Curricular Modifications for Children With
Curricular Modifications for Children With Developmental Disabilities in the Inclusive Classroom
by Anna Carina Garcia-Manlulo, M.A. Psychology and Michele LaMarche, BCBA
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Definitions.......................................................................................................... 3 Developing Curricular Modifications............................................................. 4 Examples of Curricular Modifications........................................................... 5 Special Accommodations/Interventions........................................................ 6 Assessment and Accommodation of Children With Disabilities and Special Education Needs.................................................................................. 7 References........................................................................................................... 12
Curricular Modifications for Children With Developmental Disabilities in the Inclusive Classroom
Executive Summary Children with disabilities or special education needs often struggle in an inclusive classroom alongside more able peers. To accommodate their special needs, teachers need to modify activities. This paper gives teachers ideas on how to extend assistance to students with special needs in their classes so that they, together with other students, can feel a sense of achievement in the performance of their tasks.
Curricular Modifications for Children With Developmental Disabilities in the Inclusive Classroom
Being a teacher in an inclusive classroom can easily challenge your skills, patience and attentiveness. Imagine being in a class of children with a wide span of differences in learning abilities! In a general education system in which most children are typically developing and have comparable abilities, it is difficult enough to balance teaching concepts and skills in all areas of development and meet individual needs. How much more demanding is an inclusive classroom in which children with developmental difficulties are included? How can teachers deal with such Herculean challenges and still be effective in cultivating the children’s potential and help them to develop optimally? Before elaborating on how teachers can modify their lessons to accommodate the needs of each and every learner in their inclusive classrooms, it is helpful to review certain relevant definitions:
Definitions Accommodations: An accommodation is a modification to the delivery of instruction or a method of student performance that does not significantly change the content or the conceptual difficulty of the curriculum (Bradley, King-Sears, & Tessier-Switlick, 1997, p. 239). General Education Curriculum: Curriculum used with nondisabled students. General Education/ Regular Education Teachers: Professional teachers who have completed the education necessary to teach regular students without disabilities. Goals and Objectives: Goals are the desired results the IEP committee would like the child to achieve during the year (annual goals). Objectives are shorter-term benchmarks, designed to measure progress along the way to reaching the goal (The National Fragile X Foundation). Inclusion: The provision of educational services to disabled children alongside nondisabled age-mates in neighborhood schools, providing general education classes under the guidance of general education teachers with the assistance of special education staff and resources, to the full extent possible, as determined appropriate by an individualized education planning committee (Price, 1993, p. 25). Individualized Education Plan (IEP): A written document that synthesizes the educational program necessary for the special education student to benefit from education (Bradley, King-Sears, & TessierSwitlick, 1997, p. 28). Individual With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): The amended version of Public Law 94-142, The Education for all Handicapped Children Act of 1975. This law provides the legal authority for early intervention and special education services for children birth to 21 years of age. It requires that students with disabilities receive their education in the least restrictive environment (LRE) (Copenhaver, 2005, p. 17).
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Curricular Modifications for Children With Developmental Disabilities in the Inclusive Classroom
“The Comprehensive Autism Solutions Company”
© 2012 by Special Learning Inc. All right reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Curricular Modifications for Children With Developmental Disabilities in the Inclusive Classroom. by Anna Carina Garcia-Manlulo, M.A. Psychology and Michele LaMarche, BCBA
© 2012 Special Learning, Inc. 500 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 300 Chicago, IL 60601. All rights reserved.
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by Anna Carina Garcia-Manlulo, M.A. Psychology and Michele LaMarche, BCBA
1 2 3 4 5
6
Definitions.......................................................................................................... 3 Developing Curricular Modifications............................................................. 4 Examples of Curricular Modifications........................................................... 5 Special Accommodations/Interventions........................................................ 6 Assessment and Accommodation of Children With Disabilities and Special Education Needs.................................................................................. 7 References........................................................................................................... 12
Curricular Modifications for Children With Developmental Disabilities in the Inclusive Classroom
Executive Summary Children with disabilities or special education needs often struggle in an inclusive classroom alongside more able peers. To accommodate their special needs, teachers need to modify activities. This paper gives teachers ideas on how to extend assistance to students with special needs in their classes so that they, together with other students, can feel a sense of achievement in the performance of their tasks.
Curricular Modifications for Children With Developmental Disabilities in the Inclusive Classroom
Being a teacher in an inclusive classroom can easily challenge your skills, patience and attentiveness. Imagine being in a class of children with a wide span of differences in learning abilities! In a general education system in which most children are typically developing and have comparable abilities, it is difficult enough to balance teaching concepts and skills in all areas of development and meet individual needs. How much more demanding is an inclusive classroom in which children with developmental difficulties are included? How can teachers deal with such Herculean challenges and still be effective in cultivating the children’s potential and help them to develop optimally? Before elaborating on how teachers can modify their lessons to accommodate the needs of each and every learner in their inclusive classrooms, it is helpful to review certain relevant definitions:
Definitions Accommodations: An accommodation is a modification to the delivery of instruction or a method of student performance that does not significantly change the content or the conceptual difficulty of the curriculum (Bradley, King-Sears, & Tessier-Switlick, 1997, p. 239). General Education Curriculum: Curriculum used with nondisabled students. General Education/ Regular Education Teachers: Professional teachers who have completed the education necessary to teach regular students without disabilities. Goals and Objectives: Goals are the desired results the IEP committee would like the child to achieve during the year (annual goals). Objectives are shorter-term benchmarks, designed to measure progress along the way to reaching the goal (The National Fragile X Foundation). Inclusion: The provision of educational services to disabled children alongside nondisabled age-mates in neighborhood schools, providing general education classes under the guidance of general education teachers with the assistance of special education staff and resources, to the full extent possible, as determined appropriate by an individualized education planning committee (Price, 1993, p. 25). Individualized Education Plan (IEP): A written document that synthesizes the educational program necessary for the special education student to benefit from education (Bradley, King-Sears, & TessierSwitlick, 1997, p. 28). Individual With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): The amended version of Public Law 94-142, The Education for all Handicapped Children Act of 1975. This law provides the legal authority for early intervention and special education services for children birth to 21 years of age. It requires that students with disabilities receive their education in the least restrictive environment (LRE) (Copenhaver, 2005, p. 17).
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Curricular Modifications for Children With Developmental Disabilities in the Inclusive Classroom
“The Comprehensive Autism Solutions Company”
© 2012 by Special Learning Inc. All right reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Curricular Modifications for Children With Developmental Disabilities in the Inclusive Classroom. by Anna Carina Garcia-Manlulo, M.A. Psychology and Michele LaMarche, BCBA
© 2012 Special Learning, Inc. 500 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 300 Chicago, IL 60601. All rights reserved.
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