Post on 07-Jan-2016
description
Severely DisabledSeverely Disabled
Teaching students with severe disabilities requires patience and creativity!
Defining Severely Disabled
1. Severity Require greater assistance than peers of a
similar disability
2. Combination Two or more disabilities whose individual
severity would not be classified as severe but in conjunction, do constitute severe.
Approximately .5%-2% of population
Defining Severely Disabled
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) defines Severe/Profound Mental Retardation as:
“ …a child with “significantly sub-average general intellectual functioning existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period that adversely affects a child’s education performance.”* *Individuals with disabilities Education Act
amendment of 1997, 105th Cong.,(1997).
Characteristics of Severely Disabled
Social developmentDifficult interacting or may be oblivious to
others. Neither initiate or respond to interactions. Difficulty performing self-help activities such as dressing, feeding, and grooming (or totally absent). May exhibit self-abusive acts or abusive behavior such as biting or scratching.
Characteristics of Severely Disabled
Cognitive developmentExhibit a great deal of variation. If the primary
disability is orthopedic or health impairment, cognitive function may not be affected. In others, student may be unable or not respond to simple commands, identify shapes/colors, or symbols/words.
Categories of mental retardation
Characteristics of Severely Disabled
Language DevelopmentCommon problems include delays inspeech
and language, speech clarity, and bizarre speech patterns. Often unable to communicate or utilizes noises such as grunts or shrieks.
Characteristics of Severely Disabled
Motor DevelopmentDelays are very common. Specific problems
may include difficulty walking or sitting without support. Children may be unable to perform basic tasks such as rolling over, grasping objects, or holding their head up.
Characteristics of Severely DisabledMay use a electric
powered indoor/outdoor chair (EPIOC)Dimensions of mobility, quality
of life and pain/discomfort improved significantly
No significant improvement in health state, independence and social life (interesting)(Davies, Souza, & Frank,
2003)Be careful, especially if
student is new to chair.
Cross-classifications
Students with severe disabilities (autism, CP, ED, Down’s, LD, MS etc) often have varying degrees of mental retardation.
Teaching PE to Severely Disabled
Most will require specialized pull-out classes instead of inclusion. However, this may change with the new legislation being considered. There are drawbacks to separation to pull-out classes including: Exposure to students without disabilities is absent Severely disabled students tend to learn “handicapped skills,
attitudes, and values” from their peers who are also disabled Teachers tend to pacify and just keep students busy at the
expense of developing functional community-based skills Skills attitudes and values of students without disabilities
often become more constructive, tolerant, and appropriate (Brown et al., 2004)
Teaching PE to Severely Disabled
Important concept – every student, regardless of disability, can learn. Educational gains may be very small, if present at all.
Sometimes, your instruction may simply reduce the rate of decline. It is your call whether the instruction is effective; if not a change is necessary.
Because severely disabled students learn at a slower rate, extension activities become necessary. Give parents ideas that can be utilize at home (homework for
parents).You may need to communicate with simple statements,
gestures, or physical prompts. However, try and build their communication skills.
Teaching PE to Severely Disabled
What to teachDetermined by educational needs of each individual
student. There are few rules on what to teach, some students may need a psychomotor focus (balance, tracking objects), other a cognitive focus (memory, directions), or affective (communicating, peer relations).
Standardized assessments such as Brockport and TGMD2 may not be applicable. There is a large list of assessments in your text however gaining access to them may be difficult.
Teaching PE to Severely Disabled
Use various prompts to communicate Verbal, printed, gesture, and
physical promptsCommunication boards –
picture which communicates to student what is happening next. http://www.do2learn.com/pictu
recards/howtouse/schedule.htm
Teaching PE to Severely Disabled
Teaching PE to Severely Disabled
Analyzing the behaviorTask analysis:
Terminal behavior: riding a tricycleEnabling behaviors: mounting the tricycle, balancing, holding
on, turning, stopping, pedaling, dismountingBreak behaviors into even smaller steps
Teaching PE to Severely Disabled
Behavior ManagementPositive (must be pleasurable): praise, hand clapping,
drawing, spinning, music, favorite equipment, favorite activities, stuffed animal, flashing lights, etc. Communicate with other teachers and parents
• Focus more of your energies on positive consequences
Negative (must be unpleasant): removal of music, turn lights on, no activity (stop). You must find what works.
Teaching PE to Severely Disabled- activities vary greatly
Manipulative Patters
Throwing Pushing a ball down a ramp, grasp and release
Catching Tracking suspended balls, reaching for balloons
Kicking Touching balloon taped to floor, push ball along with foot
Striking Hitting ball off tee, hitting suspended ball, using only hand
Locomotor patterns
Running Being pushed quickly in a wheelchair while keeping head up
Jumping/
hopping
Lifting head up and down while being pushed in a wheelchair, moving body up and down
Galloping/ Skipping
Moving arms up and own while being pushed in a wheelchair, using adapted mobility aids such as walkers
Teaching PE to Severely Disabled- activities vary greatly
Perceptual-Motor skills
Balance Propping up on elbows, making shapes on mats, balancing objects in palm
Spatial awareness
Moving arms in when going between, ducking head when going under
Visual-motor coordination
Tracking suspended objects, attempting to touch switches that activate stimulating toys
Physical Fitness
Endurance Continuous activity, movement body parts repeatedly, perhaps even just going up and down on toes
Strength Use stretch banks, isometric exercises
Flexibility Perform range of motion activities (be careful)
Activities for Daily Living
Many severely disabled students have difficulty with “simple” tasks we take for granted such as seating themselves in a chair, opening a door handle, differentiating simple words, or walkingSome students are so low functioning that
working on object tracking or skipping does not help them in their daily lives. In such cases, coordinate with PT’s, OT’s, and speech pathologists to extend their instruction.
YouTube Vid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S0j2WQLu1o