Adapting Activities and Materials - Early CHOICES

1 Adapting Activities & Materials for Young Children with DisabilitiesProvided by Early Intervention Technical Assistance, ideas in this handout are provided as exam-ples of only some of the potential adaptationsthat can be made to common Materials andactivities to insure that young children with dis-abilities can be included. The handout is organ-ized by the learning centers or Activities that aretypical in Early childhood programs. Not all theideas listed in each learning center area are nec-essary or even helpful for all children with dis-abilities. It is important for you, the teacher ofyoung children, to choose the adaptation thatmeets that need of the child, not the disabilitylabel. A variety of adaptations are provided sothat you can have several ideas always ready totry when an adaptation is needed. The list ofideas is not meant to be exhaustive, so spacehas been provided for you to add your ownfavorite adaptation!Key Ideasknowledge about their child.

2 They may havealready found the adaptation answer! INDIVIDUALIZATION:Not all children withsame disability label need the same who have the same label are usuallymore different than they are alike. Therefore, it isimportant to think of adaptations for a particularchild, not a disability. Have a number of differentideas available so that you always have a APPROPRIATEPRACTICE:One key characteristic of a qualityearly childhood program is a curriculum that isbased on developmentally appropriate appropriate curriculumfocuses on the learning characteristics of childrenat different developmental levels but individual-izes for the unique interests, strengths and per-sonalities of the child. When young childrenwith disabilities are included in programs thatuse a developmentally appropriate approach, thetypes of individualizations that are already usedfor young children without disabilities must justbe extended to meet the needs of all children.

3 PARTIAL PARTICIPATION:Partial partici-pation refers to involving a child in an activityeven if he can not perform all the steps of theactivity. A child is partially participating in dressing if she pulls the shirt on over her head,but needs help to put on the sleeves. Some chil-dren with disabilities may not be able to do allthe steps of an activity that their typically devel-oping peers can do. However, the child with dis-abilities should still be involved in as much ofthe activity as possible. Identify what parts ofthat activity the child can do, and then developadaptations or teaching strategies for the otherparts of the be successful in Adapting Activities and materi-als for young children with disabilities, the fol-lowing Key Ideas must be considered. PLANNING FOR INCLUSION:Inclusion is aterm that refers to involving young children withdisabilities and their families in all Activities thatare typical for children of that age. Inclusion is avalue that says that all children belong, regard-less of their abilities, gender, race, or ethnic back-ground.

4 When including young children intypical Early childhood settings, some planningwill be needed to make sure it is successful foreveryone. While you may not be able to predictevery adaptation needed, work as a team withthe family to plan for as many of the necessaryadaptations as possible. Develop your plan byreviewing a typical day and identifying anypotential times when adaptations might make anactivity more successful. Review your adaptationplan after you have had an opportunity toobserve the child in that activity. ONLY AS SPECIAL AS NEEDED:One of the keys to Adapting Activities for young childrenwith disabilities is to make the Materials or acti-vity only as special as needed. Materials foryoung children with disabilities don t have tocome from special catalogs or cost a lot ofmoney. Often regular age-appropriate toys can be used with little or no adaptations. Use yourown expertise and common sense! YOU RE NOT IN IT ALONE: Adapting materi-als involves a lot of creative thinking and is ofteneasier when a team of people brainstorm ideastogether.

5 More people with more expertise pro-vides more ideas! Talk to other teachers, thera-pists, or specialists working with the child andfind out what ideas they have. The best resourcefor adaptation ideas is the child s family. Thefamily can provide years of experience andGeneral Good Teaching Ideas Make the best use of natural opportunities forlearning. For example, one opportunity toteach colors may occur at snack time whenyou match the red plate with the red how to incorporate individual goal andobjectives into ongoing Activities . Labeling objects and areas in the room canprovide a good start for Early literacy skills. Inaddition to written words, think about usingpictures or even textures as adaptations forchildren with special needs. Provide breaks from the noise and activity ofthe group as needed for individual to a quiet area can often allow a childto regroup if the stimulation of the group istoo intense. Allow for many opportunities for repetitionand practice.

