Case 1 - Annie
Speech Impairment and communication difficulties – an area of intervention would be using the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS).
(i) The intervention
After reading the case study, I feel that one of the most suitable interventions would be the use of Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS). According to Bondy and Frost (as cited in Wallin, 2004), PECS is an augmentative communication system which is developed to help individuals to obtain a functional means of communication quickly. In addition, Wallin (2004) stated that “PECS is appropriate for individuals who do not use speech or who may speak with limited effectiveness: those who have articulation or motor planning difficulties, limited communicative partners, lack of initiative in communication, etc.”
(ii) Its effectiveness (as reported in the journal article)
According to the Bondy and Frost (as cited in Schwartz and Garfinkle, n.d.), PECS is a popular system as it does not require any desirable behaviors. Furthermore, it is relatively easy and inexpensive. Most importantly, it may help to facilitate speech. Besides all this, PECS is a system which is based on child initiation. In addition, the strategies that are used in PECS are set in the teaching procedure.
In the journal article, they conducted a research with thirty-one preschool children with various significant disabilities such as severe communication delays and disorders with the used of PECS. It showed that PECS is a good system which can help children with communication delays and disorders to acquire the functional means of communication relatively quickly. The thirty-one preschool children progressed from having no or very limited functional communication skills to using the PECS to communicate with adults and peers in an average of fourteen months. In addition, the children also demonstrated to use the system and communicate with different people in different settings. They also mastered a reliable way to communicate purposefully with adults and peers.
In conclusion, we can say that PECS is a good intervention strategy for children with speech impairment and communication difficulties. The article also mentioned that PECS can help children with severe expressive language delays and disorders to learn a functional system of communication.
(iii) Your personal evaluation how the child will benefit from this intervention
I believed that with the used of PECS, Annie would be able to acquire the functional means of communication quickly. Due to her facial deformities, it may be quite difficult for Annie to speech probably. Thus when both Annie’s parents and teachers use PECS to communicate with her, she will find it easier to communicate with them. Furthermore, parents and teachers should use it daily in order to allow her to acquire the functional means of communication quickly. The reason is because PECS is child-initiated. Annie would use PECS if she would like to communicate with someone. Furthermore, Annie not only can communicate with her parents and teachers, she can also communicate with her peers. In addition, when Annie acquires the functional means of communication, she would be able to communicate her needs. Therefore, Annie’s behavioral and social difficulties would be improved.
(iv) Your suggestions how you can make adjustments to cater to the needs of the
child and to facilitate integration of the child / the intervention activity into your classroom.
I feel that parents, teachers and the speech therapist should work closely with one another in order to help Annie. Parents and teachers should ensure that they followed the methods that the speech therapist used during the therapy session. This would allow Annie to have a consistency in acquiring speech.
Furthermore, I feel that parents and teachers should undergo talks about PECS and the correct way to use PECS. This would allow them to have a better understanding about PECS. Thus when they are using PECS to communicate with Annie, they would be able to use it in the correct way.
References:
Wallin, M.J. (2004). Teaching children with autism. Retrieved July 26, 2009, from Wallin, M.J. Website: www.polyxo.com
Schwartz, I.S., & Garfinkle, A.N. (n.d.). The picture exchange communication system: communicative outcomes for young children with disabilities. Early Childhood Special Education, 18(3), 144. Retrieved September 6, 2009 from http://ezproxy.wheelock.edu:2239/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=101&sid=c7a25dcd-3052-4569-91d7-293bad7f1762%40sessionmgr104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=fgh&AN=1136580
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Foo Fang Wei Janice - Group A
Case Study 1 – Annie
(i) The intervention:
Child-specific and peer-mediated interventions
“Child specific” interventions include providing instructions and trainings directly to the child on skills that they may use during their social interactions with their peers. Examples of child’s specific interventions include, promoting social problem-solving skills and teaching social initiations (Strayhome & Strain, 1986; Vaughn, Ridley, & COX, 1984, as cited in Odom, McConnell, & Chandler, 1993). It also include when teachers prompt children to engage in social interaction with their peers and reinforcing on these interactions.
For “peer-mediated” interventions, they involve the other children who are socially competent rather than the teachers. Teachers only act as an instructor, guiding the children on how to initiate interactions with children with disabilities, supporting the children’s interactions and prompts when necessary (Strain & Odom, 1986, as cited in Odom, McConnell, & Chandler, 1993). Teachers can also include group socialization activities in class or in daily lessons to teach the children to be affectionate with children with disabilities (Brown, Ragland, & Fox, 1988; as cited in Odom, McConnell, & Chandler, 1993).
ii) It’s effectiveness:
According to the article, research was done with the teachers of children with and without disability. Teachers were asked to rate the acceptability and feasibility of different intervention strategies. As found out from the data, child-specific interventions were rated with very positive ratings for acceptability and feasibility. This shows that such interventions do help with the social interaction of children with disabilities. The teaching of skills and reinforcing social skills were favored by the teachers from the gathered data. The peer-mediated interventions involved cooperation, and it is an approach designed for older children and it can also be adapted for children with disabilities. Since it is possible to have cooperation among children, it is possible to include both children with disabilities and children without disabilities into the interventions that require cooperation, like small group learning and peer interaction. Incorporating cooperation would combine aspects from child-specific and peer-mediated interventions. However, in order to make these interventions work, children who are socially responsive is a major contributing factor and not only the teachers.
iii) Your personal evaluation how the child will benefit from this intervention
I think that Annie will benefit from this intervention as it involves her directly. The teachers can make use of the “child-specific” intervention like teaching Annie on how to interact with her peers and also guiding beside her the right way to do so. In my opinion, Annie displayed the actions because she may not have the ability to correctly portray out what she feels or means. Thus the teacher can make use of this ‘child-specific’ intervention by creating interaction opportunities with Anna and her peers, but focus on teaching Annie the right method.
