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The Critical Role of Literacy in the Education of Students with Severe Disabilities

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Betty's Parents' Views (2) 'Oh, yeah. I'm thrilled with how she thinks of herself. ... She waits for it, turns the page until the end of the book, presses the end and ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: The Critical Role of Literacy in the Education of Students with Severe Disabilities


1
The Critical Role of Literacy in the Education of
Students with Severe Disabilities
  • 2008 TASH Conference
  • Nashville, TN
  • Lucille A. Zeph, Ed.D.

2
Literacy for All


3
Why Literacy?
  • Literacy is a critical component of
    communication.
  • Literacy enhances continued language development.
  • Literacy provides access to education.
  • Literacy is a means of accessing information.
  • Literacy offers access to independence.

4
Why Literacy? (2)
  • Literacy serves as a leisure activity throughout
    life.
  • Literacy is an equalizer.
  • Literacy is what many self-advocates express as a
    missing element in their education and their
    lives.
  • Literacy access is an educational, civil and
    human right---a means of achieving social justice.

5
Historical Barriers toLiteracy Access
  • Assumption of incompetence to acquire literacy if
    a student did not demonstrate typical
    developmental prerequisites to literacy (i.e.
    letter id, verbal language, etc.) or if the
    student had certain labels.
  • Paucity of research related to exploration of
    alternate approaches to literacy acquisition for
    students with significant cognitive disabilities.

6
Historical Barriers toLiteracy Access (2)
  • Special education settings and curricula provided
    little emphasis on literacy environments or
    instruction.
  • Emphasis on functional skills versus academics.

7
What We Know NowEvidence-Based Instruction for
All Students
  • National Reading Panel Report, 2000
  • Phonemic Awareness
  • Phonics
  • Fluency
  • Vocabulary
  • Comprehension
  • Contextual Teaching

8
What We are Learning About Literacy Instruction
for Complex Learners
  • Much of what we know about effective teaching
    practices for all students applies to complex
    learners.
  • Assessment of both content (knowledge and skills)
    and process (how students learn) is critical and
    individual.
  • New learning must be connected to existing
    knowledge and skills--cognitive mapping.

9
What We are Learning About Literacy Instruction
for Complex Learners (2)
  • Teaching methods must match learning styles and
    are best determined through dynamic assessment
    and hypothesis testing with each student.
  • The use of technology facilitates learning
    options and provides flexibility to the learning
    environment.

10
Characteristics of Literacy Rich Inclusive
Classrooms
  • Immersion in print and high quality literacy
    experiences.
  • Diversity of learning opportunities and
    materials.
  • Multiple variations of targeted literacy
    activities and materials.

11
Characteristics of Literacy Rich Inclusive
Classrooms (2)
  • Curriculum and materials that reflect five key
    components of balanced literacy.
  • Technology used as a component of a holistic
    literacy program and to facilitate access.

12
Inclusive Literacy Education in Action
13
Literacy Rich Inclusive Classrooms
14
Matts Story
15
Matts History
  • Demographic Information
  • Chronological age at start 5 years, 9 months
  • Grade placements Kindergarten Grade 1
  • Disability Description
  • Multiple Disability/Down Syndrome
  • Congenital heart defect
  • Mild hearing loss in each ear

16
Matts History (2)
  • Speech and Language Delays
  • Educational History Beginning K 2003-2004
  • Early intervention, therapeutic and general
    preschools settings developmental therapy
    physical therapy

17
Pre-Assessment Literacy Skills
  • Some letter recognition
  • Text directionality not established
  • Word matching not established
  • Limited book handling skills
  • No sight words identified

18
Literacy Post-Assessment
  • Dramatically increased engagement/enjoyment of
    books
  • Self-identified as a reader
  • Demonstrated ability to read at primer level
  • Spelling writing at 1st grade level
  • Solid sight vocabulary

19
Literacy Post-Assessment (2)
  • Mastered book handling skills
  • Journal writing with support initial
    self-editing
  • Computer skills
  • Turn on, launch, and execute literacy software
    independently
  • Chose big book reading during free time

20
Literacy Post-Assessment (3)
  • Talked about stories with parents at home
  • Wrote about experiences
  • Authored his own books
  • Read aloud from his journal
  • Shared his journal and stories with peers at
    circle time

21
Parents ViewsChanges in Matts Literacy
  • Oh! He has flourished so much lately.
    Whenever we get in the car he has to read a book.
    He always has to have a pointer, too. Mom, do
    you have a pencil? And hell point to the words
    over the river and through the woods. And hell
    say who the book is by.sounding out the words.

22
Parents Views Changes in Matts Literacy (2)
  • Hell say, Mom I want to go p-l-a-y or you
    knowits time for b-e-d! He spells everything
    to us. Its amazing to have him spelling out the
    words with things he wants to do.
  • When I was on the phone the other day, he
    said, Mom can I t-o-c talk? That just killed
    me! I want to t-o-c. I love that!

23
Bettys Story
24
Bettys History
  • Demographic Information
  • Chronological age at start 5 years, 4 months
  • Grade placement Kindergarten Grade 1
  • Disability Description
  • Down Syndrome
  • Some visual impairment (wears glasses)
  • Verbal with speech and language delays

25
Literacy Skills Pre-Assessment
  • No letter recognition
  • No text directionality
  • No word for word matching
  • Very limited book handling skills
  • No measured sight words

26
Post-Assessment Literacy Skills
  • Computer skills
  • Turn on, launch, and execute literacy software
    with minimal support. Word for word matching.
  • Text directionality
  • Book handling skills
  • Choice of Big Book reading during free time
  • Engaging with books
  • Concepts about Print, Letter ID
  • Vocabulary, paragraph comprehension

27
Betty and Matt
28
Bettys Parents Views
  • I see a very advanced behavior from last year. I
    see her choosing books. I see her.she has a
    large array of books, but then shell only want
    to read a certain book, and youll give her a big
    selection, and shell still want to read the same
    group of books, and usually theyre sing songy
    books that she can sing to you or read to you.
  • She wants to read.

