Diet and Exercise

Dysgraphia, Blind, Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Dysgraphia
Teacher Presentation
Maintain contact with student.
Allow students to tape lectures.
Provide and interpreter (signed English or American Sign Language) to those who
require another form of communication.
Encourage and assist in facilitation of participation in activities and
discussions.
Be patient.
Be a good listener.

Laboratory
Allow more time for the student to complete activities.
Place the student within reasonable distance from the instructor to meet their
needs.
Anticipate areas of difficulty in access and involve the student in doing the
same. Together, work out alternate procedures while trying not to disengage the
student from the activity.
For students who cannot use the computer because of other physical limitations
in their hands or arms, explore avenues for obtaining adaptive access software,
(including Unicorn keyboards), special switches, Power Pads, eye controlled
input systems, touch screens, footmice, and other special equipment.
If appropriate, provide assistance, but also provide positive reinforcement when
the student shows the ability to do something unaided.
Use a peer-buddy system when appropriate.
Lastly, consider alternate activities/exercises that can be utilized with less
difficulty for the student, but has the same or similar learning objectives.

Group Interaction and Discussion
Encourage classmates to accept the student with communicative problems.
An atmosphere conductive to easy and good interactive communication should be
established and maintained in the classroom.
Encourage and assist in the facilitation of participation in activities and
discussions.
Allow more time for the student to complete activities.

Research
Review and explain to the student the steps involved in a research activity.
Think about which step(s) may be difficult for the specific functional
limitations of the student and jointly devise accommodations for that student.
Use appropriate lab and field strategies according to the nature of the
research.
Allow more time for the student to complete activities.
With the student, work out alternate procedures which do not disengage the
student from the activity.
Anticipate areas of difficulty in access and involve the student with a
communication disability in doing the same. Together, work out alternate
procedures while trying to disengage the student from the activity.
If appropriate, provide assistance, but also provide positive reinforcement when
the student shows the ability to do something unaided.
Field Experiences
Discuss with the student any needs, problems or alternatives he/she anticipates
in the field learning environment.
Consider alternate activities/exercises that can be utilized with less
difficulty for the student, but has the same or similar learning objectives.
Make special advance arrangements with curators during passive visiting field
trips.
When information gathering involves a physical action that the impaired student
cannot perform, try a different experience yielding the same information.
In the field, provide assistance, but also provide positive reinforcement when
the student shows the ability to do something unaided.

Testing
Allow more time for the student with communication impairments to complete tests
in their optimal mode of communication.
Design tests that are appropriate for the student's disorder (written, drawn, or
oral.)
Writers could be provided for test taking if the individual requires such
assistance.
Check to be sure that test instructions are completely understood by the child
and provide any additional assistance that may be needed.

http://www.as.wvu.edu/~scidis/vision.html#sect2

Modifications for the blind

General Strategies

• Bring to the student's attention science role models with disabilities with a similar disability to that of the student.
• Point out that this individual achieved by a combination of effort and by asking for help when needed.
• A wide selection of magnifying devices are available that can be used by visually impaired students to assist in reading or working with objects that need to be observed.
• A screen reader, low vision projection screen, or an item like outSPOKEN or a similar system can be used to read a computer screens.
• A screen magnifier may be used to enlarge print on a computer screen.

