Early Childhood Paraprofessional Module

1
Early Childhood Paraprofessional Module

• Arkansas Department of Education
• Special Education Unit

2
Early Childhood

• Sign-in
• Print name
• School District
• Social Security
• Pre-test
• Circle pre
• Complete test
• Turn in to be scored

3
Activity 1

• Brainstorming Activity
• Characteristics of babies 10 days to 6 months
• Characteristics of babies 1 year to 2 years
• Characteristics of children 3 years to 5 years

4
Human Development

• Section A

5
Principals of Typical
Human Development

• All people grow and develop in patterns and
  stages that may vary in the length of time
  required to complete each sequence, but the
  patterns are predictable from on person to
  another.

6
Theories of Development

• Maturationist Theory
• Behaviorist Theory
• Psychosocial Theory
• Cognitive Theory
• Sociocultural Theory
• Ecological Systems Theory
• Brain Development

Handout 1
7
Stages of Development

• Step by step process
• Does not necessarily proceed evenly
• Proceeds from concrete and simple to abstract and
  complex
• Language is unique to humans

8
Basic Principal of Human Development

• Development in all people is similar
• Development is an orderly process with
  stages/patterns that can be predicted
• Development proceed from the general to the
  specific

Handout 2
9
Basic Principal of Human Development

• Development proceeds from the upper portions of
  the body toward the lower portions-from head to
  toe
• Development proceeds from the center of the body
  to the outer body parts

10
Basic Principal of Human Development

• Development proceeds at different rates
• Development can proceed at different rates within
  an individual person
• Physical, cognitive, social and emotional
  development are interrelated and affected by the
  interaction of heredity and environment

11
Terms Used in the Study of
Human Development

• Cognitive Development
• Communication
• Development
• Developmental Delay

Handout 3
12
Terms Used in the Study of
Human Development

• Emotional Development
• Physical Growth
• Human Development
• Language

13
Terms Used in the Study of
Human Development

• Learning
• Maturation
• Normal/Typical
• Physical/Motor
• Social

14
Terms Used in the Study of
Human Development

• Speech
• Theory

15
Developmental Checklist

• Birth to 24 months is time of greatest growth
• 24 to 36 months is one of many changes
• 3 to 5 years children learn by observing

Handout 4
16
Factors That May Impede Human
Development

• Downs Syndrome
• Hemophilia
• PKU
• Rhetts Syndrome

• Sickle Cell
• Prenatal
• Natal
• Postnatal

Handout 5
17
Simulation Activities

• Simulation 1 Hearing Loss
• Simulation 2 Vision Loss
• Simulation 3 Physical Disability

18
Instruction

• Section B

19
Early Childhood InstructionSection B

• Objectives
• 1. On-going assessment of progress and
• toward development/educational goals
• 2. Keeping data on progress
• 3. Developmentally appropriate

20
Early Intervention Categories of Disabilities
Birth To Three Years

• Developmental Delay or Disability
• Diagnosed Physical or Mental Condition

21
To Determine Eligibility

• Multidisciplinary Evaluation
• Eligibility
• Individual Family Service Plan

22
Components of the IFSP

• General Information
• Current level of
• cognitive development
• speech and language
• social development
• physical development
• Childs strengths
• Family strengths

• Outcomes to be achieved
• Support services
• Start and duration dates
• Who is responsible for plan
• Procedures for transition

23
IFSP
24
Early Childhood Special Education Program 3-5
Eligibility Criteria

• Autism
• Deaf-Blindness
• Deafness
• Hearing Impairment
• Multiple disabilities
• Noncategorical

• Orthopedic
• Other Health
• Speech or Language
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Visual Impairment

25
Individualized Education Plan

• Written statement
• Developed by a team to include parents
• Is individualized based on the childs needs

26
Components of an IEP (3-21)

• Statement of measurable annual goals
• Description of how goals will be measured
• Time line for progress toward goals
• Statement of special education and related
  services that are to be provided

27
Components of an IEP (3-21)

• Statement of modifications or supports
• 1. to advance toward goals
• 2. to be involved and make progress in
• general education
• 3. to participate in extracurricular and non
• academic activities
• 4. Participation with nondisabled peers

28
IEP
29
Observation

• Observation should
• Be done for a specific reason
• Provide samples of behavior over time
• Provide samples of behavior in variety of
  settings
• Be objective

30
Why We Observe Children

• Get to know each child
• Document learning and development over time
• Gives basis for planning
• Document behaviors that support concerns
• Improve teaching skills

31
Video

• Getting to Know Children Through Observation
• Arkansas Department of Human Services (26
  minutes)

32
When We Observe Children

• Have a focus
• Vary situations
• Vary times of day
• Record over time
• Use action words
• Record what child says

• Avoid labels
• Avoid judgment words
• Avoid interpreting
• Record what child can do
• Record as events occur

33
Activity 2

• Observation or Judgment
• Read each scenario. In groups discuss the
• words that demonstrate observation,
• judgments, labels or interpretations of
• situations.
• Share with entire group 5 to 8 minutes
• Handout 6