29
Bettys Parents Views (2)
  • Oh, yeah. Im thrilled with how she thinks of
    herself. She now thinks of herself as a reader.
    Before shed go through books, but she wouldnt
    read them. Now she has to read me the book before
    I can read it to her. She goes to every single
    page. She goes right to the right spot where you
    begin to read. She goes right to the bottom. She
    checks the end of each page. She loves to sit
    there with the book that was made for her.

30
Diannes Story
31
Diannes History
  • Demographic Information
  • Chronological age at start 8 years, 1 month
  • Grade placements Grade 1 and 3
  • Disability Description
  • Diagnosis of nonspecific seizure disorder
  • Overall significant delays in speech, cognitive,
    motor and sensory development
  • Non-verbal limited vocalizations and gestures
  • Uses signs and exchanges Mayer Johnson pictures
    and points to communicate requests

32
Diannes Literacy Pre-Assessment
  • No measured letter identification
  • No measured book handling skills
  • No measured sight words
  • No measured word for word matching
  • No use of computer

33
Diannes LiteracyPost-Assessment
  • Formal assessments yielded little data
  • Marked increase in engagement and interest in
    books
  • Observable book handling skills
  • Page turning (Computer and print)
  • Orientation
  • Page order

34
Diannes LiteracyPost-Assessment (2)
  • Letter recognition
  • D and not D
  • M and not M
  • Letter sound recognition
  • Identifies target sound from distracter sounds
  • Word name and picture matching
  • Identifies target word and icon from spoken word
    name

35
Diannes LiteracyPost-Assessment (3)
  • Demonstrated comprehension
  • Making correct choices
  • Laughing at appropriate times
  • Responding to book directions
  • Turning page after text had been read
  • Responding to questions by pointing to pictures
    in story.

36
Diannes LiteracyPost-Assessment (4)
  • Book reading as a chosen activity
  • Spontaneously chose print and digital books when
    given the opportunity to (Clifford books, Andy
    Ant, Hannah Likes Hats)
  • Increased focus/attention span
  • Developed computer skills
  • Navigated menus, turned pages, selected
    activities and exited program independently and
    with verbal prompting.

37
Diannes Parents Views
  • These are the books shes been reading,
    programmed into the springboard (communication
    device).. She picks this book, Hello Clifford.
    She presses the button. It says, Hello
    Clifford. She opens it up, presses the button,
    and it says, Hello Clifford. She knows to turn
    the page. She looks at the picture. She presses
    the button, I am Clifford. She waits for it,
    turns the page until the end of the book, presses
    the end and then wants to read it again.

38
Diannes Parents Views (2)
  • But I dont think she would have done it last
    year. I mean it was just this year because of the
    reading program. I had her participate in it like
    the other kids, and that really prompted us to
    read. Weve always read to her, but this really
    prompted us to read more to her and sit and have
    her attend to just reading a picture book, were
    reading Julie Jones and theres very few
    pictures, and shes fine with that. I dont even
    think the last time I read to her, she didnt
    care to look at the pictures. She was just happy
    having us there reading to her.

39
Diannes Parents Views (3)
  • She definitely holds books now. She loves
    books, and has recently started to use her voice
    output device to read us short little phonic
    books.
  • Strengths in reading.she has a love for it.
    There really isnt a day that goes by that she
    doesnt pick up a book. She has books in her room
    in the morning. You can hear her in there
    flipping pages.
  • We read chapter books to her now and then.
    She attends to that. She has books in several
    locations in the house, and she often is looking
    at a book.

40
Diannes Parents Views (4)
  • You know. Its real interesting. She likes to
    do it, and shell study pictures, you know,
    shell look at a book. She doesnt just turn
    pages and just, she might turn a page and shell
    look at it. You can tell shes absorbing some
    sort of information. What it isyou dont know.

41
Sooo, what are the barriers?
  • Outdated beliefs and understanding
  • Uninformed attitudes
  • Lack of research
  • Lack of personnel preparation/professional
    development

42
Barriers (2)
  • Lack of information for parents
  • Limited instructional practices
  • Low expectations
  • Limited accountability

43
What Can We Do About It?
  • Assume competence
  • Provide access and opportunity to literacy
    instruction to all students.
  • Build upon what we already know about literacy
    instruction for typical students.
  • Incorporate teaching strategies that we already
    know are effective for students with varied
    learning styles.

44
What Can We Do About It? (2)
  • Collect ongoing data for each child and modify
    instruction when progress is not being achieved.
  • Utilize technology and the principles of
    universal design to ensure equal access.
  • Prepare both general and special educators to use
    technology as an integral aspect of
    instruction---rather than an add-on.

45
More We Can Do
  • Incorporate what we currently know about learning
    strategies to support varied instructional
    methods.
  • Continue to explore new advances in neuroscience
    to inform instructional methods.
  • Utilize classroom-based action research to test
    hypotheses related to literacy acquisition for
    complex learners.

46
Additional Questions
  • Can students with significant cognitive
    disabilities who receive early and continuous
    balanced literacy instruction continue to acquire
    literacy at a rate similar to that of their
    typical peers?
  • Is there a limit to the level of literacy
    achievement for students with significant
    cognitive disabilities?
  • Is the level of potential achievement a function
    of their ability to learn or our ability to
    teach?
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