Also, I think it is a good idea for the teacher to also teach other children on how to communicate and interact with Anna while guiding along the sidelines. From the research, peer-mediated is suitable for older children, thus I feel that it is appropriate for that to happen in Annie’s case where her peers and herself are six years old. Only teaching Annie is insufficient, other children have to be willing to play a part in the interaction for social communication to be possible.
iv)Your suggestions how you can make adjustments to cater to the needs of the
child and to facilitate integration of the child / the intervention activity into
your classroom.
As the journal as stated, building on social skills is important, therefore the teacher can have a buddy system set up for Annie. However, instead of one child, there could be two children to buddy up with Annie so that she will be able to interact with these two peers and be helped when necessary.
Also, the teacher can have small group teaching and small group discussions and exercises to help Annie practice opening up to her peers and also to practice her social interactions.
Reference
Odom, S L, McConnell, S R, & Chandler, L K (Dec-Jan 1993). Acceptability and feasibility of
classroom-based social interaction interventions for young children with disabilities. Exceptional Children. , 60, n3. p.226(11). Retrieved September 08, 2009, from Academic OneFile via Gale:
http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T002&prodId=AONE&docId=A14689576&source=gale&userGroupName=whe_main&version=1.0
(i) The intervention:
Child-specific and peer-mediated interventions
“Child specific” interventions include providing instructions and trainings directly to the child on skills that they may use during their social interactions with their peers. Examples of child’s specific interventions include, promoting social problem-solving skills and teaching social initiations (Strayhome & Strain, 1986; Vaughn, Ridley, & COX, 1984, as cited in Odom, McConnell, & Chandler, 1993). It also include when teachers prompt children to engage in social interaction with their peers and reinforcing on these interactions.
For “peer-mediated” interventions, they involve the other children who are socially competent rather than the teachers. Teachers only act as an instructor, guiding the children on how to initiate interactions with children with disabilities, supporting the children’s interactions and prompts when necessary (Strain & Odom, 1986, as cited in Odom, McConnell, & Chandler, 1993). Teachers can also include group socialization activities in class or in daily lessons to teach the children to be affectionate with children with disabilities (Brown, Ragland, & Fox, 1988; as cited in Odom, McConnell, & Chandler, 1993).
ii) It’s effectiveness:
According to the article, research was done with the teachers of children with and without disability. Teachers were asked to rate the acceptability and feasibility of different intervention strategies. As found out from the data, child-specific interventions were rated with very positive ratings for acceptability and feasibility. This shows that such interventions do help with the social interaction of children with disabilities. The teaching of skills and reinforcing social skills were favored by the teachers from the gathered data. The peer-mediated interventions involved cooperation, and it is an approach designed for older children and it can also be adapted for children with disabilities. Since it is possible to have cooperation among children, it is possible to include both children with disabilities and children without disabilities into the interventions that require cooperation, like small group learning and peer interaction. Incorporating cooperation would combine aspects from child-specific and peer-mediated interventions. However, in order to make these interventions work, children who are socially responsive is a major contributing factor and not only the teachers.
iii) Your personal evaluation how the child will benefit from this intervention
I think that Annie will benefit from this intervention as it involves her directly. The teachers can make use of the “child-specific” intervention like teaching Annie on how to interact with her peers and also guiding beside her the right way to do so. In my opinion, Annie displayed the actions because she may not have the ability to correctly portray out what she feels or means. Thus the teacher can make use of this ‘child-specific’ intervention by creating interaction opportunities with Anna and her peers, but focus on teaching Annie the right method.
Also, I think it is a good idea for the teacher to also teach other children on how to communicate and interact with Anna while guiding along the sidelines. From the research, peer-mediated is suitable for older children, thus I feel that it is appropriate for that to happen in Annie’s case where her peers and herself are six years old. Only teaching Annie is insufficient, other children have to be willing to play a part in the interaction for social communication to be possible.
iv)Your suggestions how you can make adjustments to cater to the needs of the
child and to facilitate integration of the child / the intervention activity into
your classroom.
As the journal as stated, building on social skills is important, therefore the teacher can have a buddy system set up for Annie. However, instead of one child, there could be two children to buddy up with Annie so that she will be able to interact with these two peers and be helped when necessary.
Also, the teacher can have small group teaching and small group discussions and exercises to help Annie practice opening up to her peers and also to practice her social interactions.
Reference
Odom, S L, McConnell, S R, & Chandler, L K (Dec-Jan 1993). Acceptability and feasibility of
classroom-based social interaction interventions for young children with disabilities. Exceptional Children. , 60, n3. p.226(11). Retrieved September 08, 2009, from Academic OneFile via Gale:
http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T002&prodId=AONE&docId=A14689576&source=gale&userGroupName=whe_main&version=1.0
Yeoh Hui Ping Joey Group A
Case Study 1
Area of intervention for child
The area of intervention for child will be language skills.
