• Use activity matrix to determine when and where

instruction can take place• Design instructional interaction• Implement instruction• Keep track of the amount of instruction• Probe child progress

• Use good instructions, good prompts, and good reinforcement strategies

Let’s plan activities for the following

• Communication• Early Literacy• Fine Motor• Social Interaction• Work with at least one other person and

identify two activities in which you can embed instruction on these goal

Data Collection• Monitoring the effects of instruction requires some

form of systematic documentation.

• Collecting data helps interventionists

– accurately gauge about children’s progress

– decide how to change programs

• Data should be collected regularly on all of the high-priority objectives of each child.

Why collect data? To understand

To communicate

To demonstrate

To improve our practice

To stay in compliance

Selecting/Creating a data sheet

What questions are you asking? Will these data answer those questions? Do these data address the IFSP/IEP objective? Will this format fit into classroom activities? Does this make sense to team members? How will you summarize the data? How will you analyze/use the data?

Evaluating Data• Is the child making progress?• Summarize data in meaningful way

– Graphing

• Determine what the data are telling you • Make instructional decision based on

information

Using Data to Make Decisions

• Use data patterns to inform your decisions about what to change

• Program is working• Task is too difficult• Student can perform some but not all tasks• There appears to be a compliance problem• The student is ready for fluency training

• The child has mastered the program

Data Sheet Resources

• Polyxo.com

• Circleofinclusion.org

Questions?