34
Keeping Data

• Types of Data Collection
• Checklists Behavior Checklists
• Anecdotal Records Interviewing
• Frequency or Duration Notes
• Other Data Collection
• Handout 7

35
Activity 3

• Read the list of words. If it describes
• something you can see, hear, or count write
• yes on the line in front of it. If it does not
  
• describe a behavior that can be seen, heard
• or counted, write no in front of it.
• Group discussion
• Handout 8
• 5 8 minutes

36
Activity 4

• What is Your Learning Style?
• Check the items under the three columns
• that you feel is a good representation of
• yourself.
• Handout 9
• 10 minutes

37
Activity 5

• Brainstorming Behavior Reinforcements
• In your groups, develop a list of activities or
• events that reinforce you to do some things
• Discuss programs you have participated in
• that supported efforts to change a behavior
  (weight loss, stop smoking)

38
Developmentally Appropriate Practice

• Age Appropriate
• Individually Appropriate

39
Components to Consider

• Curriculum activities
• Adult-child interactions
• Ideas for materials that include children with
  disabilities
• Functional assessment strategies

40
Play-Based Learning

• Play is a mechanism for enabling children to
  progress through developmental stages

Handout 10
41
Through Play Children Learn

1. To have fun by themselves with others
2. Make choices
3. Increase independence
4. Share cooperate
5. Solve problems
6. Follow rules
7. Use their imagination
8. Complete tasks
9. Improve sensory-motor skills
10. Lay the foundation for academic skills

42
Learning Environments

• Activity 6
• Working in groups, discuss the three
• questions and share responses with the
• Group.
• Handout 11

43
Factors to Consider in Designing a Learning
Environment

1. Schedule
2. Learning and play centers
3. Outdoor play
4. Materials that encourage children to use their
   imagination and try new things

44
Curriculum Activities

• Strategies for Language Development
• Strategies for Social Cognitive Development
• Strategies for Physical Development
• Adaptations and Modifications
• Center Modifications
• Handout 12
• Handout 13
• Handout 14

45
Behavior

• Section C

46
Instructional Objectives

• Identify behavior management techniques
• that will benefit all children
• Identify behavior management strategies
• that may be used with individual children
• with challenging behaviors

47
Classroom Techniques

• Structure rooms and activities in a
  developmentally
• appropriate way
• Positive reinforcement
• Transition between activities
• Help child to feel a part of the group
• Other ways to avoid problems
• Self-regulation as part of curriculum
• Handout 15

48
Structure Rooms and Activities

1. Children benefit from a stable and organized
   classroom
2. Rules should be clear and consistent
3. Negative behaviors should not be taken personally
4. Be aware of amount of stimulation in the
   classroom

49
Activity 7

• In table groups
• Read the case study on
• Amy and respond to
• the questions.
• Handout 16

50
Positive Reinforcement

• Behavior followed by positive reinforcers
• tend to increase in strength and frequency
• An appropriate and inappropriate behavior
• can not be emitted at the same time
• If a childs good behavior is strengthened
  through
• reward, the child is less likely to misbehave

51
Activity 8

• In table groups
• Read the case study
• about Michael and
• respond to the
• questions.
• Handout 16

52
Effective Praise

• Is specific
• Immediately follows the desired behavior
• Is sincere
• Activity 9 Handout 17
• Change the negative statements to positive
• statements

53
Strategies

• Observe, Identify and Describe Behavior
• Learn each childs strengths and limitations
• Determine when behavior is occurring
• Does the child understand

54
Strategies

• Ignore and Extinguish Behavior
• Ignore is to pay no attention to the behavior
• Extinction is weakening a behavior by
• removing the consequences that have
• supported it

55
Strategies

• Redirection
• Replacing an inappropriate form of an
• activity with and appropriate form of the
• same activity

56
Activity 10

• In table groups
• Read the case study on
• Billy and respond to the
• questions
• Handout 16

57
Strategies

• Setting Limits
• Clarifies for the child both the desired
• behavior and the consequences of failure to
• cooperate

58
Activity 11

• In table groups
• Read the case study on
• Joshua and respond to
• the questions
• Handout 16

59
Strategies

• Use Natural or Logical Consequences
• Natural consequences are the inevitable
• results of the childs own actions
• Logical consequences follow from the childs
• actions but involve adult intervention

60
Strategies

• Shaping
• Reinforcement of closer and closer
• approximations of a desired behavior

61
Strategies

• Stay in Charge
• Develop a plan for what might be expected
• and what the response should be
• Handout 19

62
Strategies

• Avoid Blaming
• The child is not his or her actions
• Do not expect perfection

63
Adaptations for Infants

• Anticipate needs and act before the infant cries
• Provide stimulation
• Give lots of brief physical contact

64
Adaptations for Toddlers

• Watch for frustration and intervene before
• the child becomes frustrated
• Rules should be simple, specific, and
• consistent
• Have a quiet spot so child can regain control

65
Points to Remember

• Changing behavior is not easy
• Changing behavior takes time and patience
• If what you are doing is not working try
  something different
• Expect to make mistakes
• Staff should support each other
• We can not fix every child in every situation

Handout 19
66
Post Test

• Circle Post
• Take assessment
• Turn in assessment