Service Delivery: Curriculum and Instruction
Program design is personalized for both content and methodology. What and how the child will learn is derived from assessment information, clinical observation, and parental input. Effectively designed programs include many of the following elements:
Content
Program content emphasizes skill development in basic domains: communication and language; social tolerance, interaction and engagement; attending; imitation; motor function; concept development; and appropriate play. Goals, objectives, and outcomes are clearly addressed in the IFSP or IEP, address deficit areas, and lead to greater independence in functional and meaningful activities. Specific skill sequences are selected based on developmental stages and milestones and are hierarchical. Core skills
are taught before more complex ones.
Highly Supportive Learning Environments
Highly supportive teaching and learning environments have predictability and established routines. Intervention may be provided in homes, community settings, or public sites. Skills that are established in highly structured settings are systematically generalized to other environments. Regardless of setting, the learning environment should include:
- A low staff to child ratio (1:1 or 1:2), particularly during the initial period of
intervention; - Adaptations to assist with changes in activities or routines (transitional objects, visual
schedules using pictures or written words); - Environmental design to maximize attention to relevant information and minimize
confusion and distractibility; - Repeated opportunities to learn and practice skills; and
- Opportunities to interact with typically developing peers.
Selection of Effective Instructional Strategies
Team members, including the parent, select instructional strategies, techniques, and methodologies based on the:
- Developmental level of the child;
- The child’s learning style, strengths, and needs; and
- The skill or task to be taught (HCPSS, 1998).
Data-based Decision Making
IFSP outcomes and IEP goals and objectives must be written in clearly measurable terms. Efficient and effective data collection methods must be utilized consistently across environments and service providers, including caregivers, to ensure response to intervention, as well as generalization and maintenance of skills. Modifications should be made to intervention plans and teaching methods, materials, and strategies based on on-going data analysis.