The intervention
The intervention was to teach productive sign modification to children with intellectual disabilities. In this way, child will be able to convey more difficult meaning which in turns develop their language skills. The participants were eight children ranged with various intellectual disabilities from a special need school in East London. Standardized measures were used such as checklist and assessment on the participants’ acquired vocabularies.
Its effectiveness
Pre-activities
Four nouns and four verbs which describe size, location and direction were selected and used to conduct signing. Such examples were BIG, SMALL, UP and DOWN. There were a total of sixty-four pictures and objects to accompany the nouns and verbs. The participants were paired up. Teacher will make use of the pictures then the objects to test the participant. In the process, participants were able to modify signs through modelling and imitation. At the same time, participants receive praises, encouragement and stickers as rewards. This reward system allowed reinforcement of well paid attention and behaviour. Sessions practice flexibility and will discontinued when participants were observed to be restless.
Post-activities
The results showed that the teaching productive sign modification allow all the eight children to show improvement after the interventions. The evidences collated showed children able to use the verb contrastively and with generalisation.
Personal evaluation on how the child will benefit from this intervention
I feel that with the adaptation of using gestures to teach language skills with pictures and concrete objects may help the child to benefit from the intervention.
The intervention required the use of a few words each time and it allowed child to combine the words like WALK UP and WALK DOWN. Thus, referring back to child’s prior assessment and knowledge on functional words; it leads me to an idea that I can expand the functional words that she learnt earlier like POLICE CAR, EXIT LEFT and GO RIGHT. I can expand the functional words with directional nouns. Using gestures is a novel and engaging way for the child which I feel that it will help capture the child’s attention. Thus, at the end, improve the child’s language in long term.
Suggestions on the adjustments to cater to the needs of the child and to facilitate integration of child/ the intervention activity into the classroom
This gestures teaching method can be integrated into normal classroom setting. For instance, when teacher is teaching new vocabulary words; teacher may integrate gestures to the words. Teacher may even allow individual child to come out with own gesture and adapted by the whole class.
Collaboration with parents such as by sharing of the method with parents will allow continuous learning and reinforcement of the language development.
Adapting to the pair work will be a new experience for child. At the same time, child can work on her social skill with the partner. Child’s learning can be imitated and scaffold by the partner.
Reference
Rudd, H., Grove, N., & Pring, T. (2007). Teaching productive sign modifications to children with intellectual disabilities. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 23 (2), 154 – 163. Retrieved September 2, 2009, from Academic OneFile database.
Lam Sim Theen Group A
Case 1: Communication Difficulties
(i) the intervention
Nungesser and Watkins (2005) points out the importance in acknowledging and understanding the relationship between social competence, challenging behaviors and communication difficulties. In case 1, Annie suffers from speech impairment and communication difficulties due to facial deformities at birth which leads to behavioral and social difficulties as assumed in case 1 that she may not be equipped with the language to express her needs and emotions.
In Nungesser and Watkins’s research, it took the angle in how speech-language pathologists can assist mainstream teachers in dealing with challenging behaviors in the classroom. This includes process of understanding teachers’ perspective of the disruptive behaviors, factors that cause the behavior and what are the responses of the teachers in dealing with the behavior. This leads to recommended commonly used intervention called Language Enrichment Techniques. It is a proactive, preventive-oriented strategy compared to reactive strategies such as time-out and redirect undesirable behaviors.
(ii) its effectiveness (as reported in the journal article)
According to the research, the three most challenging behaviors are biting, throwing temper tantrums and screaming. 20% of the teachers reflected that these behaviors are due to language and communication deficit while 4% are due to the child trying to fit into the group. On top of all these, this research portrays relatively similar issues to Annie’s case. However, the research reflected that the top three strategies teachers used are time-out, redirect and reminders of rules which were ineffective. Therefore, Nungesser and Watkins (2005) provide clinical recommendation which is using Language Enrichment Techniques to tackle the behavioral problems.
Language Enrichment Techniques involve teacher modeling appropriate language alternatives. Shadowing is one of the strategies used. It is where the teacher follows the child during sessions such as free play and anticipate potential occurrence of situations and interactions which will lead to challenging behaviors. Teacher will provide communicative support to reduce challenging behaviors such as intervene and provide direct modeling of making a request for something. Such intervention is also a form of scaffolding as when the child slowly learns the appropriate forms of communication, intervention will stop gradually.
Another is modeling appropriate emotional expressions which mirrors, labels and discuss emotions and causes of emotions with the children. In this case, teacher has to convey her own emotions through clear and appropriate facial expressions for various emotions in different situations. Teacher also has to create opportunities for discussion and label feelings as this provide children with words to express their feelings.
(iii) your personal evaluation how the child will benefit from this intervention
I strongly agree with Nungesser and Watkins’s idea that we must look into the core of such challenging behaviors. In Annie’s case, I believe that it is the communication difficulties which lead her to having troubles in self-expression and hence leading to her being aggressive yet shy or withdrawn at times. Therefore, this research’s recommendation is a relatively good reference for Annie’s teacher to consider. Most importantly, it emphasizes on working with the child to use appropriate forms of communication in expressing needs and feelings. Children learn best through modeling and I believe Annie’s friends will also model the appropriate way to treat and understand Annie if opportunities for discussion about feelings are provided.
(iv) your suggestions how you can make adjustments to cater to the needs of the child and to facilitate integration of the child / the intervention activity into your classroom.
