Creating Supportive, Inclusive Placements for Deaf Preschoolers

1. Creating Supportive, Inclusive Placements for Deaf Preschoolers The River School Model Sarah Wainscott

2. Purpose of Presentation • Provide a rationale and overview of an inclusion model: The River School • Share strategies for effective intervention programming within inclusion setting • Hidden Agenda: • Think differently about intervention • Children with hearing loss are children first • Maximize the potential of EHDI

3. Priority Focus: Competence commensurate with typical hearing peers for skills in: • Communication • Spoken language • Socialization Goal is broad competency and generalized skills

4. Timeliness of Inclusive Intervention Programming: • Advent of universal newborn hearing screening • Positive outcomes for EI participants • Earlier implantation & advancing technology • Research related to incidental language learning for implant users • IDEA policy regarding “least restrictive environment” • Narrow scope of traditional oral approach • Best practices in early childhood education

5. Inclusion Model of EducationUnderlying Principles • Multifaceted approach should be used to support the development of communication, spoken language, and social skills. • Intervention services should be imbedded within a context of “developmentally appropriate” early childhood curriculum, and alongside hearing peers. • Potential benefit in more natural context

6. Components of Model: • Small groups of primarily typical hearing peers • Transdisciplinary team of Educator and SLP • Strong developmental framework • Focus on spoken language and literacy • Family-centered programming Result: Intensive services in least restrictive environment

7. Developmental Framework: Setting the Stage • Create an Appealing, Inviting Environment • Improve the Acoustics • Think About Groupings • Carefully Plan Schedule • Create the Culture of the Classroom

8. Transdisciplinary Teaming • Diverse team of professionals • Shared ownership of classroom • Cross-training and role release • Broad professional development • Teachers as facilitators

9. The Role of Typical, Hearing Peers • Play partners • Language models • Social agents • Standard of typical development • Context of Least Restrictive Environment

10. Language & Learning:Select Target Areas • Social Development • Play Skills • Pre-Literacy Skills • Auditory Development

11. Language & Social Development TARGETS • Initiating, Responding, and Maintaining a Conversation • Exchanging Information • Negotiating and Resolving Conflict • Developing Relationships

12. Language & Social Development STRATEGIES • Facilitating and Modeling Interaction • Manipulating Environment and Materials • Using Scripting • Deliberately Grouping • Valuing Individual Identity and “Grouplife”

13. Language & Play Skills TARGETS • Developing Concepts • Using Functional and Symbolic Play • Engaging in Dramatic Play • Developing Understanding of Roles and Responsibilities

14. Language & Play Skills STRATEGIES • Providing (and Frequently Changing) Engaging Props and Materials • Narrating and Supporting Play • Using Extending and Questioning • Following the Children’s Interests • Using Themes (Books, Concepts)

15. Language & Pre-Literacy Skills TARGETS • Using Vocabulary and Background Knowledge • Using Symbols and Sequencing • Using Knowledge of Language Structure • Reading for Comprehension

16. Language & Pre-Literacy Skills STRATEGIES • Providing Foundational Vocabulary Base • Linking Print Information with Child’s Experiences • Providing a Variety of Reading Materials • Using Environmental Print • Using a Strong Approach to Phonological Awareness and Phonics • Placing a High Priority on Reading • Checking for Comprehension • Imbedding Reading & Writing in Routine

17. Auditory DevelopmentFor Early Identified D/HoH TARGETS • Detecting a variety of sounds • Discriminating saliently different to saliently similar sounds • Identifying environmental sounds &speech • Comprehending content information • Following conversation

18. Auditory Development For Early Identified D/HoH STRATEGIES • Using listening tasks in routines and play • Experimenting with sounds • Integrating auditory information with other sensory input • Using repetition, redundancy, & acoustic highlighting

19. Language, Listening, and Learning • Identify Targets • Set the Stage • Partner Effectively • Use Multiple Strategies • Create incidental opportunities to make natural connections

20. Inclusion Model of EducationThe BIG question... • Is the “Model” working for emerging language users, targeting competence in communication, spoken language, and socialization? • Preliminary data suggest that implanted deaf children educated in an inclusion model show trends of: • high frequency of interactions • greater peer-driven communication • frequent initiation of communication • rapid progress toward linguistic communication

21. Resources: • www.riverschool.net • Where We Work: The River Schoolwww.ASHA.org ASHA Leader March 2005 • Mouthtime At The River School; M.O.Kane Advanced Bionics Loud & Clear • Sarah Wainscott – Educational Consultant wainscot@erols.com