Accommodations for Students with Autism

Learning Outcomes

This week students will:

1. Analyze evidence-based strategies for teaching vocabulary or content areas to determine appropriate accommodations or adaptations to support a learner with a disability.
2. Design a vocabulary mini-lesson for students with disabilities based on Common Core State Standards and individualized learning needs.
3. Design a learning objective, an assessment task, plans accommodations, strategies, and self-determination skills in the area of vocabulary that are in alignment with Common Core State Standards for students with disabilities within the lesson plan.

Introduction

During Week Five, you will learn about evidence-based strategies for teaching and assessing vocabulary and content areas to students with disabilities. You will also explore various models of vocabulary instruction to determine best practices for students with various disabilities.

You will create a mini-lesson as part of a discussion where you can obtain feedback from the instructor and your peers regarding effective planning of instructional strategies in vocabulary and content areas to prepare for this week’s written assignment of designing a full lesson plan in vocabulary or content area instruction.

Introduction

*Special thanks to Dr. Johnson for sharing her original guidance in this document

Welcome to Week Five! In just two short weeks you will have mastered teaching strategies for students who have mild and moderate disabilities.

As we begin this week, be sure to recall the evidence-based strategies that we have seen over the last four weeks. You will be using these strategies to support your students as you begin to look at curriculum and vocabulary. I hope that the simulations from last week were helpful in assisting you to understand the struggles that your students experience in the classroom.

Begin to reflect on your personal experiences in the classroom with your individual students and how you provide access to the general education curriculum on an individual level for each of them. There are wonderful resources to support students in accessing the standard curriculum, including online resources, text supports, and fully developed boxed curriculums. I encourage you to start searching and learning more about these curriculums as you enter your own classrooms.

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Week Five Learning Outcomes

1. Analyze evidence-based strategies for teaching vocabulary or content areas to determine appropriate accommodations or adaptations to support a learner with a disability.
2. Design a vocabulary mini-lesson for students with disabilities based on Common Core State Standards and individualized learning needs.
3. Design a learning objective, an assessment task, plans accommodations, strategies, and self-determination skills in the area of vocabulary that are in alignment with Common Core State Standards for students with disabilities within the lesson plan.

Week Five Tasks

1. Read from your textbook, Strategies for teaching students with learning and behavior problems.
   • Chapter 10
2. Read the key notes and additional tips & hints throughout this guidance.
3. Post and respond twice in Discussion One about planning vocabulary instruction based on IEP objectives and individualized needs.
4. Post and respond twice in Discussion Two about designing a mini lesson in vocabulary.
5. Complete the fifth lesson plan assignment.
6. For each assignment, review the grading rubric so that you know what’s expected.
7. Address every component of your discussions and assignments.

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Key Notes

As teachers we need to remember that not all students learn the same. Therefore, we also need to modify our teaching approaches to meet the needs of our students. As you have learned in previous courses, the individualized education plan (IEP) is the road map to learning for students who have disabilities. This comprehensive documents identifies the child’s strengths in areas such as reading, writing, math, social/emotional, behavior, medical, and so forth. The IEP also discusses the accommodations necessary for the student to access the general education curriculum, state and classroom assessments, and the physical environment. If modifications to the curriculum are also necessary, they are discussed in detail within the document. Remember that a modification is a CHANGE to the curriculum or expectation. In contrast, an accommodation is something that allows access to the curriculum or expectation. Additional information covered in the student’s IEP includes individual goals, Medicaid services, related services (if applicable), the extent to which the students will participate with non-disabled peers, and the supports that will be provided to the school personnel.

You will be introduced to sample IEP this week for a student who has autism. This will give you a small glimpse of what an IEP looks like, including some example goals. Be mindful that every school district has a different template for their IEP. However, under the legislation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004), schools are required to address each aspect as identified by the federal law. I have included a link to the IDEA website for you to review.

IDEA

I have attended hundreds of meetings over the years and have seen the impact that parent involvement can have in a child’s education. Sadly, as the students get older, the parent involvement typically (not always) decreases. Parents often opt out of attending meetings or ask to attend via teleconference, as they have been through the process so many times. It is imperative that we, as special education teachers, develop a bond with our students’ parents and view them as the essential members of the team that they are.

Tools

Chapter 10: Assessing and Teaching Content Area Learning and Vocabulary Instruction

This chapter introduces the impact that vocabulary has on the overall reading success of students. Two types of vocabulary and vocabulary instruction are discussed, along with two approaches to teaching vocabulary. The chapter also provides insights as to the beneficial use of teaching students how to take notes, study those notes, and apply their knowledge on assessments. Various ways to approach and teach content area knowledge are also presented, including evidence-based instructional strategies.