Nina Kurfman SPED 461 IP- part 2 December 2, 2013 Student Description: The student I chose to target for

this assignment, J.B., is seven years old, a female, and as stated on her individual education plan (IEP) has a primary diagnosis of other health impairment and a secondary diagnosis of visually impaired including blindness (VIIB). J.B. is a second grader, but receives most of her instruction in the K-1 cross-categorical classroom. From the practicum placement in this classroom last spring, I know that a team decision was made to progress J.B. to the next grade level but keep in the K-1 classroom. This decision was based on the teachers knowledge and experience with her curriculum interventions and the foreseen low numbers of the K-1 classroom to allow for more 1:1 attention and personalized instruction. As stated, most of her instruction is in the self-contained cross-categorical room, but she is included with her same aged peers during calendar, lunch, and recess. J.B.s curriculum continues to be fostered through the PS-Fall reading system (Project Symbol-Functional Adapted Literacy and Language program) as it did the pervious year. J.B. is able to identify/discriminate 166 words/pictures, which is more than double of where she was last year at this time, while also having the ability to track symbols on two lines independently and answer simple comprehension questions from the text, but has yet to generalize skills to written expression (H. Edwards, personal communication, September 20, 2013). J.B. has proven the ability to identify and discriminate all upper and lower case letters of the alphabet (H. Edwards, personal communication, September 20, 2013). She also receives instruction through the handwriting without tears program to improve motor and handwriting skills (H. Edwards, personal communication, September 20, 2013). Her math skills are emerging, working on number, coin, and time identification (H. Edwards, personal communication, September 20, 2013). In February of 2012, J.B. attended the low vision clinic where she was tested using pictures and it was determined that her acuity to be 4/50 at a distance (H. Edwards, personal communication, September 20, 2013). She has the ability to identify very small objects at a near distance and discriminate visual like symbols, but her left and right sidedness is still inconsistent (H. Edwards, personal communication, September 20, 2013). This past summer the student has begun toilet training, but is still a concern for staff for she has yet to void at school (H. Edwards, personal communication, September 20, 2013). H. Edwards stated J.B. uses her Vantage communication device throughout the day, and believes this use has helped to facilitate more verbalizations the past year and continues to help her verbal communication skills increase, however the minimum verbal skills she does posses are intelligible (personal communication, September 20, 2013). J.B. uses gestures and signs to communicate, but would be unfamiliar to those not familiar with the student.

Student: JB Skill: Requesting a preferred item Initiator: Classroom Teacher Context for Instruction: Instruction of this skill will occur throughout the morning and afternoon routine during small work groups in the natural setting of JBs K-1st crosscategorical classroom. During this time, there are two adults in the classroom (one special education teacher and one para professional) and four students who spend the majority of the day together in the cross cat classroom. Instruction and assessment will be implemented during class time when all students are involved in small work groups, working on independent skills on differentiated skill levels. Skill Sequence: (Class Notes, 2013)

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Program Objective: When presented with one symbol, one distractor, two objects, and the prompt What do you want?, JB will independently point to the symbol from the communication broad (one symbol and one distracter) corresponding to the preferred object to communicate her request of the object. Generalization: To promote skill generalization, the instructor will be rotated among the different professionals working directly with the student and will occur across different environments. Rational: Having the ability to request preferred objects is an essential and functional skill within communication (Sigafoos et al., 1996). In addition, this skill gives way to valuable types of reinforcement and provides one with an aspect of control over their environment (Sigafoos et al., 1996). Assessment Procedures: 1. To begin each assessment opportunity, the instructor will hold a preferred object (Ipad) in view of the student. At this time as the item is being offered to the student, the instructor will say, What do you want? and wait ten seconds and record the students response. 2. If the student correctly responds, by pointing the symbol of the preferred item, circle the + on the data sheet of the corresponding opportunity. Wait five seconds before initiating the next opportunity. 3. If the student incorrectly responds, by pointing the distracter, not providing a response within ten seconds, or reaching for the item, circle the on the data sheet of the corresponding opportunity. Wait five seconds before initiating the next opportunity. 4. Repeat until the instructor has provided ten consecutive opportunities for the student to request the item. 5. Calculate the percent of correct responses and graph on skill graph.

