An area of intervention for that child is the construction of phonological working memory, as the child has speech impairment and communication difficulties due to facial deformities at birth. Phonological working memory strongly involves language processing and development. The working memory serves as an additional model component which will be influenced by speech perception, vocabulary development and phonological awareness. This will also have direct and indirect effects on emergent literacy. According to Brady (1997) and Rohl and Pratt (1995), tasks such as rime matching, onset matching or phoneme blending can be use to enhance the construction of phonological working memory. This can be practiced by teachers in school as she attends mainstream kindergarten. Speech and language therapist could also use this intervention to enhance child’s language. Through improvements of the phonological working memory child will be able to learn to communicate using simple words to improve her social skills. This will help her in her behavioral and social difficulties and increase her self-esteem so that she will not be extremely shy and withdrawn.
Hartmann, Rvachew, and Grawburg (2008) suggested that with the measures of phonological working memory, phonological awareness and emergent literacy knowledge could be additionally enhanced. With the increase knowledge of literacy and the ability to speak, child could learn to communicate better with people around her.
It is important for adults to speak clearly with the movements of the mouth for child with speech impairment to be able to see and imitate the words. Child needs constant repetition to reinforce the words learned. The phonological working memory enable child to learn and practice the sound of words and thus enhance literacy awareness. Parents can cooperate with the therapist or even teachers to improve and practice the words learned. As child’s language improved, she will be able to communicate simple instructions with teachers and friends which will reduce frustration and misbehaviors.
Parents, teachers and therapists play a vital role in child’s learning. Teachers can use pictures to facilitate in learning the phonological words. Music and movement activities could be used as a tool to involve child in the learning of words and speaking. Children understand better when learning is interesting and they are able to relate to their environment. Teachers should also educate the children in the class to accept and help her so they will not tease her for her facial deformities. It is also very important for parents and therapists to practice and reinforce the certain words they want to teach to reduce confusion and overwhelming the child.
On the whole, measures of phonological working memory enhanced child’s literacy and enable child to communicate better. However, teachers, therapists and parents have to use it consistently to teach the child. Teachers should also educate other children and let the other children in the class be involved in helping Annie to overcome her difficulties.
Reference:
Brady, S. (1997). Ability to encode phonological representations: An underlying difficulty of poor readers. In B. A. Blachman (Ed.), Foundation of reading acquisition and dyslexia: Implications for early intervention (pp. 21–47). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Rohl, M., & Pratt, C. (1995). Phonological awareness, verbal working memory and the acquisition of literacy. Reading and Writing, 7, 327–360
Hartmann, E., Rvachew, S., & Grawburg, M. (2008, October). Phonological Awareness in Preschoolers With Spoken Language Impairment: Toward a Better Understanding of Causal Relationships and Effective Intervention. A Constructive Comment on Rvachew and Grawburg's (2006) Study. Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research, 51(5), 1215-1218. Retrieved September 2, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Jaime Tan (Class A)
Case 1: Annie
(i) The intervention – Social skills Social Stories and Visual support systems
Delays in speech and language development can significantly affect a child’s social skills and can impede appropriate interactions with their peers. Children with speech and language delays can become frustrated and conflicts can frequently occur due to misunderstandings. “Studies of preschool and school-age children with language delays indicate that deficits in language are associated with increased problem behaviors” (Irwin, Carter & Briggs-Gowan, 2002, p.1324) as cited in Fisher and Haufe, (2009).
Educational literature review suggests that the use of Social Stories and visual
supports improve social skills in children with disabilities. “A Social Story is one positive behavior intervention for students with autism. A Social Story is a short, simple story
written from the perspective of the child that delivers instruction on appropriate social
behavior” (Crozier & Tincani, 2005, p. 150). “They focus on describing and explaining
the cues in that situation as well as teaching appropriate responses (Scattone, Tingstrom
& Wilczynski, 2006, p. 211).