Teacher Presentation

• By verbally spelling out a new or technical word, you will be helping the student with a vision impairment, as well as for other students.
• An enlarged activity script, directions, or readings of a detailed lesson can be used for a low vision person and for use in describing tactile 3D models .
• Use an overhead projector to show step-by-step instructions. Mask all the instructions except the one(s) that you want to present.
• Use an opaque projector whenever possible to enlarge a text or manual.
• All colored objects used for identification related to a lesson, experiment, or other directions should be labeled with a Braille label maker or otherwise tacitly coded for most students with vision impairments.
• Describe, in detail, visual occurrences, visual media, and directions including all pertinent aspects that involve sight.
• Use a sighted narrator or descriptive video (preferably the latter) to describe aspects of videos or laser disks.
• Describe, in detail, all pertinent visual occurrences or chalkboard writing.
• Where needed, have lesson or direction materials Brailled, use an enlarged activity script, or recorded ahead of time, for class handouts.
• Have tactile 3D models, raised line drawings, or thermoforms available to supplement drawings or graphics in a tactile format when needed.
• Whenever possible, use actual objects for three dimensional representations.
• Modify instructions for auditory/tactile presentation.
• Use raised line drawings for temporary tactile presentations.
• Use an overhead projector, chalkboard, graphs, or slides as you would normally, but provide more detailed oral descriptions, possibly supplemented with thermoforms where appropriate.
• Allow student to use a tape recorder for recording classroom presentations or the text.
• Make all handouts and assignments available in an appropriate form: e.g., regular print, large print, Braille, or on a cassette, depending on the students optimal mode of communication.
• Use a monocular or a private eye (electronic miniature television) or similar devices for long range observations of chalk board or demonstration table presentations.

• Describe and tactually/spatially familiarize the student to the classroom.
• Place the student and/or recorder an appropriate distance from the activity to permit recording of material.
• Use a tape recorder.
• If the student is partially sighted, be sure he/she is seated where lighting is appropriate.
• Use a note taker who takes notes in the appropriate mode.

• Make arrangements for tactile examinations, if touch is not normally permitted (say, in a museum) then contact the curator for tactile access to a museum display items or say, in a zoo for access to a plant/animal species and/or collection).
• Place the student being tested close to the activity if tactile examination is necessary.
• Present examinations in a form that will be unbiased to visually impaired students. Ask the student for the approach he/she finds to be most accessible.
• One possible accessible method is to record test questions on tape and have the students record their answers on tape in an area which has minimal disturbance for other students.
• Use an enlarged activity script, directions, or readings to go along with the testing material.
• Allow more time.
• Allow calculators to be used during the test.
• Make use of larger print (e.g. 14 pt; 20 pt sized or as needed).
• Make use of visual magnification (magnifier or magnifying machine), audiocassette, Braille/Braille graphs/Braille device for written responses, large block answer sheet.

EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIOR DISORDER

An emotional disability characterized by one or more of the following: Displayed pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression, consistent or chronic inappropriate type of behavior or feelings under normal conditions, inability to learn that cannot be adequately explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors, displayed tendency to develop physical symptoms, pains, or fears associated with personal or school problems, inability to build or maintain interpersonal relationships with peers and/or teachers.

Accommodations

Discussion / Questioning       

• Discuss the need to raise hand before speaking and listening to others.
• Reward the child for exhibiting good turn-taking skills.
• Limit questions to a small topic gradually increasing the scope of your questioning as the child's ability to "stick to the topic" increases.

Independent Worksheets  

• Break down tasks into very small steps that are clearly detailed, i.e., number tasks: 1, 2, 3 etc.
• Visually divide worksheet with lines, boxes, and different colored areas.
• Teacher should prioritize for the students which tasks need to be completed first, second, third, etc.
• Provide self-checking and/or self-monitoring experiences for their work.

Assessments

• Identify the behavior that needs to change and collect "data" on the
behavior.
• Develop a "hypothesis" or best guess for the reason for the behavior, and then develop an intervention to help change the behavior.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention.

Centers

• Include activities for various skill/ability levels.
• Self-monitoring activities should be utilized within the center upon completion of desired tasks.
• Provide list of carefully sequenced steps for student to follow to "move" throughout the center with a clear starting point, middle, and end.

Projects  

• Encourage "mini projects" to familiarize the child with the "project" concept of learning, providing the child with numerous guided practice activities until he/she has demonstrated to the teacher the necessary skills to independently and successfully apply these skills to a larger project.
• Limit the child's "choices" for projects to ideas that he/she has had prior experiences with (if necessary) until the child has shown an ability to assimilate, organize, and transfer new information so that the child may complete a satisfactory project with ease.
• Provide peer "editors," self-checking/monitoring activities, at numerous points throughout the student's work for the project.

Reports

• Follow suggestions under "WRITING" instructional method.

http://uteach.utexas.edu/%7Egdickinson/pbi/projects/PBIFall04/Motion/Content/mods.htm#modification3