Simple Literacy Tools and Supports: Children with Complex Support Needs

Thoughtful Support Strategies:

Assistance or Influence?

October 22, 2012Afternoon Session

Thoughtful Supports includes:- Presuming Competence and - Fostering Independence

• Meet Carly• www.carly’svoice.com

Presuming Competence• Can you think of moments when a

student’s accomplishment surprised you?

Share with a neighbor.

• Describe what “competence” means for one of your students.

Student Independence

What does it mean for your students?

• Build self-esteem• Enhance motivation• Develop sense of purpose • Foster social acceptance• Adults available to more students

Cues and Prompts,Shaping and Fading,

To Build Competence and Enhance Student Independence

Thoughtful Support leads to Student Independence

• What is student independence?• What does it look like in my

setting?• What is my role in building

student independence?

Prompting and the Prompt Hierarchy

• What is a prompt? What is a cue?

• When would you use prompts?

• Are there consequences to prompting?

Prompt Hierarchy

• Natural verbal prompts (The adult says "What do you want?")

• Verbal prompt ("You want the ball. Push ball on your device.")

• Modeling (The adult makes the sign for ball, the child imitates)

• Gestural (Point to the symbol, the student selects, signs, etc.)

• Physical assistance (Gently nudge the hand toward the symbol, item – do not consider this if the child dislikes being touched.)

• Physical guidance (Physically assist the child to make the sign or select the symbol. Physical guidance is an error-free approach because the child always produces the target skill, although not independently, guaranteeing the child’s success. *Do Not use with children who dislike being touched.) http://k-12.pisd.edu/currinst/sped/at/Prompts.htm

Strategies to build independence

• The Natural Cue

-- It’s raining outside

• The Imposed Cue

-- What is it doing outside?

-- Point to “raining”

Using Natural Cues:It’s Raining Outside!

Independent Action:

Put’s on hood

Natural Reinforcer:

Stays Dry!

Demonstrates behavior independently

Connects the natural cue, behavior, and intrinsic reinforcer

Prompt Hierarchy:

-Draw attention to the natural cues/prompts…

-Ask a question about necessary action…

-Give an option…

-Tell the student what action to take…

-Physically guide the student through the process...

1998 LRConsulting

OR

Using Natural Cues:When A Peer is Present -

Independent Action:

Student says Hi

Natural Reinforcer:

Peer Responds!!!

Demonstrates behavior independently

Connects the natural cue, behavior, and intrinsic reinforcer

Prompt Hierarchy:

-Draw attention to the natural cues/prompts…

-Ask a question about necessary action…

-Give an option…

-Tell the student what action to take…

-Physically guide the student through the process...

1998 LRConsulting

OR

Strategies to build independence

Fading

• A gradual reduction of cues/prompts and extrinsic (outside) reinforcers as the student demonstrates desired behavior or task

Fading activity

• Think of a student who receives adult support.

• Define the level of prompting from the prompt hierarchy.

• Develop a plan to reduce the level of prompt required to complete the task.

Strategies to build independence

Shaping

• To teach a behavior or task by providing cues, models, and consequences for steps demonstrated gradually until the final behavior or task is learnedExample:

Wider-lined paper Narrower-lined paper

Task:Read a sentence

Reads one word

Reinforcement delivered for reading one word

Subsequent reinforcement is delivered for reading 2 words

Connects the action or behavior with reinforcer

Shaping

Break the task into smaller steps

Model steps

Reinforce student for completion of initial, final, or adapted step

Gradually add steps, complexity

Strategies to build independence

Wait Time

• The amount of time given to the student to respond to a question or complete a task

Example:Question (wait 5-10 seconds)No response? Rephrase the question.

Wait Time Activity

• Work in pairs• Ask one another to describe

picture cards • One person simulates students

with slow processing by hesitating before responding

• One person simulates instructor. Practice waiting 5 to 10 seconds.

• What does it feel like?

Meet Lance!• How did the team use cueing and

fading to move Lance to increased independence?

Works for Me!

• Think of a student with whom you work who relies on prompts

• Consider which strategy/strategies you will use to move closer to independence

Case Scenario

Part 2Thoughtful Support Includes…

The Role of Senses/Sensation

• How is the sensation of touch affected by:– delay in development– sensory overload– cultural guidelines– INPUT OVERLOAD

Unwritten messages• How do YOU interpret different kinds of

touch:– High five– Shoulder tap– Firm grip– Physical guidance– Physical assistance– Rapid onset– Slow onset– Announced – Unannounced

Goldilocks and the 3 touches

• Sometimes touch is too light.• Sometimes touch is too …• Sometimes touch is too …• Sometimes touch is too …• And sometimes touch is just right!

Body movement meanings…

• What is meant by:– Leaning in– Folding arms– Standing up– Moving away

Looking for the Light!

• How do you know what’s going on inside a student’s head? Are they understanding?

• Look for signs of JOINT ATTENTION

• Discuss some of your students and how you know that they know…

Thoughtful Support Includes…

• Some students benefit from “Opening Remarks”– Here is my hand– I am going to place my hand under yours– Or maybe just, “Hi Jennifer”, is enough to

signal that you are going to approach her space.

• Some students benefit from “Closing Remarks”– We are finished– Thanks for working so hard

Tools to Share

• Hey, I’m talking here! • Pathways to Learning, CAST

– Pathways to Reading– Pathways to Writing– Pathways to Presenting

References

• Lifelines, LRConsulting, Katy, TX. Further information is available at www.lrconsulting.com.

• Fostering Student Independence: How to Develop a Needs Assessment and Fade Plan presented at the Council for Exceptional Children, April 7, 2005 by Janet Hull, Anne Arundel County Public Schools.

• Dickson, S. V., chard, D. J., & Simmons, D. C. (1993). An integrated reading/writing curriculum: A focus on scaffolding. LD Forum, 18(4), 12-16.

• Beed, P., Hawkins, E., & Roller, C., (1991). Moving learners toward independence: The power of scaffolded instruction. The Reading Teacher (44) 9, p. 648-655.