When using Language Enrichment Techniques, teacher may want to emphasize more on modeling and providing the appropriate forms of communication for expressing feelings and emotions first. This allows Annie to express her feelings such as anger and sadness to her friends which may stop them from teasing her. Teacher may also want to focus on conveying the message that we should empathize and it is bad to tease people through storytelling, role playing, puppetry and discussions. However, teacher may need to be sensitive about mentioning names.
References
Nungesser, N., & Watkins, R. (2005, April). Preschool Teachers' Perceptions and Reactions to Challenging Classroom Behavior: Implications for Speech-Language Pathologists. Language, Speech, & Hearing Services in Schools, 36(2), 139-151. Retrieved August 30, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
(i) the intervention
Nungesser and Watkins (2005) points out the importance in acknowledging and understanding the relationship between social competence, challenging behaviors and communication difficulties. In case 1, Annie suffers from speech impairment and communication difficulties due to facial deformities at birth which leads to behavioral and social difficulties as assumed in case 1 that she may not be equipped with the language to express her needs and emotions.
In Nungesser and Watkins’s research, it took the angle in how speech-language pathologists can assist mainstream teachers in dealing with challenging behaviors in the classroom. This includes process of understanding teachers’ perspective of the disruptive behaviors, factors that cause the behavior and what are the responses of the teachers in dealing with the behavior. This leads to recommended commonly used intervention called Language Enrichment Techniques. It is a proactive, preventive-oriented strategy compared to reactive strategies such as time-out and redirect undesirable behaviors.
(ii) its effectiveness (as reported in the journal article)
According to the research, the three most challenging behaviors are biting, throwing temper tantrums and screaming. 20% of the teachers reflected that these behaviors are due to language and communication deficit while 4% are due to the child trying to fit into the group. On top of all these, this research portrays relatively similar issues to Annie’s case. However, the research reflected that the top three strategies teachers used are time-out, redirect and reminders of rules which were ineffective. Therefore, Nungesser and Watkins (2005) provide clinical recommendation which is using Language Enrichment Techniques to tackle the behavioral problems.
Language Enrichment Techniques involve teacher modeling appropriate language alternatives. Shadowing is one of the strategies used. It is where the teacher follows the child during sessions such as free play and anticipate potential occurrence of situations and interactions which will lead to challenging behaviors. Teacher will provide communicative support to reduce challenging behaviors such as intervene and provide direct modeling of making a request for something. Such intervention is also a form of scaffolding as when the child slowly learns the appropriate forms of communication, intervention will stop gradually.
Another is modeling appropriate emotional expressions which mirrors, labels and discuss emotions and causes of emotions with the children. In this case, teacher has to convey her own emotions through clear and appropriate facial expressions for various emotions in different situations. Teacher also has to create opportunities for discussion and label feelings as this provide children with words to express their feelings.
(iii) your personal evaluation how the child will benefit from this intervention
I strongly agree with Nungesser and Watkins’s idea that we must look into the core of such challenging behaviors. In Annie’s case, I believe that it is the communication difficulties which lead her to having troubles in self-expression and hence leading to her being aggressive yet shy or withdrawn at times. Therefore, this research’s recommendation is a relatively good reference for Annie’s teacher to consider. Most importantly, it emphasizes on working with the child to use appropriate forms of communication in expressing needs and feelings. Children learn best through modeling and I believe Annie’s friends will also model the appropriate way to treat and understand Annie if opportunities for discussion about feelings are provided.
(iv) your suggestions how you can make adjustments to cater to the needs of the child and to facilitate integration of the child / the intervention activity into your classroom.
When using Language Enrichment Techniques, teacher may want to emphasize more on modeling and providing the appropriate forms of communication for expressing feelings and emotions first. This allows Annie to express her feelings such as anger and sadness to her friends which may stop them from teasing her. Teacher may also want to focus on conveying the message that we should empathize and it is bad to tease people through storytelling, role playing, puppetry and discussions. However, teacher may need to be sensitive about mentioning names.
References
Nungesser, N., & Watkins, R. (2005, April). Preschool Teachers' Perceptions and Reactions to Challenging Classroom Behavior: Implications for Speech-Language Pathologists. Language, Speech, & Hearing Services in Schools, 36(2), 139-151. Retrieved August 30, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Ho Sze Hwee Eveleen - Group A
Case 1
(i) the intervention - Social stories and visual supports
“A Social Story is a short, simple story written from the perspective of the child that delivers instruction on appropriate social behavior” (Fisher & Haufe, 2009 as cited in Crozier & Tincani, 2005). "They focus on describing and explaining the cues in that situation as well as teaching appropriate responses" (Fisher & Haufe, 2009 as cited in Scattone, Tingstrom & Wilczynski, 2006). "Social Stories are effective in increasing pro-social behaviors such as initiating social activity and increasing flexibility during social activities" (Fisher & Theresa, 2009 as cited in Feinberg, 2001). “A visually cued instruction involves the use of pictographic and written language as instructional supports in both structured and natural learning contexts” (Fisher & Haufe, 2009 as cited in Quill, 1995). Visual supports help children who have difficulty in reading nonverbal cues to reduce stress and anxiety as well as help them understand what they are expected to do.
The purpose of this action research project was to improve the social skills of
eight preschool students through the use of Social Stories to create a more positive learning environment. It was conducted with children who had speech and language delays and had problems with turn-taking and sharing materials and toys with their peers. Two social stories were created to teach turn-taking and sharing and visual supports were introduced and taught how it can be utilized.
(ii) its effectiveness (as reported in the journal article)
In the research, the Parent Social Skills Rating Scale and the Teacher Social Skills Rating Scale
was used to determine the problem behviours.