Assessment Schedule: During baseline, assessment will occur on each scheduled or naturally occurring opportunity, unit performance is stable. Once instruction begins, assess every third trial until mastery criterion is met. Instructional Procedures: Instruction will occur on every scheduled or naturally occurring opportunity, except on probe trails (every third turn). 1. Instruction will begin by displaying one symbol and one object to the student. Opportunities to request will be initiated by the instructor displaying the preferred item and providing the prompt, What do you want? 2. If the student points to the correct symbol, within ten seconds, present the student with the object. 3. If the student responds incorrectly, by reaching for the object or not responding within ten seconds, physically guide the students finger to the symbol and repeat the verbal prompt. This prompt does not lead to access of the object. 4. Wait five seconds and initiate the next opportunity. 5. If the student provides a correct response, present the student with the object. 6. If the student gives an incorrect response say, No and place the students hand over the incorrect response. Then repeat the verbal prompt while modeling the correct response of placing the students finger on the correct symbol. 7. Provide praise and present the student with the object. 8. Wait five seconds before initiating he next opportunity. 9. When each step of the skill sequence has met mastery, add the next component of the sequence. (Sigafoos et al., 1996) Reinforcement: Specific, direct verbal praise will be provided upon each correct response, in addition to the natural reinforcement of being presented with the object requested. The natural reinforcement will continue, but the verbal praise will be faded accordingly: -every other correct response -every third correct response

-every fourth correct response -no specific verbal praise Maintenance: Follow-up probes will be administered every two weeks. The same procedures used during instruction will be utilized during maintenance. Maintenance will also be facilitated through fading of verbal reinforcement. Research Component: Sigafoos, J., Couzens, D., Roberts, D., Phillips, C., & Goodison, K. (1996). Teaching requests for food and drink to children with multiple disabilities in a graphic communication mode. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities. 3, 247-262. A study done by Sigafoos, Couzens, Roberts, Phillips, and Goodison (1996) demonstrated the success of using time-delay, prompting, reinforcement, and error correction strategies to teach requesting skills to individuals with multiple disabilities. The participants of this study were two young girls with multiple disabilities, including visual impairment. At the time of the study, neither of the two girls used any form of communication to make requests. Before beginning intervention, a preference assessment was conducted to identify preferred food and drinks items for each participant. Once baseline data was collect, intervention began. Intervention stated by selecting a single item and offering ten successive opportunities for the student to request the single item. The instructor presenting the item and saying, If you want this, point to initiated these communicative opportunities. If the participant pointed to the corresponding symbol, the item was given to the participant. If the participant gave an incorrect response or failed to respond within ten seconds, the instructor introduced a physically prompt by guiding the participants finger to the correct symbol while restating the verbal prompt. After five seconds had passes, the instructor initiated another opportunity. If this opportunity were followed by an incorrect response, the instructor would say, No while simultaneously placing the participants hand of the correct symbol. With the instructor still providing physically prompting, the instructor would present the item out of reach and say, If you want this, point to while modeling the correct response. If the participant then responded correctly, praise was given and the item to the participant and the next opportunity began five seconds later. & 17:#'((85&;<5&=>!"74425&?<5&1""42@A()B5&1<5&C&D6)787E%#5&F<&&-9GGH/<&&I"#$%7E:&8,J6"E,8& & K7,%&6"L"4(M3"E,#4&678#*747,7"8&,(&4($#,"&,%"7)&NNF&6"L7$"<&&!"#"$%&'()*( ( +","-./0"*1$-(+)#$2)-)1)"#3(455&OP.@OQO<& In study conducted by Sigafoos, OReilly, Seely-York, and Edrisinha (2003) participants were instructed to use a VOCA device to communicate the request of I want more.

After a preference assessment was completed for each participant, preferred items were identified. Instruction began by placing a tray of a preferred item in front of the participant, as well as their VOCA device. If the participant reached for the tray or touched a blank symbol, this was an incorrect response, and the instructor would use the least amount of physical guidance necessary to get a correct response. The participant was given access to the item after each correct response, prompted or not. Over instructional opportunities, physical guidance as delayed by five seconds to encourage independence. 1 symbol, 1 object 1 + (Ipad) 2 + (Ipad) 3 + (Ipad) 4 + (Ipad) 5 + (Ipad) 6 + (Ipad) 7 + (Ipad) 8 + (Ipad) 9 + (Ipad) 10 + (Ipad) Notes: - (Dist) - (Dist) - (Dist) - (Dist) - (Dist) - (Dist) - (Dist) - (Dist) - (Dist) - (Dist)

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Materials: I would have liked to have created a program around the use of the students Vantage device, to help change the student perceptions of the device as work, but was unable to work it out with the classroom staff. Instead of the students Vantage device, this low- tech communication board was utilized. I felt the student would be able to successfully learn to use this communication with her ability to use her other device. Also, with it being a new device, the student may not have negative feelings associated with it and be more open to using it. Even though the students verbal skills are increasing and communicates through sign and gestures, her communication skills would not recognized by those who are not familiar to the student.