Assistive Technology

Assistive technologies are tools and strategies that act to liberate the use of technology for all students as well as to provide new ways to assist interactions and learning. I have had a little experience with assistive technology in the classrooom. One of the major AT tools/strategies I have implemented is the use of enlarging texts and using visuals, picture cards, and labels on equipment in the classroom. Also I read aloud often to all the students in the classroom and for those who need more one on one assistance, I use visual communications. For example, my daily schedule uses pictures so that the students can understand the classroom routine. In my future as a professional, I see AT growing more and more. Being defined as anything that makes it easier for a student to turn things on, get dressed, read, write,see, get around, move, communicate or play. I see myself utilizing the computer microphone to write and creating interactive books for my students.

Task Analysis

I am choosing to teach my student about the importance of hand washing. Preschoolers should be encouraged to stay healthy everyday. My student has difficulty remembering to wash his hands after activities throughout the day. Washing hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds can help reduce germs and diseases from spreading among children and adults in the classroom. This is a day to day activity that children can do at school or at home. During circle time, I will discuss the importance of hand washing.
Discuss that washing and bathing prevents us from getting sick. Ask children when they need to wash our hands.
• before eating or touching food in any way (like if you're helping cook or bake)
• after using the bathroom
• after blowing your nose or coughing or putting your hands in your mouth
• after touching any pets or animals
• after playing outside
• after visiting a sick relative or friend
Then I will demonstrate to my focus child how to properly wash his hands by breaking down the task, step by step being sure to use pictures for each step. Using visuals will assist him with learning the process. Also I will use a fingerplay and a song to help him to remember each step.

Communication Strategies

There are several forms of communication. As educators we are required to communicate with our students and with parents. One way I will use communication strategies in the classroom is by providing my students with various choices with activities throughout the day.  Children love to have toys, puzzles, games, etc that they can relate to and are interested in. By providing students with a variety of activities, you are helping them to develop thinking and rational skills. Decision making is a skill that children need to learn early in life. It is a skill that they will utilize for their entire life. The ability to process information and make decisions is a necessary skill for preschoolers as well as adults. Another form of communication I will provide for my students is access of materials. The powerpoint presentation discussed denying the child access to materials by putting them out of reach or in the control of someone else. This will require the child to initiate a conversation with the other child or the teacher. I like the idea of having the child initiate the conversation even if it means providing the child with the words needed to properly communicate their thoughts. During free play, I will comment on what my students are doing in centers. For example, if I see a child is stacking blocks. I will describe what I see, "Wow, I see you have three blocks stacked on top of each other." Then I would wait for a response from the child. At times I would enter the center and build with the child, this is another way to initiate communication. The dramatic play center is one of the greatest centers in the classroom where communication/conversations take place. Students take on pretend roles and it's easy to join in, not to mention fun.

Motor and Self Help Skills

How do we get good at something? We practice, practice and practice some more. If we want a child to do well at writing, run well or simply develop gross/fine motor skills; we must allow them to practice daily. Teachers should develop activities that help their students develop motor and self help skills. For instance, my focus child, J.J. needs assistance with developing his self help skills in Toileting. I can implement activiites that allow him to practice pouring, filling, and dumping toys and water in the sensory table. Also he can participate in a game of naming body parts. He can use the Mr. Potatoe Head to identify the parts of the body and/or sing and dance to the song Head Shoulder, Knees and Toes.
Plenty of physical activitiy is important to a child's gross motor development. J.J. will be allowed to run, jump, hop and skip daily. He will be encouraged to climb up and down the slides on the playground and utilize the balance beams. We will play a game of kick ball and soccer.
There are various activities teachers can implement in the classroom to assist students with developing motor and self help skills. For example, teachers can have a center set up for students to play with play dough or cut straps of paper. These simple activities help to build fine motor skills. J.J. will be encouraged to play in the dramatic play center and dress the puppets and dolls. He will get practice with buttoning and unbottoning shirts. This is a self help skill that he needs assistance with.  There are various ways teachers can implement activities to assist students with motor and self help skills.

Social Story

 The behavior that will be the focus of my social story is aggression and transitions. J.J. has difficulty with a change in the classroom routines and teacher redirection.  He displays aggression when he is upset or when he is redirected to do an activity he doesn't want to do.The story will show J.J. different ways to handle changes in  his daily routine. The story will also focus on ways he can approach his peers and adults and various ways to express his needs and wants without aggression.

Embedding Goals and Objectives into activities

 IEP's are developed to meet the child's need and to enable the child to be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum. Activities should target specific objectives from the IEP to addresss during the lesson/unit. Teachers should write precise and delineated goals for what he/she want the student to be able to accomplish after each activity/lesson is completed. Also making note of what specific level (% accuracy) the student will perform a given task in order for the activity/lesson to be considered satisfactorially accomplished. Finally, the student's progress should be recorded into some form of data collection record.

Importance of Intervention Plans and collection of progress

An intervention plan is a specific activity or set of related activities intended to bring about reduction in a particular target. The intervention has a distinct process and outcomes objectives as well as a protocol outlining the steps for implementation. Interventions are important because they serve as a reference point for the specific goal. It provides explicit criteria for the student and is agreed upon by the teacher, IEP team and family members. Interventions offer a systematic means of providing feedback for improvement.
The collection of progress can be done in numerous ways. Some teachers use simple anecdotal/observation notes. Others may choose to implement a progress monitoring form. This form is a valuable tool when monitoring the students' progress on a specified goal or objective. The teacher is able to monitor the students daily progress by inputing the information into the form. Daily data analysis can help a teacher decide what needs to be focused on during a given day. Weekly or monthly data analysis allows educators to step back and see whether the educational strategies they are implementing allow the student to make adequate progress towards his or her IEP goals. If the student is not making adequate progress, the data can be used to provide a guidance about how a particular intervention(teaching strategy/learning activity) may be changed.