The Sharing Checklist and the Turn-Taking Checklist was used "at the end of each week to document the students ability to demonstrate the targeted social skill, and also how much
prompting and support was needed during teacher directed peer group activities" (Fisher & Haufe, 2009).
Journal Reflection Template for Sharing and Turn-Taking was used "to document progress
and monitor the students’ ability to take turns and share toys and materials with their
peers during a structured teaching time" (Fisher & Haufe, 2009)
At the end of the research, the teachers sent the Parent Social Skills Rating Scale back to the parents to complete. The Teacher Social Skills Rating Scale was also completed by the teachers.
The research findings found that the use of social stories and visual supports proved to be effective in teaching the children turn-taking and sharing of materials and toys with their peers. They were able to ask for what they wanted as well as to say what they wanted instead of acting on impulse through action.
(iii) your personal evaluation how the child will benefit from this intervention
I strongly believe that Annie would benefit from the use of social stories and visual supports as she would be able to see the appropriate behaviour modeled in the story and the visual cues would help her understand what she is expected to do.
Having the know-how to express herself through words instead of actions would prevent her from biting her friends when she gets excited or angry. Her classmates would not feel so afraid of her and therefore be more likely to befriend her without fear of getting hurt. This would in turn increase her self-esteem about her facial deformity. She would feel more accepted without having to worry about looking different from her classmates. Her feelings of shyness would also disappear when she has more interactions with her classmates.
Social stories will also gradually further help her in expressing her thoughts or feelings when her classmates tease or make fun of her. She would be able to verbalize her feelings and tell them that it hurts when they make fun of her or that she feels sad when they tease her because of facial deformity.
(iv) your suggestions how you can make adjustments to cater to the needs of the
child and to facilitate integration of the child / the intervention activity into
your classroom.
Social stories need to designed with the purpose of helping the individual with the problem behaviour. In Annie's case, perhaps the social story needs to be on how to display her emotions through verbalization due to her biting incidences in class. For example, how to react to excitement, anger and sadness. Also providing visual cues would help her to react to nonverbal cues. She can also use them in the beginning to show her teachers and classmates her feelings when she is unable to verbalize her feelings.
Teachers are a major influence in children's lives and therefore I should be more aware that Annie is learning from me hence I should model the specific behaviours that I want her to learn. Giving her encouragement and praise would encourage her to continue trying and learning as well as boost her self-confidence and self-esteem. Informing her classmates of her difficulty in speech would help them to be more aware of why she looks and speaks differently. They would understand and therefore be more careful in the things that they say. Assigning a buddy to her would allow her to interact with someone on a daily basis and also help her to practice speaking.
Reference:
Fisher, K., & Haufe, T. (2009, May 1). Developing Social Skills in Children Who Have Disabilities through the Use of Social Stories and Visual Supports. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED504818) Retrieved September 6, 2009, from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/43/dc/73.pdf
(i) the intervention - Social stories and visual supports
“A Social Story is a short, simple story written from the perspective of the child that delivers instruction on appropriate social behavior” (Fisher & Haufe, 2009 as cited in Crozier & Tincani, 2005). "They focus on describing and explaining the cues in that situation as well as teaching appropriate responses" (Fisher & Haufe, 2009 as cited in Scattone, Tingstrom & Wilczynski, 2006). "Social Stories are effective in increasing pro-social behaviors such as initiating social activity and increasing flexibility during social activities" (Fisher & Theresa, 2009 as cited in Feinberg, 2001). “A visually cued instruction involves the use of pictographic and written language as instructional supports in both structured and natural learning contexts” (Fisher & Haufe, 2009 as cited in Quill, 1995). Visual supports help children who have difficulty in reading nonverbal cues to reduce stress and anxiety as well as help them understand what they are expected to do.
The purpose of this action research project was to improve the social skills of
eight preschool students through the use of Social Stories to create a more positive learning environment. It was conducted with children who had speech and language delays and had problems with turn-taking and sharing materials and toys with their peers. Two social stories were created to teach turn-taking and sharing and visual supports were introduced and taught how it can be utilized.
(ii) its effectiveness (as reported in the journal article)
In the research, the Parent Social Skills Rating Scale and the Teacher Social Skills Rating Scale
was used to determine the problem behviours.
The Sharing Checklist and the Turn-Taking Checklist was used "at the end of each week to document the students ability to demonstrate the targeted social skill, and also how much
prompting and support was needed during teacher directed peer group activities" (Fisher & Haufe, 2009).
Journal Reflection Template for Sharing and Turn-Taking was used "to document progress
and monitor the students’ ability to take turns and share toys and materials with their
peers during a structured teaching time" (Fisher & Haufe, 2009)
At the end of the research, the teachers sent the Parent Social Skills Rating Scale back to the parents to complete. The Teacher Social Skills Rating Scale was also completed by the teachers.
The research findings found that the use of social stories and visual supports proved to be effective in teaching the children turn-taking and sharing of materials and toys with their peers. They were able to ask for what they wanted as well as to say what they wanted instead of acting on impulse through action.
(iii) your personal evaluation how the child will benefit from this intervention
I strongly believe that Annie would benefit from the use of social stories and visual supports as she would be able to see the appropriate behaviour modeled in the story and the visual cues would help her understand what she is expected to do.