(ii) Its effectiveness (as reported in the journal article)
In this journal article, two teacher researchers from two different schools did an action research project to improve the social skills of a small number of preschool, first grade and second grade students through the use of Social Stories and visual supports. This research was done over a span of 12 weeks. The objective was to create a more positive learning environment. The teacher researchers wanted to increase the social skills of students who had been diagnosed with learning difficulties and special needs which encompassed eight preschool children. The children had difficulties with knowing how to appropriately interact with their peers- reading and understanding non-verbal cues and body language, turn-taking, sharing and conflict resolution. Having difficulties in these social skills areas hindered the children from sustaining and maintaining positive peer relationships which was a similar case to Annie’s.
The intervention consisted of with a pre-assessment, post-assessment and six intervention tools which involved the children, peers and parents- Parent Social Skills Rating Scale, Teacher Social Skills Rating Scale, Sharing Checklist, Turn-Taking Checklist, Journal Reflection Template-Sharing, and Journal Reflection Template -Turn-Taking. In addition, visual supports and modeling were done and a Social Story on a different area of difficulty (e.g. turn-taking, sharing) was told daily.
Through the reflective journals of the two teacher researchers, it was evident that the intervention showed gradual improvements. The overall intervention showed positive results as the children displayed more tolerance in turn-taking and that there was a drastic improvement to their impulse control and cooperation in groups. On top of that, they were able to express themselves using appropriate social skills.
(iii) Personal evaluation how the child will benefit from this intervention
From the examples of tools used in the journal article, I strongly believe that Annie will benefit from this intervention. I feel that even though she has speech impairment, the illustrations in the social stories can help her to understand the appropriate social behaviors towards friends. Also, she can learn from the conflict resolutions in the stories and model the behaviors illustrated. This will prevent her from biting her peers when she gets agitated or frustrated.
Further, the use of social stories will help the other children understand that everyone is different and that they should accept diversity. This will help children to be receptive towards interacting with Annie instead of mocking her due to her facial deformity. I also like how the intervention involves parents as well. This provides additional support for both teachers and parents. On top of that, I feel that Annie will gain an increase in self-esteem and sense of belonging through the small group activities.
Lastly, the use of visual support system can aid Annie in expressing herself or needs in ways which are discernible by her teacher and peers. Thus, I believe that the use of social stories and visual cues will not only benefit Annie but also her teachers and classmates.
(iv) Suggestions on 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
- Modifying the plot of the social stories to suit the needs of the child or address certain specific areas of concern (e.g. bullying).
- Involve other children in the intervention (e.g. dramatization of the story)
- Using non-verbal forms of expression such as pantomime and charades.
- Extend the intervention by getting children to art or write their thought and feelings after the social story.
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.
Goh Tze Chee - Group A
Topic: Case study 1
Area of intervention
It is stated in the case study that Annie tends to bite her classmates, and is extremely shy and withdrawn especially when she is teased by her friends over her facial deformities. She also has speech impairment and communication difficulties. The area of intervention I would be working on would be speech impairment as I feel that the above problem behaviour shown by Annie are a result of her inability to express her thoughts and emotions verbally, thus resulting in her expressing her feelings in the form of actions (in this case, violence).
The intervention
The journal is targeted at promoting reading in students with speech impairments as a result of a physical disability. It was mentioned in the journal that three students with severe physical and speech impairments took part in a study where the Nonverbal Reading Approach (Heller, Fredrick, & Diggs, 1999; Heller, Fredrick, Tumlin, & Brineman, 2002 as cited in Heller, Wolff & Coleman-Martin, 2007) was used. The Nonverbal Reading Approach places focus on subvocal rehearsal, where students are taught to decode unfamiliar words and evaluated systematically on their ability to read words. It can be used together with phonic-based reading curriculum to assist students with physical speech and physical impairments. Students are encouraged to pronounce words slowly with the teacher regardless of their speech clarity. Students are then taught a decoding process by first using internal speech to vocalize the syllables, followed by bringing the sounds together without pausing, while the teacher pronounces the word aloud, and lastly bringing the sounds together quickly while the teacher pronounces the word aloud again. Additional instruction can be provided by the teacher after the students pronounce the words.
