FOUNDATIONS OF SPECIAL AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

Lesson 12: Strategies of Teaching Learners with Difficulty with Self-care

Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the chapter, the student is expected to be able to:
 Use evidence-based instructional strategies to maximize learning opportunities for
learners with difficulty with self-care.

Previously, students with mild intellectual disabilities were placed in separate

classrooms, while those with moderate or severe disabilities attended special schools. Today,
however, these students are increasingly included in general education settings. Research
suggests that a fully academic curriculum may be too restrictive for these students,
recommending a focus on functional academics—skills in reading, writing, math, and science
that aid independence (Browder & Spooner, 2006). Selecting these functional skills can be
challenging, as needs vary. Teachers determine functionality by asking if a skill promotes
independence or has long-term relevance, like "Will I need this when I’m 21?" (Beck et al.,
1994). Educators are encouraged to combine academic and functional learning to help
students with intellectual disabilities gain skills needed for independence in their current and
future lives.
Educational Approaches
The following educational approaches could be applied to both learners with
intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder, and to those with difficulties with self-
care.
Active Student Response (ASR). This is a, strategy that promotes active student
engagement in their own learning. ASR gives attention to the participation of all learners at a
whole-class or group level as they actively respond to teacher questions at the same time.
ASR involves six discrete steps as follow:
1. Teacher poses a question.
2. Pupils are given "thinking time" to formulate an answer.
3. All pupils respond at the same time in an active manner, with each pupil required to
respond on an individual basis. This could be with the use of cardboards or sheets of
papers with responses such as ABCD, True/False, or Like/Dislike as presented in the
figure below.

Thumbs up Thumbs down

Yes No
FIGURE 1. SAMPLE RESPONSES
4. Teacher reviews pupils' answers by scanning individual pupil responses which
provide direct insight into the pupils' learning.
 5. Teacher provides feedback based on pupils' responses.
6. Teaching is adjusted when required.

The use of ASR is not only for post-instruction but could also serve to assess
prior learning of learners. Immediate corrective feedback can also be done through
this strategy, whereby additional information can be used to modify instruction or
reteach or clarify key concepts.

Task Analysis. This approach means breaking down complex or multistep skills into
smaller, easier-to-learn sequenced subtasks. Szidon and Franzone (2009) listed steps on
the implementation of task analysis and these are as follow:

1. Identify the target skill to be taught. The target skills are listed among the IEP's goals.
The target skill should consist of a series of chained discrete steps (e.g. brushing the
teeth, handwashing, and setting the table) with individualized instructions that match
the learner's characteristics.
2. Identify the prerequisite skills of the learner and the materials needed. The learner's
prerequisite skills are also listed on the IEP. Once identified, the teacher can move on
to giving details to the task analysis. For example, if the target skill is brushing the
teeth, the learner should have prerequisite skills of differentiating between a toothbrush
and a toothpaste, and holding the toothbrush on one hand. If the prerequisite skills are
not yet present, the target skill should be redefined. Otherwise, if the prerequisite skills
are already present, the teacher identifies materials to be used, that are dependent on
the unique needs of the learner.
3. Breaking the skill into components. The teacher segments the target skill into more
manageable components by completing the skills themselves and recording each step,
or observing another person complete the activity and recording the steps. Below is
an example of task analysis for brushing the teeth.
a. First, pick up your toothbrush.
b. Open the water tap.
c. Wash and rinse your toothbrush.
d. Next, pick up your toothpaste.
e. Open the lid of the paste.
f. Squeeze out some paste on the brush head.
g. Close the lid of the paste.
h. Put down the toothpaste tube.
i. Brush your teeth.
j. Spit out any paste and saliva in your mouth.
1. Open the tap.
2. Rinse the toothbrush.
3. Place the toothbrush back in its holder.
4. Take a rinsing cup.
5. Fill it with water.
6. Rinse your mouth with water.
7. Spit out the water.

The numbers are not continuous so as not to overwhelm the learner with a long list of
tasks.
4. Confirming that the task is completely analyzed. Teachers confirm that the component
steps of the target skills are represented accurately and completely, and this is done
by having someone follow the steps verbatim.
5. Determining how the skill will be taught. The
teacher decides how the identified steps will HANDWASHING ROUTINE
be taught to the learner. This is done by
deciding if a specific task is manageable or
is needed to be broken down into phases,
based on the learner's individual needs (e.g.
temperament, learning style, experience,
environments). It is also important to select
the most appropriate evidence-based
practice, age-appropriate, and
developmentally- appropriate strategy in
teaching each task. Some learners can read
each step, while others require pictures or
videos to represent each step. Regardless of
the format, the steps should be efficient and
is easily understood by the learner. A picture
format of task analysis is presented in Figure
16.2.
6. Implementing intervention and mentoring
Figure 2. Task Analysis On
progress. The teacher implements practices
Handwashing
identified to teach target skills. The teacher
also follows appropriate data collection
procedures to monitor learner progress for
the specific evidence- based practices. A
sample monitoring sheet is found below.

Table 1. Task Analysis Monitoring Sheet

Community-Based Instruction (CBI). This is a strategy or instructional method that
promotes the teaching and use of academic and functional skills in the learners' natural
environment. The setting, as well as the tasks, should be relevant and age-appropriate to the
learners. The core of any CBI program must be directly related to the areas that prepare
students to function in their community: domestic, vocational, recreation, and leisure; and
accessing community resources. These areas, described as domains, are described more
thoroughly below.
Table 2. Core of Community-Based Instruction

Domain Areas
Domestic Domain  Eating and food preparation
(self-  Grooming and dressing
management/home  Hygiene, health and safety
living/daily living)  Assisting and taking care of others
Vocational Domain  Classroom/school jobs
 Non-paid work experiences within the community/internship
 Paid work experiences/apprenticeship
Recreation/Leisure  School and extracurricular activities
Domain  Activities to do alone
 Activities to do with family and friends
 Physical fitness activities
Community Domain  Travel
 Community safety
 Shopping (food, clothing, etc.)

Systematic Feedback. Giving information to learners about their performance falls into two
broad categories: (1) praise and other forms of confirmation or positive reinforcement for
correct responses, and (2) error correction for incorrect responses. Giving feedback becomes
effective when it is specific, immediate, positive, frequent, and differential (Heward, et.al.,
2017). Positive reinforcement could also be used whenever the learners learn new skills or
perform or practice a skill. This is a great way of motivating learners but ensure that the
reinforcements are appropriately given to each child.
Direct and Frequent Measurement. A measurement is direct when it objectively records the
learners' performance of the behavior of interest in the natural environment for that skill while
it is frequent when it occurs regularly. Through measurement, the teacher keeps a record of
the improvements and challenges the learners have.
Play-based Learning. This is a hands-on approach where play activities were used to teach
cognitive skills to learners with intellectual disabilities. In this way, the learners feel like they
are just in a game, while they are actually learning.
Technology Applications. Some learners are highly motivated by using technology-based
tools. There are computer games and tasks that are instantly rewarding and motivating, that
provide instant feedback about their responses. This could be used so learners can practice
a skill on their own. Audio books could also be used so learners can listen to stories.
PowerPoint presentations on the other hand could have pictures combined with short
sentences or keywords about the action on the photo. Through these tools, listening and
writing skills could be developed including report writing, creative writing, descriptive writing,
recall of important events, and the use of adjectives and verbs.