Having the know-how to express herself through words instead of actions would prevent her from biting her friends when she gets excited or angry. Her classmates would not feel so afraid of her and therefore be more likely to befriend her without fear of getting hurt. This would in turn increase her self-esteem about her facial deformity. She would feel more accepted without having to worry about looking different from her classmates. Her feelings of shyness would also disappear when she has more interactions with her classmates.
Social stories will also gradually further help her in expressing her thoughts or feelings when her classmates tease or make fun of her. She would be able to verbalize her feelings and tell them that it hurts when they make fun of her or that she feels sad when they tease her because of facial deformity.
(iv) your suggestions how you can make adjustments to cater to the needs of the
child and to facilitate integration of the child / the intervention activity into
your classroom.
Social stories need to designed with the purpose of helping the individual with the problem behaviour. In Annie's case, perhaps the social story needs to be on how to display her emotions through verbalization due to her biting incidences in class. For example, how to react to excitement, anger and sadness. Also providing visual cues would help her to react to nonverbal cues. She can also use them in the beginning to show her teachers and classmates her feelings when she is unable to verbalize her feelings.
Teachers are a major influence in children's lives and therefore I should be more aware that Annie is learning from me hence I should model the specific behaviours that I want her to learn. Giving her encouragement and praise would encourage her to continue trying and learning as well as boost her self-confidence and self-esteem. Informing her classmates of her difficulty in speech would help them to be more aware of why she looks and speaks differently. They would understand and therefore be more careful in the things that they say. Assigning a buddy to her would allow her to interact with someone on a daily basis and also help her to practice speaking.
Reference:
Fisher, K., & Haufe, T. (2009, May 1). Developing Social Skills in Children Who Have Disabilities through the Use of Social Stories and Visual Supports. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED504818) Retrieved September 6, 2009, from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/43/dc/73.pdf
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Belinda Charlene Surya (Group A)
Case 1
i) The intervention- Cooperative Work groups.
Brinton, Fujiki, Montague & Hanton (2000) defined cooperative learning as “a variety of teaching methods in which students work in small groups to help one another learn academic content.” (as cited in Slavin, 1995, p. 2). Brinton et al. also noted that cooperative learning strategies provide positive learning experiences for students with language problems as they encourage grouping diverse students together (as cited in Putnam, 1998). They also noted that students who work in cooperative groups tend to be better accepted by their peers (as cited in Slavin, 1995). Studies have shown that cooperative learning methods contributed in enhancing student motivation, self-esteem, cognitive development and academic achievements. (Brinton et al., 2000, as reviewed in Johnson and Johnson, 1994; Slavin, 1995).
The cooperative groups in the research were structured such that they have a group goal, individual accountability and equal opportunity for all participants. The participants of the research involved children with language impairment as well as typically developing children. The child with language impairment would interact with two different partners for different tasks. In groups of three, the child with language impairment always seated in between the two partners. The tasks assigned were those commonly done in school and highly visual with few language demands.
ii) Its effectiveness
In the research, a Teacher Behavioral Rating Scale was used to assess the social behavior of typically developing children. Annie fell under 4 dimensions; withdrawn behavior for displaying reticence when interacting with others, anxious/distractible behavior for her speech difficulty, hostile/aggressive behavior for her aggressive/reactive behavior of biting her friends and overt victimization as she was made fun of by her peers for her facial deformities.
I identified two children whom I felt were the most similar to Annie’s situation in the research study. They were categorized under the high aggressive and withdrawn social behaviours. The two children presented a challenge in the group and displayed behaviours which might cause them to be rejected by their peers. However, each child was found to be able to participate in at least one group where half of their scans were rated as good. I believe that Annie’s social and behavioral problems as described are not as bad as the two children in the research.
The research findings showed that they were not always successful at structuring groups where children worked cooperatively on task. Further, their finding also confirmed that “simply placing children together in social contexts will not ensure that they will interact. (Brinton et al, 2000 as cited in Nelson, 1998, p. 170.)
iii) My personal evaluation on how Annie will benefit from this intervention
I believe that Annie’s participation in cooperative work groups would help her in acquiring the skills to handle specific social-language tasks such as entering ongoing interactions, negotiating, resolving conflicts and making joint decisions as these factors could be seen and experienced during cooperative learning tasks. Having group goal, individual accountability and equal opportunity of all participants in cooperative group will help Annie to be exposed to different social situations and self realization on her roles and function in group situations. Therefore I believe that by giving assignments which requires Annie to work in cooperative work groups with her peers in class, it would help to build up her social skills. It also creates opportunity for Annie and her friends to be able to interact and work together. As they continue to collaborate and interact, Annie and her friends can build friendships. Her friends would then be looking past her face deformities and be more sensitive to her as they form bonds.
When Annie feels accepted by her friends and have gained better social skills and realization to her social functioning in class, she would have developed better self-esteem. This is so as she would be playing various roles as she embarks on new tasks with new partners. According to Brinton et al., (2000), cooperative teaching approaches have the potential to help children with learning differences as they group children with different ability levels to work together. By collaborating in group works, Annie and her peers would also be exchanging ideas, learn to accept other’s opinions and make joint decisions. This approach also serves as an intervention in helping Annie to perform better socially as her aggressive and withdrawn behavior could lead to later social difficulties in her life.
iv) Suggestions/ adjustments to cater to the needs Annie and to facilitate integration of the intervention activity into the classroom.
