A personal reflection 171- Input
- Difficulty
- Output
- Participation
- Alternate Activity
- Substitute Curriculum
Each of these modifications will be reviewed as to how they can be customized
to individual needs and worked into the routine of class instruction. Effectively
supporting children with Autism or other special needs requires a focus on under-
standing the person as an individual. When you’ve met one person with Autism, you’ve
met one person with Autism. Certainly there are commonalities amongst people on the
Autism spectrum. Yet, there is great diversity within individuals who have Autism.
Additionally, in order to maximize social interaction it’s important to seek ways
modifications can be designed so other students can also benefit from the adapta-
tions promoting meaningful social inclusion of the student with Autism or other
differences.
Size or quantity of information
Adapt the number of items that the learner is expected to learn or complete.
For example, an instructor could reduce the number of spelling words that must
be learned at a given time from 20 new spelling words each Friday to 10 new items.
Much of the time this will work. However, in wanting to maximize potential of the
student I may consider having him or her take a quiz of 10 words on Tuesday with the
remaining 10 on Friday with the rest of the students. Often the student will be suc-
cessful in splitting the test in this manner as what was really needed was a reduction in
the size or quantity of information to process at a given time: in other words, smaller
chunks of information. An additional important facet is that this strategy elevates
the curriculum modification to an accommodation. Accommodations equalize the
chances of an individual’s success to that of everyone else.
However, it is possible to take this accommodation one step further by modify-
ing the curriculum so that the entire class takes two tests of 10 spelling words every
week. Students are being assessed equally with no need to provide special accom-
modation to the single individual as he or she is included in the spelling assessment
just like everyone else.
An important criterion of successful curricular and instructional adjustments is
that they can be integrated into the educational flow of the class where everyone
benefits as described above.
It was first or second grade and students where asked to memorize the spelling
meme “I before E except after C and words with long A’s such as neighbor and
weigh”. I was embarrassed that even with the help of my classmates that I was
unable to memorize the passage as fast as everyone else. Perhaps working in partners
and focusing on remembering only half of the passage at a time would have helped.