Planning for a Few Children
As you continually observe and assess the children in the classroom, it may become clear that a few children need a third and more intensive level of support in order to be successful, fully engaged, and active partners in the early childhood classroom. These children, who may have a moderate to severe level of disability and who have not been meeting the learning goals as expected, will benefit from the further planning that it takes to incorporate some higher-level accommodations and modifications in the environment, the curriculum, and instructional strategies. Use the tabs below to access information that may help you provide extra support to children with disabilities.They may also benefit by using assistive technologies of one type or another.
When moving to a higher response level, in order to meet the needs of individuals who have moderate to severe levels of disability, revisit and consider adjusting the general accommodations made earlier regarding space, supplies, lighting, and noise.
Then begin to address the specific needs of children with specific challenges. The ideas listed in each section below are not meant to serve as a definitive list of responses, but instead are intended to spark the creativity and ingenuity of the classroom teacher and response team.
Help Children with Visual Impairments or Loss
Specific disability fact sheets
Provide appropriate materials, equipment, and technology
- Allow children to use a computer to complete writing or drawing experiences using appropriate hardware and software.
- Use visors or hats to reduce glare if necessary.
- Have stories, books, events, and step-by-step instructions for activities recorded and available for children to listen to on easy-to-use equipment.
- Use large print, Braille, or raised lines for printed activity directions, labels, handouts, tables, graphs, diagrams, and charts.
- Provide bold-line writing or graph paper as well as markers, pencils, and crayons for children to use.
- Provide an optical aid or magnifier for children to use as needed.
- Use overhead or other projector to project images of books and papers on a screen.
- Provide books with simple, large, high-contrast, distinct, and colorful illustrations that limit the intricate details and distractions on the page.
- Provide toys with sound and with tactile, movable, or scented characteristics.
Prepare the physical setting
- Reduce glare on whiteboards and smooth surfaces and find other ways to encourage the use of residual vision.
Use appropriate strategies
- Allow children to work, play, and explore books with a partner.
- Explore the surroundings with the children while their classmates are out of the room.
- Provide experiences to build background knowledge, and draw from the children's previous knowledge and experience.
- Give instructions for lessons and activities aloud, one step at a time, so the children can clearly hear what is being said.
- Describe what you and others are doing as you engage children in classroom activities.
- Plan for multiple ways of expression (e.g., drawing, modeling, recording, and gesturing).
- Repeat key concepts in a variety of ways.
- Provide opportunities for small-group discussion so the children can focus in on who is speaking.
- Say the child's name or touch the child's shoulder or arm to let the child know that you are speaking directly to him or her.
- Place the child's hand on the back of his or her chair when helping the child to sit.
- Give verbal or other auditory feedback when leading a lesson or experience.
- Allow each child to hold objects where he or she can best see them.
- Allow children to have additional time, if necessary, to complete an experience.
- Be alert for visual fatigue for those children using their residual sight.
Help Children with Hearing Impairments or Loss
Specific disability fact sheets
Provide appropriate materials, equipment, and technology
- Have stories, books, events, and step-by-step instructions for activities recorded and available for children to listen to on easy-to-use equipment.
- Provide toys with high-interest, tactile, movable, or scented characteristics.
- Provide a hearing aid or an augmentative or alternative communication system to foster better communication between teachers, children with hearing impairment or loss, and peers.
Prepare the physical setting
- Control background noise, and allow the children to sit where they can hear well.
- Keep the children in close proximity to the teacher or other person speaking during large-group time.
Use appropriate strategies
- Encourage the children to work, play, and explore books with a partner.
- If a child is using sign language, teach some signs to others (children and adults) in the classroom.
- Provide experiences to build background knowledge, and draw from the children's previous knowledge and experience.
- Give instructions for lessons and activities in a visual manner (with picture cards or other visual cues) as well as aloud, one step at a time, so the children can clearly see what is said.
- Ask the children questions to determine the level of understanding after instructions are given or experiences are completed.
- Provide opportunities for partner and small-group discussion, which will allow the children to see and hear more clearly what others are saying.
- Have visual feedback when leading a lesson or experience.
- Position an interpreter by the children for independent work, and place the interpreter by the teacher for large-group experiences.
- Have a peer cue a child when oral directions are given or when asked to listen to the teacher.
- Allow children to have additional time, if necessary, to complete an experience.
Help Children with Speech or Language Delays
Specific disability fact sheets
Video examples
Provide appropriate materials, equipment, and technology
- Plan several listening opportunities daily.
Prepare the physical setting
- Control background noise, and allow the children to sit where they can hear and see well.
- Organize and place materials and supplies to make them easily accessible to children.
- Design classroom space and arrange furniture and equipment to provide clear aisles and appropriate space to allow children to move freely and safely.
Use appropriate strategies
- Allow children to work, play, and explore books with a partner with better communication skills.
- Give instructions and directions for lessons and activities aloud, one step at a time.
- Use a picture board or apron encouraging children to use the pictures to communicate. Add one new image a day.
- Describe what you and others are doing as you engage children in classroom activities.
- Keep an appropriate voice level. If a child's voice level is too high or too low, stop and wait till the child's volume level changes.
- Say a child's name to be sure that you have the child's attention, and point to the person (yourself or other) or the object you need the child to focus on.
- Use a puppet or favorite stuffed animal to capture and maintain children's attention.
- Provide opportunities for small-group discussion.
- Have auditory feedback when leading a lesson or experience.
- Engage children in music, songs, or rhymes as often as possible.
- Allow children to have additional time, if necessary, to complete an experience.
Help Children Along the Autism Spectrum
Specific disability fact sheets
Provide appropriate materials, equipment, and technology
- Provide step-by-step graphic instructions for tasks and activities.