Effectiveness
The study (Heller et al., 2002) examined the effectiveness of using the Nonverbal Reading Approach to teach students to decode words, and their ability to apply the decoding skills to words they do not know which have similar phonemic sequences. The results show that the participants were able to learn the targeted words, and were either able to decode a set of unknown words with similar phonemic sequences or learn new words at a fast pace with minimal additional instruction.
Personal Evaluation
Personally, I feel unsure whether Annie will benefit from this intervention, as the study did not mention the age group of the students. However, if the user of the Nonverbal Reading Approach is familiar with it, I feel that it can be adapted such that young children with speech impairments can benefit from the approach as well. In Annie’s case, I feel that the Nonverbal Reading Approach might benefit her if it was used to introduce expressive vocabulary such that Annie would have the ability to express her feelings.
Suggestions for adjustments
I think that picture cards can be used in conjunction with the Nonverbal Reading Approach such that when Annie has difficulty pronouncing the words, she can make use of the cards to express how she feels. Also, the Nonverbal Reading Approach might be taught in the form of songs to make it easier for Annie to link the syllables of words together.
Reference
Heller, K. W., & Coleman-Martin, M. B. (2007). Strategies for promoting literacy for students who have physical disabilities. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 69(4), 28.2 Retrieved from Expanded Academic ASAP database.
Area of intervention
It is stated in the case study that Annie tends to bite her classmates, and is extremely shy and withdrawn especially when she is teased by her friends over her facial deformities. She also has speech impairment and communication difficulties. The area of intervention I would be working on would be speech impairment as I feel that the above problem behaviour shown by Annie are a result of her inability to express her thoughts and emotions verbally, thus resulting in her expressing her feelings in the form of actions (in this case, violence).
The intervention
The journal is targeted at promoting reading in students with speech impairments as a result of a physical disability. It was mentioned in the journal that three students with severe physical and speech impairments took part in a study where the Nonverbal Reading Approach (Heller, Fredrick, & Diggs, 1999; Heller, Fredrick, Tumlin, & Brineman, 2002 as cited in Heller, Wolff & Coleman-Martin, 2007) was used. The Nonverbal Reading Approach places focus on subvocal rehearsal, where students are taught to decode unfamiliar words and evaluated systematically on their ability to read words. It can be used together with phonic-based reading curriculum to assist students with physical speech and physical impairments. Students are encouraged to pronounce words slowly with the teacher regardless of their speech clarity. Students are then taught a decoding process by first using internal speech to vocalize the syllables, followed by bringing the sounds together without pausing, while the teacher pronounces the word aloud, and lastly bringing the sounds together quickly while the teacher pronounces the word aloud again. Additional instruction can be provided by the teacher after the students pronounce the words.
Effectiveness
The study (Heller et al., 2002) examined the effectiveness of using the Nonverbal Reading Approach to teach students to decode words, and their ability to apply the decoding skills to words they do not know which have similar phonemic sequences. The results show that the participants were able to learn the targeted words, and were either able to decode a set of unknown words with similar phonemic sequences or learn new words at a fast pace with minimal additional instruction.
Personal Evaluation
Personally, I feel unsure whether Annie will benefit from this intervention, as the study did not mention the age group of the students. However, if the user of the Nonverbal Reading Approach is familiar with it, I feel that it can be adapted such that young children with speech impairments can benefit from the approach as well. In Annie’s case, I feel that the Nonverbal Reading Approach might benefit her if it was used to introduce expressive vocabulary such that Annie would have the ability to express her feelings.