The research suggested that care and monitoring in structuring the group would be helpful as Annie would face some risk in facing peer rejection. It would be better to group Annie with children who have the skills to deal assertively but not aggressively with hostile behavior. Another suggestion was to not view collaboration as a social goal for Annie. Other specific intervention focused on social-language skill can be considered to help Annie learn new ways to interact with her friends.
I would suggest that Annie is to work with two consistent partners instead of the constant rotation in the group members per assignment. This way, it would be easier for her to build and retain friendship as she would feel comfortable and less anxious as she would be working with the same partner who would know her better too. After she has developed the necessary skills and better self-esteem, she can then be exposed to different peers in the classroom. I would also develop activities which are relevant and of interest to the class.
Reference:
Brinton, B., Fujiki, M., Montague, E. & Hanton, J. (2000, July). Children with Language Impairment in Cooperative Work Groups: A Pilot Study. Language, Speech and Hearing Services in Schools, 31, 252-264. Retrieved September 5, 2009 from http://web.ebscohost.com.libwww3.np.edu.sg/ehost/pdf?vid=27&hid=104&sid=08a17cf9-f098-404a-ae4e-10175d3f5419%40sessionmgr10
i) The intervention- Cooperative Work groups.
Brinton, Fujiki, Montague & Hanton (2000) defined cooperative learning as “a variety of teaching methods in which students work in small groups to help one another learn academic content.” (as cited in Slavin, 1995, p. 2). Brinton et al. also noted that cooperative learning strategies provide positive learning experiences for students with language problems as they encourage grouping diverse students together (as cited in Putnam, 1998). They also noted that students who work in cooperative groups tend to be better accepted by their peers (as cited in Slavin, 1995). Studies have shown that cooperative learning methods contributed in enhancing student motivation, self-esteem, cognitive development and academic achievements. (Brinton et al., 2000, as reviewed in Johnson and Johnson, 1994; Slavin, 1995).
The cooperative groups in the research were structured such that they have a group goal, individual accountability and equal opportunity for all participants. The participants of the research involved children with language impairment as well as typically developing children. The child with language impairment would interact with two different partners for different tasks. In groups of three, the child with language impairment always seated in between the two partners. The tasks assigned were those commonly done in school and highly visual with few language demands.
ii) Its effectiveness
In the research, a Teacher Behavioral Rating Scale was used to assess the social behavior of typically developing children. Annie fell under 4 dimensions; withdrawn behavior for displaying reticence when interacting with others, anxious/distractible behavior for her speech difficulty, hostile/aggressive behavior for her aggressive/reactive behavior of biting her friends and overt victimization as she was made fun of by her peers for her facial deformities.
I identified two children whom I felt were the most similar to Annie’s situation in the research study. They were categorized under the high aggressive and withdrawn social behaviours. The two children presented a challenge in the group and displayed behaviours which might cause them to be rejected by their peers. However, each child was found to be able to participate in at least one group where half of their scans were rated as good. I believe that Annie’s social and behavioral problems as described are not as bad as the two children in the research.
The research findings showed that they were not always successful at structuring groups where children worked cooperatively on task. Further, their finding also confirmed that “simply placing children together in social contexts will not ensure that they will interact. (Brinton et al, 2000 as cited in Nelson, 1998, p. 170.)
iii) My personal evaluation on how Annie will benefit from this intervention
I believe that Annie’s participation in cooperative work groups would help her in acquiring the skills to handle specific social-language tasks such as entering ongoing interactions, negotiating, resolving conflicts and making joint decisions as these factors could be seen and experienced during cooperative learning tasks. Having group goal, individual accountability and equal opportunity of all participants in cooperative group will help Annie to be exposed to different social situations and self realization on her roles and function in group situations. Therefore I believe that by giving assignments which requires Annie to work in cooperative work groups with her peers in class, it would help to build up her social skills. It also creates opportunity for Annie and her friends to be able to interact and work together. As they continue to collaborate and interact, Annie and her friends can build friendships. Her friends would then be looking past her face deformities and be more sensitive to her as they form bonds.
When Annie feels accepted by her friends and have gained better social skills and realization to her social functioning in class, she would have developed better self-esteem. This is so as she would be playing various roles as she embarks on new tasks with new partners. According to Brinton et al., (2000), cooperative teaching approaches have the potential to help children with learning differences as they group children with different ability levels to work together. By collaborating in group works, Annie and her peers would also be exchanging ideas, learn to accept other’s opinions and make joint decisions. This approach also serves as an intervention in helping Annie to perform better socially as her aggressive and withdrawn behavior could lead to later social difficulties in her life.
iv) Suggestions/ adjustments to cater to the needs Annie and to facilitate integration of the intervention activity into the classroom.
The research suggested that care and monitoring in structuring the group would be helpful as Annie would face some risk in facing peer rejection. It would be better to group Annie with children who have the skills to deal assertively but not aggressively with hostile behavior. Another suggestion was to not view collaboration as a social goal for Annie. Other specific intervention focused on social-language skill can be considered to help Annie learn new ways to interact with her friends.
I would suggest that Annie is to work with two consistent partners instead of the constant rotation in the group members per assignment. This way, it would be easier for her to build and retain friendship as she would feel comfortable and less anxious as she would be working with the same partner who would know her better too. After she has developed the necessary skills and better self-esteem, she can then be exposed to different peers in the classroom. I would also develop activities which are relevant and of interest to the class.