- Use manipulatives.
Prepare the physical setting
- Limit all unnecessary sensory stimuli to increase the children's comfort level in the classroom.
Use appropriate strategies
- Allow children to work, play, and explore books with a partner.
- Pair children with peers who are patient and focused and are likely to model appropriate behavior.
- Provide experiences to build background knowledge, and draw from the children's previous knowledge and experience.
- Describe what you and others are doing as you engage children in classroom activities.
- Build opportunities for children to make choices when appropriate.
- Clarify rules for behavior ahead of time. Provide clear and consistent rules and consequences.
- Put experiences in a meaningful context for children.
- Recognize and reward desired behavior when children exhibit it.
- Have the children work on a different learning goal from that of their classmates.
- Provide the children with a signal that you have discussed ahead of time that you will use to communicate that a behavior is becoming inappropriate.
- Allow children to have additional time, if necessary, to complete an experience.
- Provide opportunities for short breaks during experiences and lessons.
- Break large experiences or reading times into smaller, more manageable chunks.
- Create a visual schedule of the day for the children, and check off tasks as they are completed.
Help Children with Orthopedic, Mobility, or Other Physical Impairments
Specific disability fact sheets
Video examples
Provide appropriate materials, equipment, and technology
- Have children use a communication device as needed to participate in group discussions or to seek assistance.
- Use adaptive devices to hold paper in place.
- Provide a wide variety of medium to large construction toys; beads and laces or sewing cards; clothing with large snaps, zippers, and ties; and other objects to manipulate.
- Encourage children to play with items that are easy to toss and catch, for example, larger, but not heavier, bean bags; add fabric loops to the edges of tossing toys; use fishing nets, pots, or bowls with handles (with adapted handles if necessary) to provide more successful catching opportunities.
- Exchange balance beams for tape or string paths to follow.
- Provide dull scissors and dough or clay so that children can cut.
Prepare the physical setting
- Pay close attention to classroom space and the arrangement of furniture and equipment to ensure shelves, desks, toys, equipment, and other objects are at an appropriate height for children.
Use appropriate strategies
- Find appropriate classroom tasks to assign to children with limited mobility.
- Encourage children to participate to the extent of their ability, if full participation is not possible.
- Add music to movement activities and consider ways to address issues of coordination, speed, flexibility, strength, agility, and endurance.
- Set realistic goals in accordance with children's IEPs.
- Encourage children to use finger puppets and sock puppets to tell stories and express ideas.
- Use a scribe to record thoughts, results, and other text as needed.
- Allow children to have additional time, if necessary, to complete an experience.
Help Children with Behavioral Disabilities
Specific disability fact sheets
Provide appropriate materials, equipment, and technology
- Provide children with a graphic checklist for daily activities that can be checked off as tasks are completed. Highlight important entries.
- Provide children with teacher-made graphic organizers.
- Post in highly visible areas pictures or simple drawings of acceptable and unacceptable behaviors to discuss individually.
Prepare the physical setting
- Provide multiples of materials and supplies to make them easily accessible to children.
Use appropriate teaching strategies
- Adopt a philosophy for disruptive or aggressive behaviors that changes the language from "misbehavior" to "mistaken behavior."
- Plan multiple opportunities for children to move during quiet or normally sedentary activities.
- Pair children with peers who are patient and focused and are likely to model appropriate behavior.
- Provide experiences to build background knowledge, and draw from children's interests and favorite toys and activities.
- Give instructions and directions for lessons and activities aloud, one step at a time.
- Use manipulatives and real objects.
- Describe positive behaviors that you and others exhibit during classroom activities.
- Plan for multiple ways of expression (e.g., drawing, modeling, recording, and gesturing).
- Put experiences in meaningful context for children.
- Plan opportunities for children to make choices whenever possible.
- Plan and discuss with the children clear, consistent rules and consequences for behaviors.
- Have the children help choose a "signal" that you have discussed with them ahead of time that will communicate that their behavior is becoming inappropriate.
- Recognize and praise desired behaviors when children exhibit them.
- Use favorite or other appropriate soft toys to demonstrate acceptable behaviors.
- Allow children to hold an object that is calming to them.
- Teach a problem-solving process to children.
- Allow children to have additional time, if necessary, to complete an experience.
- Allow opportunities for short breaks during lessons.
- Break large learning tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks.
Help Children with Cognitive Impairments or Learning Disabilities
Specific disability fact sheets
Provide appropriate materials, equipment, and technology
- Use concrete and authentic objects.
Use appropriate teaching strategies
- Allow children to work, play, and explore books with a more typically developing peer partner.
- Establish and draw from children's previous experience and interests.
- Give instructions and directions for lessons and activities aloud, one step at a time.
- Describe what you and others are doing as you engage children in classroom activities.
- Plan for multiple ways of expression (for example, drawing, modeling, recording, and gesturing).
- Repeat key concepts in a variety of ways.
- Teach new skills in the area where it would naturally occur (for example, practice how to wash hands at the sink).
- Communicate with families so parents and other family members use the same terms for skills and routines that are used at school and vice versa.
- Take time to look for ways to break down activities and skills. Look for the best sequence of foundational skills. Start with the simplest and build from there.
- Be prepared to wait while children prepare to respond. It may take some children longer, which may help the other children develop patience with one another.
- Observe individual children closely and determine their best times of the day. Utilize those times wisely.
- Decide which is best for individual children—verbal or visual cues—to prompt their participation.
- Allow children to have additional time, if necessary, to complete an experience.
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REC Added Two Inclusive Classroom Bookshelf Sets
Do you wish you could find more picture books for your classroom that reflect your inclusive philosophy? Look at the REC Bookshelf for options.
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