Suggestions for adjustments
I think that picture cards can be used in conjunction with the Nonverbal Reading Approach such that when Annie has difficulty pronouncing the words, she can make use of the cards to express how she feels. Also, the Nonverbal Reading Approach might be taught in the form of songs to make it easier for Annie to link the syllables of words together.
Reference
Heller, K. W., & Coleman-Martin, M. B. (2007). Strategies for promoting literacy for students who have physical disabilities. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 69(4), 28.2 Retrieved from Expanded Academic ASAP database.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Diana Tay Group B
(i) The intervention
Case Study 1-Intervention to be focused on Annie’s communication skills to deal with social interactions with her peers which in turn will help her to cope with or minimize behavioral problems, such as biting in the classroom.
From the case study, I gained an understanding that Annie is probably a child who uses minimal verbal communication to express herself, hence, when she is upset with her peers; she exhibited inappropriate behavior for example, biting her classmates to demonstrate her intension, or becomes withdrawn to the group of children when she is being teased by them. Hence, one of the interventions could be adopted to help Annie in expressing herself and enhancing her speeches is through the use of “Picture Exchange Communication System” (PECS). In PECS, picture cards are used to symbolize ideas and thoughts. The picture cards are used to encourage more spoken language. According to Spencer, Petersen and Gillam (2008), the PECS, is a method adopted by teachers or therapist to help children with Autism in their communication skills, especially for those who are non verbal. According to Bondy and Frost (1994), when using PECS, the child will goes through 6 phases during the learning process, they are: Teaching the physically assisted exchange, expanding spontaneity, simultaneous discrimination of pictures, building sentence structure, responding to “What do you want?”, commenting in response to a question and finally introducing additional language concept (Phase 6 and beyond). For Annie’s case, I feel it is applicable to her because she will require assistance to help her further enhanced her communication skills. I feel Annie could start at phase 4 where she is taught to ask for requests by using “I want”, as she had already acquire the fundamental skills in spoken language. As Annie is requesting for something, the picture on “I want” is already attached to a board, thus, Annie needs to pick a picture card which reflect what she wants and place onto the board. The purpose of the intervention is to provide Annie the opportunity to produce speech and not to replace speech with the picture cards. Teachers should continue to use words or sentences to help the child to form sentences during the process.
From the case study, I gained an understanding that Annie is probably a child who uses minimal verbal communication to express herself, hence, when she is upset with her peers; she exhibited inappropriate behavior for example, biting her classmates to demonstrate her intension, or becomes withdrawn to the group of children when she is being teased by them. Hence, one of the interventions could be adopted to help Annie in expressing herself and enhancing her speeches is through the use of “Picture Exchange Communication System” (PECS). In PECS, picture cards are used to symbolize ideas and thoughts. The picture cards are used to encourage more spoken language. According to Spencer, Petersen and Gillam (2008), the PECS, is a method adopted by teachers or therapist to help children with Autism in their communication skills, especially for those who are non verbal. According to Bondy and Frost (1994), when using PECS, the child will goes through 6 phases during the learning process, they are: Teaching the physically assisted exchange, expanding spontaneity, simultaneous discrimination of pictures, building sentence structure, responding to “What do you want?”, commenting in response to a question and finally introducing additional language concept (Phase 6 and beyond). For Annie’s case, I feel it is applicable to her because she will require assistance to help her further enhanced her communication skills. I feel Annie could start at phase 4 where she is taught to ask for requests by using “I want”, as she had already acquire the fundamental skills in spoken language. As Annie is requesting for something, the picture on “I want” is already attached to a board, thus, Annie needs to pick a picture card which reflect what she wants and place onto the board. The purpose of the intervention is to provide Annie the opportunity to produce speech and not to replace speech with the picture cards. Teachers should continue to use words or sentences to help the child to form sentences during the process.