Reference:
Brinton, B., Fujiki, M., Montague, E. & Hanton, J. (2000, July). Children with Language Impairment in Cooperative Work Groups: A Pilot Study. Language, Speech and Hearing Services in Schools, 31, 252-264. Retrieved September 5, 2009 from http://web.ebscohost.com.libwww3.np.edu.sg/ehost/pdf?vid=27&hid=104&sid=08a17cf9-f098-404a-ae4e-10175d3f5419%40sessionmgr10
Friday, September 4, 2009
Poh Jia Yi (Bee) - Group A
Case 1: Intervention to promote Annie’s social emotional development
(i) The intervention –
1. By providing opportunities for young children with problem behaviour to make decisions in their daily routines, it can work on their social competence (Jolivette, Gallagher, Morrier and Lambert, 2008).
2. Hyter (2003) observed that “communicative modeling and scaffolding by a classroom teacher and a speech and language pathologist, implemented within the ongoing natural routines and activities of the child in both the educational and home setting” (as cited in Jolivette et al., 2008, p.6).
3. Fox, Dunlap, and Cushing (2002) “identified four common elements in that contribute to the effectiveness of intervention” (as cited in Jolivette et al., 2008, p.4).
A family focus
Working relationships between family members and adults who work with their children
Positive behavior support
Child in an inclusive classroom.
(ii) Its effectiveness –
1. Choice-making with young children:
Promotes independence
Self-monitoring of appropriate behaviours can occur
Improved sense of control over the environment
Active participation in the environment
Improved performance
Increased sense of well-being
Connections between natural consequences and responsibility are made
Decrease in inappropriate behaviours
2. Communicative modeling and scaffolding:
Demonstrated increases in their language usage, decreases in problem behavior, and improvements in peer interactions
(iii) Personal evaluation how Annie will benefit from this intervention -
If the above intervention strategies were carried out as a daily routine, especially being practiced in the school setting and the home setting, I believe there will be improvement in Annie’s behavioural issues.
First, she may be encouraged to practice using other alternatives to express herself.
Second, her peers may learn to accept her as an individual and communicate with her when they see that she is able to use positive communication skills, instead of biting them.
Third, this ongoing process may eventually build up her self-esteem and balancing out her overall well-being such as accepting her differences and being more confident of herself.
(iv) Other possible suggestions -
Build a stronger communication system
Teacher, parents and speech therapist may consider having constant updates or discussion of Annie’s progress, so as to monitor her progress and maximise the effect of the intervention. Hopefully, the teacher may also seek professional help if there are any doubts for the appropriate classroom management
Appropriate Training Required
School may want to send the teachers to attend workshops to learn:
How to set up the appropriate classroom environment
Techniques to educate Annie’s peers on how to aid Annie in class
Classroom strategies such as social stories for child to relate her social behaviour, task cards to help in expressing what she wants
References
Jolivette, K., Gallagher, P., Morrier, M., & Lambert, R. (2008, June). Preventing Problem Behaviors in Young Children with Disabilities. Exceptionality, 16(2), 78-92. Retrieved September 05, 2009, doi:10.1080/09362830801981195
(i) The intervention –
1. By providing opportunities for young children with problem behaviour to make decisions in their daily routines, it can work on their social competence (Jolivette, Gallagher, Morrier and Lambert, 2008).
2. Hyter (2003) observed that “communicative modeling and scaffolding by a classroom teacher and a speech and language pathologist, implemented within the ongoing natural routines and activities of the child in both the educational and home setting” (as cited in Jolivette et al., 2008, p.6).
3. Fox, Dunlap, and Cushing (2002) “identified four common elements in that contribute to the effectiveness of intervention” (as cited in Jolivette et al., 2008, p.4).
A family focus
Working relationships between family members and adults who work with their children
Positive behavior support
Child in an inclusive classroom.
(ii) Its effectiveness –
1. Choice-making with young children:
Promotes independence
Self-monitoring of appropriate behaviours can occur
Improved sense of control over the environment
Active participation in the environment
Improved performance
Increased sense of well-being
Connections between natural consequences and responsibility are made
Decrease in inappropriate behaviours
2. Communicative modeling and scaffolding:
Demonstrated increases in their language usage, decreases in problem behavior, and improvements in peer interactions
(iii) Personal evaluation how Annie will benefit from this intervention -
If the above intervention strategies were carried out as a daily routine, especially being practiced in the school setting and the home setting, I believe there will be improvement in Annie’s behavioural issues.
First, she may be encouraged to practice using other alternatives to express herself.
Second, her peers may learn to accept her as an individual and communicate with her when they see that she is able to use positive communication skills, instead of biting them.
Third, this ongoing process may eventually build up her self-esteem and balancing out her overall well-being such as accepting her differences and being more confident of herself.
(iv) Other possible suggestions -
Build a stronger communication system
Teacher, parents and speech therapist may consider having constant updates or discussion of Annie’s progress, so as to monitor her progress and maximise the effect of the intervention. Hopefully, the teacher may also seek professional help if there are any doubts for the appropriate classroom management
Appropriate Training Required
School may want to send the teachers to attend workshops to learn:
How to set up the appropriate classroom environment
Techniques to educate Annie’s peers on how to aid Annie in class
Classroom strategies such as social stories for child to relate her social behaviour, task cards to help in expressing what she wants
References
Jolivette, K., Gallagher, P., Morrier, M., & Lambert, R. (2008, June). Preventing Problem Behaviors in Young Children with Disabilities. Exceptionality, 16(2), 78-92. Retrieved September 05, 2009, doi:10.1080/09362830801981195
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