Disability services coordinators can assist classroom staff to support individual children using curriculum modifications and embedded learning.
Find more detailed information about highly individualized teaching and learning strategies, including Curriculum Modifications and Embedded Learning Opportunities.
Types of Curriculum Modifications
- Environmental Support: Alter the physical, social, and temporal environment so the child can participate, engage, and learn.
- Adaptation of Materials: Modify materials so the child can participate as independently as possible.
- Simplify the Activity: Simplify a complicated task by breaking it into smaller parts or by reducing the number of steps.
- Child Preferences: If the child is not taking advantage of the available opportunities, identify and integrate the child's preferences.
- Special Equipment
- Use special or adaptive devices that allow the child to participate or increase the child's level of participation, including homemade equipment or devices, as well as commercially available therapeutic equipment.
- Consider assistive technology and other accommodations.
- Adult Support: Have an adult intervene in an activity or routine to support the child's participation and learning. This is often called scaffolding.
- Peer Support: Use peers to help the child make progress toward the learning goals.
- Invisible Support: Purposely arrange naturally occurring events within one activity.
Embedded Learning Opportunities
- Intentional and Systematic Learning Opportunities: Plan meaningful, developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate opportunities that align with the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework.
- Priority Skills: Focus on behaviors to create, change, or enhance.
- Everyday Learning Opportunities: Intentionally set up learning experiences and interactions in typically occurring activities, routines, and transitions.
- Activity Matrix: Ensure authentic activities and materials support learning and specific skill development.
- Ongoing, Authentic Assessment: Use ongoing assessment to identify children's strengths and areas where they need improvement.
- Families
- Share strategies back and forth with families so they can support their child's development at home.
- Consider culturally and linguistically responsive strategies.