(ii) Its effectiveness (as reported in the journal article)
Kravits, Kamp, Kemmerer and Potucek (2002) conducted a study on the effectiveness of PECS on a 6 years old child’s communication and social interaction skills. Before the intervention, the child used mostly non verbal communications such as smile and gestures. However, with the use of PECS over a period of time, the child’s results have revealed an increase in spontaneous language, she began to ask question, take initiatives and provided feedbacks in school as well as at home. Her length of period with peer interaction was also measured and it showed there was an increase in duration.
Kravits, Kamp, Kemmerer and Potucek (2002) conducted a study on the effectiveness of PECS on a 6 years old child’s communication and social interaction skills. Before the intervention, the child used mostly non verbal communications such as smile and gestures. However, with the use of PECS over a period of time, the child’s results have revealed an increase in spontaneous language, she began to ask question, take initiatives and provided feedbacks in school as well as at home. Her length of period with peer interaction was also measured and it showed there was an increase in duration.
(iii) Your personal evaluation how the child will benefit from this intervention
I feel Annie will benefit from this intervention, if it is carried out consistently and appropriately in school with the teachers and as well as extended into home learning with her parents. This intervention has been proven to be successful for children with non verbal or minimal communication, these children have shown improvement and made progress in their spoken language, and hence, I feel Annie will be able to benefit from it as well, as her condition is not very severe. Annie will require constant reinforcement and encouragement as she moved towards the goal.
(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 besides receiving help from the adults, such as the parents, teachers and the therapists, peer influence and interaction also plays a vital role. The children were teasing Annie because they do not understand her condition, and what causes Annie to react towards them when she is feeling upset or shy. The teacher needs to talk to the children about Annie and think of ways on how they can help her as a class together.
In addition, with the intervention provided to Annie to help her increase her speech, the teacher should also assist Annie in responding towards her peers, instead of becoming withdrawn each time her peers teased her of her condition. As the interventions advance, it is important to conduct frequent updates with Annie’s parents on her progress. They could share with each other if the method they were using is effective for Annie and when is Annie ready to achieve the next phase. To allow Annie to have a good experience during the interventions, teachers and parents are encouraged to focus on Annie’s interest or strength areas to achieve the areas that needed attention in. During lesson time, the teacher may need to use a variety of tools or techniques to keep both Annie and other children engaged.
References:
Spencer, T.D., Peterson, D.B. & Gillam, S.L. (2008). Picture exchange communication system (PECS) or sign language. Retrieved on September 8, 2009, from http://search.ebscohost.com.libwww3.np.edu.sg/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=35048338&site=ehost-live
Spencer, T.D., Peterson, D.B. & Gillam, S.L. (2008). Picture exchange communication system (PECS) or sign language. Retrieved on September 8, 2009, from http://search.ebscohost.com.libwww3.np.edu.sg/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=35048338&site=ehost-live
Bondy, A.S. & Frost, L.A. (1994). The picture exchange communication system. Retrieved on September 8, 2009, from
http://search.ebscohost.com.libwww3.np.edu.sg/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=9410195336&site=ehost-live
Kravits, T,R., Kamps, D.M., Kemmerer, K. & Potucek, J. (2002). Brief Report: Increasing Communication Skills for an Elementary-Aged Student with Autism Using the Picture Exchange Communication System. Retrieved on September 8, 2009, from http://web.ebscohost.com.libwww3.np.edu.sg/ehost/pdf?vid=7&hid=104&sid=45b79058-5462-4058-83a1-07ff99dc73d0%40sessionmgr10
Kravits, T,R., Kamps, D.M., Kemmerer, K. & Potucek, J. (2002). Brief Report: Increasing Communication Skills for an Elementary-Aged Student with Autism Using the Picture Exchange Communication System. Retrieved on September 8, 2009, from http://web.ebscohost.com.libwww3.np.edu.sg/ehost/pdf?vid=7&hid=104&sid=45b79058-5462-4058-83a1-07ff99dc73d0%40sessionmgr10
Yvonne Lin Yiwen - Group A
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
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
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.
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