Below, you will find a short list of positive intervention strategies for teachers of students with significant intellectual disabilities. Identify powerful reinforcers – Everyone wants to be positively reinforced for their work. Examples include praise, pay checks, and intrinsic motivation. Students with significant intellectual disabilities may exhibit challenging behaviors that are referred to as… Read More Behavioral Considerations for Students with Intellectual Disabilities
Behavior is Communicative
Challenging behavior, either from a student with significant disabilities or a mild learning disability, is frequently an inappropriate attempt to communicate a need or a feeling. Children do not always communicate their wants and needs accurately. Whether verbal or nonverbal, children do not always communicate their wants and needs accurately. Observe body language to… Read More Behavior is Communicative
Reading in the 21st Century
Most students are electronically engaged and therefore are more comfortable with e-reading tools than many adults. For this reason, all students can benefit from receiving written material in different formats. In this world of new electronic gadgets, assistive technology supporters deserve some of the credit! This is especially applicable when looking at what is… Read More Reading in the 21st Century
Literacy in the Early Childhood Classroom
Teachers can provide literacy experiences for children during every part of the day. For example, items that encourage writing can be incorporated into all centers. Children can make traffic signs in the block center, take orders or write recipes in the dramatic play center. Virginia’s Foundation Blocks for Early Learning (2007) describe specific indicators… Read More Literacy in the Early Childhood Classroom
Literacy Instruction with Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities
It is well known that becoming a successful reader is dependent on experiences and knowledge in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. There are many different kinds of activities and specific classroom experiences that will help students develop literacy skills that lead to reading success. Literacy skills are important for all students. Legislation, such as… Read More Literacy Instruction with Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities
Supporting the Literacy Development of Students with Autism
While students with autism are increasingly being educated in general education classrooms, they are often excluded from rich and meaningful literacy experiences like reading and writing stories, book clubs, acting and performing, journaling, and whole-class and small-group discussions. It is not unusual for students with autism in these classrooms to follow a different curriculum than… Read More Supporting the Literacy Development of Students with Autism
In Search of Scientifically-Based Classroom Practices
In the past decade, the number of studies conducted to determine what constitutes effective classroom practices has increased dramatically (Gable, 2004). However, obstacles to moving that research into practice are many and varied. On July 1, 2002, the President’s Commission on Excellence in Special Education issued a report that called for a fundamental shift… Read More In Search of Scientifically-Based Classroom Practices
