Adapting Literacy Learning Practices for

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• Adapting Literacy Learning Practices for
• Young Children with Disabilities
• Carl J. Dunst, Ph.D. Carol M.
  Trivette, Ph.D.
• Orelena Hawks Puckett Institute
• Asheville and Morganton, NC
• Presentation made at the 2008 OSEP National
  Early Childhood Conference, Washington DC,
  December 8, 2008

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Center for Early Literacy Learning
(CELL) gratefully acknowledges the support of
the U.S. Department of Education, Office of
Special Education Programs, Research to Practice
Division (H326B060010).
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The Center for Early Literacy Learning (CELL) is
a collaboration among the

• Orelena Hawks Puckett Institute
• Asheville and Morganton, NC
• American Institutes for Research
• Washington, DC
• PACER Center
• Bloomington, MN
• UCONN Center for Excellence in Disabilities
• Farmington, CT

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CELL Aims

• Synthesize research evidence to identify
  effective early literacy learning practices and
  interventions
• Develop evidence-based practices from the
  findings of the research syntheses
• Implement and evaluate the use of evidence-based
  practice guides
• Conduct general and specialized technical
  assistance promoting the adoption and use of
  evidence-based early literacy learning practices

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Purposes of Presentation

• To describe the CELL
• Domains of preliteracy learning
• Key components of the CELL early literacy
  learning intervention model
• CELL universal practice guides
• Adaptation model for developing early literacy
  practice guides
• Provide examples of practice guides with
  adaptations

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Conceptualization

• Define the domains of pre-literacy, emergent
  literacy, and early literacy development
  constituting the focus of CELL
• Define the key components of the CELL early
  literacy learning intervention model

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Domains of Early Literacy Learninga

• Speech Processing Skills
• Oral Language
• Phonological Awareness
• Listening Comprehension
• Print-Related Skills
• Print Awareness
• Written Language
• Alphabet Knowledge
• Text Comprehension

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Adapted from A. van Kleeck (1998). Pre-literacy
domains and stages. Journal of Childrens
Communication Development, 20, 33-51.
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Components of CELL Early Literacy Learning Model
Literacy-Rich Environments
Child Interests
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Child Interests

• All children, with and without disabilities, have
  interests and preferences that are the
  foundations for learning.
• A childs interests-based learning forms the
  basis of CELL early literacy practices.

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Interest-Based Learning

• Two types of interests influence early literacy
  learning and development

• Personal interests
• Situational interests

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Interest-Based Mastery Cycle
Interests

Exploration and Mastery
Literacy Learning Activities
Engagement

Competence
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Everyday Literacy Activities

• Everyday literacy activities provide young
  children the experiences and opportunities that
  are the contexts for meaningful and functional
  child early literacy learning and development,
  and mutually beneficial parent/child
  interactions, strengthening both child and parent
  competence and confidence.

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Examples of Everyday Literacy Learning Activities

• Playing with alphabet stamps
• Writing with chalk on the sidewalk
• Listening to bedtime stories
• Playing lap games
• Saying nursery rhymes
• Pretend telephone conversations
• Making a shopping list
• Singing songs
• Looking at store flyers

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Responsive Teaching Strategy

• Engage the child in interest-based everyday
  literacy learning activities
• Respond to child literacy behavior to maintain
  engagement in the activities
• Support child behavior and elaborate on child
  responses

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Evidence-Based Practice Guides

• CELL practices (paper, DVDs, PPP, etc.) are
  prepared in a manner that provides end-users
  (practitioners and parents) information about
  four elements of practice
• What is the practice?
• What does the practice look like?
• How do you do the practice?
• How do you know the practice worked?

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Practice Guide Hierarchy

• Universal Practice Guides
• Practice Guides with Adaptations
• Specialized Practice Guides

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CELL Practice Guides

• All CELL practice guides include four how to
  elements and real life examples of the
  practices being implemented by parents or
  practitioners.

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Examples of Universal Practice Guides

• Print-Related Skills
• Print Awareness
• One for the Books
• First ABC Books
• Written Language
• Scribble Scribble
• Get Write on It!
• Alphabet Knowledge
• Stamps of Approval
• Exploring Magazines and Catalogs
• Text Comprehension
• Read It Again!
• Tuning Into Tales

• Linguistic Processing Skills
• Phonological Awareness
• Finger Plays and Action Rhymes
• Sound Advice
• Oral Language
• Babble On
• Talk is Fun
• Listening Comprehension
• Time to Rhyme
• Hear This

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Practice Guides with Adaptations

• Adaptations ensure that children with
  disabilities
• Can engage in interest-based early literacy
  learning activities
• Can master early literacy learning skills
• Can become competent in early literacy behaviors
• Adaptations offer just enough assistance so that
  children with disabilities participate in
  literacy learning activities in order to master
  new skills and behaviors as do children without
  disabilities.

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Adaptation Continuum

• Adapt Environment
• Adapt Activity
• Adapt Materials
• Adapt Instruction
• Provide Assistance

• Source Caras Kit, Milbourne Campbell, 2007

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Adaptations

• Adaptations include adjustments, changes, or
  modifications to the environment, activities,
  materials, or interactions that support or
  enhance childrens participation in everyday
  early literacy learning activities.

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Environmental Adaptations

• Changes or modifications to the physical
  environment or the addition of selected
  equipment.
• Examples
• Rearrange furniture for easy wheelchair access to
  the book shelf
• Make a quiet place to support a child who is
  trying to focus on his/her favorite book
• Provide a child a slant board when he/she is
  coloring

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Adaptations to Activities

• Changes or modifications to the learning
  activity to enhance the childs participation.
• Examples
• Let the child use his finger to paint instead of
  using a paint brush that is hard for him to hold
• Let the child use finger puppets as part of
  telling a story
• Tape paper to the table to provide more stability
  while the child is coloring
• Let a restless child pick a book she likes to
  read even if it is in the middle of another story

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Adaptations to Materials

• Changes or modifications to the materials used
  in an activity to enhance childrens
  participation.
• Examples
• Use foam to thicken pencils to make them easier
  to hold
• Provide visual cues on a recipe so the child can
  follow the steps even if she cannot read
• Provide a switch interface so the child can turn
  a tape recorder on and off to listen to songs or
  stories
• Place knobs on an alphabetical puzzle to help a
  child place the pieces in or out

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Instructional Adaptations

• Changes or modifications to the instructions or
  requirements of the activity to support the
  childs participation.
• Examples
• Shorten the length of time a child participates
  in drawing so he doesnt lose interest
• Allow a child to stand instead of sit while
  listening to a story
• Allow a child to use a picture board to answer
  questions about the story
• Provide extra time for a child with some mild
  fine motor challenges to finish writing her
  name

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Providing Assistance

• Adult provides the child direct assistance to
  accomplish the activity.
• Examples
• Adult guides the childs hand when drawing a
  picture
• Adult takes the childs hand to point to the
  object the child is trying to identify

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Practice GuideswithAdaptations
AllWrite
Practice GuideforScribbling and Writing
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AllWrite Vignette
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Practice GuideswithAdaptations
DoTell
Practice GuideforBook Reading and Storytelling
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DoTell Vignette
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Next Steps

• Have Practice Guides with Adaptations reviewed by
  experts in early childhood special education and
  related fields
• Gather feedback from parents and practitioners
  who have used the Practice Guides with
  Adaptations
• Make modifications to Practice Guides with
  Adaptations based on feedback from experts,
  practitioners, and parents
• Develop Specialized Practice Guides

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For more information and Practice Guides go to
the Center for Early Literacy Learning www.earl
yliteracylearning.org