6 All children use repetition andpractice to learn about the world. Provide opportunities for cooperative learningactivities across all areas. Provide opportuni-ties for shared Materials , games to play with afriend, following list provides ideas that are goodstrategies for using with all kids. The list is notmeant to be exhaustive. Add teaching strategiesand ideas that have been successful for you. Try to allow the children CHOICES as much aspossible. This will help them develop a senseof control over their world and good commu-nication skills. However, do not give a choicethat is not really an option. Especially foryoung children who are just developing com-munication skills, you must be prepared tocomply with all CHOICES you give! For exam-ple, coming in or not coming in from outdoorplay may not be a choice provided to thechild. However, the child may choose whattoy to play with once he is inside. Accept alternative ways to communicatedesires and CHOICES .

7 As adults, we all use avariety of gestures, noises, and facial expres-sions, along with words to children to use a variety of communica-tion strategies. Create needs for communication throughoutthe day. The Materials that are available for each activ-ity should meet the needs of children with arange of developmental levels. There is arange of development in all children at thesame chronological age. Make sure you planfor the range of developmental needs in Adaptations Enhance the verbal cues used to tell childrenwhere to go next. Use gestures, pictures, orobjects for children who need more than justspeech. Use natural cues if possible, ( Its bythe gerbils listen for noise! ) Small baskets on walkers or wheel chairs or abackpacks or fanny packs can help childrenget Materials from one activity to another Children who need help with walking or bal-ance can move to a new area by using pushtoy or riding toy. To help children assist with clean-up mark theshelf areas where Materials are kept.

8 Childrenwith difficulty seeing may need to have thecorrect area outlined in with dark line mark-ings, outlined with high contrast Materials (bright yellow on a dark shelf), or markedwith different textures. Other Adaptations I Like:TRANSITION TIMES: Make sure that there are clear paths betweenactivity areas for children who may have diffi-culty moving from one place to another. Tape down edges of rugs so that little feet,wheelchairs or crutches don t get caught onthe edges. To make transition time easier for childrenwho need to be in adapted chairs, place thechair on platform with wheels or in sure that the chair is safely attached tothe platform or wagon before moving it. Have tactile path between areas for childrenwho have difficulty seeing their way from onearea to another. The tactile path may be abookcase or wall that is trailed, or a differentfloor covering that is used to indicate the bor-ders of an area. Allow children who move slowly the opportu-nity to leave an area first in order to minimizemoving time and obstacles.

9 Use a cue or cues to indicate the time to tran-sition to another area. The cues used shouldbe adapted to the needs of the individual chil-dren. Don t be afraid to use combinations ofcues. Playing a bell, musical instrument, orsinging a clean-up song might be helpful forchildren who need an auditory cue. Turningthe lights on and off or developing a picturecue for transition time might be a cue forchild who needs a visual cue. Make sure that all areas (table & chairs, coun-ters, shelves, etc) can be reached by a child ina wheelchair or by a child who mayhave difficulty reaching long dis-tances. Include dolls with disabilities as partof the family of dolls available. Include equipment related to disabili-ties in the dress-up area. Some equip-ment might include glasses, canes,braces, hearing aides, or equipment can be pretend or madefrom old or outgrown equipment. Make sure equipment is safe. Other Adaptations I Like:TABLE TOYS Most electric or battery operated toys can bemodified to be activated by a switch.

10 Find ormake simple switches that allow for a varietyof ways to access these types of toys. Make sure that toys won t move across table ifthe child can not stabilize it. Use velcro, dou-ble-backed tape, a C-clamp to hold the toy tothe table. Place the toy in a shallow tray on the table tohelp keep all the pieces together and definethat play area. Investigate that toys already at the toy store! BLOCKS Make sure there is a way for the child to be onthe same level as the other children. If a childneeds assistance in sitting on the floor to playwith blocks, have adapted equipment avail-able. Cut the legs off of a chair with arms anda high back. Use a bean bag chair that can bemolded to the child s needs. Have all childrenbuild with blocks on a table if no floor seatingis available. Mark off the block area with bright tape or atexture to mark boundaries of the block adaptation may be helpful for childrenwho have difficulty seeing or staying in theboundaries without enhanced cues.