A Literacy FormulaFor Students with Deaf-Blindness and Additional Disabilities

NCDB Topical ConferenceMay 14, 2008

Tanni Anthony and Gina QuintanaColorado Services for Children with Combined Vision & Hearing Loss Project

Sponsored by the Colorado Department of Education and the Colorado Services for Children with Combined Vision and Hearing Loss Project.

Goal to bridge the gap of significant cognitive disability literature and sensory disability literature using researched-based knowledge and the day-to-day instructional skills of teacher experts.

Members included school district and IHE experts in the areas of: assistive technology, blindness/visual impairment, deaf/hard of hearing, deafblindness, and significant support needs

Colorado Literacy Think Tank

CO Literacy Think Tank Members

Tanni Anthony, TVI, DeafblindRobin Brewer, Significant Support NeedsTerri Rogers Connolly, Significant Support NeedsMelinda Graham, Significant Support Needs/ AutismSamantha Hoffman, TVIConnie Lane, OT / Assistive TechnologyGloria Lesher, Significant Support Needs

CO Literacy Think Tank Members

Gina Quintana, SSN / DB / AutismJulie Richter, Significant Support NeedsWendy Stoltman, TVIHeather Thomas, DHHSue Wiles, Significant Support Needs

Special Consultant: Dr. Diane Browder

Changes in our StateLearning Media Assessments required by state law for all children with visual impairments, including children who are DB or have additional disabilities (since 1996).

Communication Plans for Learners who are DHH / DB

Alternate assessment has been a performance assessment (since 1998)

Summer Institutes on Deafblindness have focused on communication / literacy. (Keller Scoggins, Schweigert, Jacobs, DeCaluwe, Christianson, Downing, Browder).

Ongoing need for more information – who else to train us?

Still a work in progress….

We invite your feedback!

Definition of Literacy Used in CO

The ability to read and write, to access information, and to

communicate thoughts and ideas to others.

(Holbrook, 1996)

Broader Definition of ReadingReading with……pictures … objects (tangible)

…tactile cues …tactile materials.

Denham, 2004

Literacy ModulesPart One: Historical Perspective / Literacy Research

Part Two: Methodologies for Teaching Learners with SSN / Sensory Disabilities

Part Three: Unique Learning Characteristics: Accommodation and Instructional Needs

Part One: HistoryHistorical Perspective of Educating Individuals with Significant Support Needs / Sensory Disabilities (information shared by Diane Browder, July 2007 – see next slides)

Overview of Key Literacy Research

1910: Expect Humanitarian Care

Institutions for individuals with “mental retardation”

humanitarian reasonsalternative to neglect and abuseeugenics movement

1970s: Expect Development

Understanding child based on developmental levels.

enhancing developmentat its worse – not age appropriate; “stuck” in early childhood for life

1980s: Expect Life Skills

Teach for increased independence in skills of daily living

rejected the developmental modelteach at chronological age

What was missing?literacy was limited to sight wordskids did not get a full educational opportunity

1990s: Belonging / Social Inclusion

Promoting full membership in schools and communityWhat was missing?

Promoting full membership in schools and communityWhat was missing?offering choice / promoting self determinationfocus more on social membershipcontent was missing

NOW: Expect Gen Ed Curriculum

Inclusive educational settingsFocus on general education curriculumDifferentiated instructionAccountabilityExpectations and delivery of literacy!

Today: Deliver and AchieveStudents in general education Participating in general educationAchieving in general education

Based on a formula of literacy instruction.

A Look from Year to Year: National APH Data

28%15,77332%18,07556,913200427%15,53932%18,38757,148200326%14,93532%18,38556,699200226%14,87132%18,45456,814200128%15,38732%18,34957,696200026%14,92432%18,52857,425199926%14,63232%18,09856,690199825%14,01032%18,04756,2751997

% ofPrereaders

# ofPrereaders

% of Nonreaders

# of Nonreaders

Total # of Students

Year

Following a Probable National Cohort

3%4712%1971,7032004 74%7211%1821,7052003 6

6%10211%1951,7022002 5

8%12511%1811,6182001 413%22011%1801,6702000 3

21%35310%1661,6571999 2

34%57811%1921,6791998 1

59%99111%1911,6921997 K

% of Prereaders

# of Prereaders

% of Nonreaders

# of Nonreaders

Total # of Students

Year / Grade

A Colorado Perspective

35%20515%91589200238%22217%98587200139%22617%100586200028%16826%155602199925%15127%161594199829%14327%1645991997

% PR# PR% NR# NRTotalYear

CO Prereaders Beyond Infant-Preschool

2000 = 57 / 226 or 23 % are school age2001 = 68 / 222 or 31% are school age2002 = 60 / 205 or 29 % are school age

* 2002: 9th grade – one student

11245416131420021221514918162001011216148242000

8th7th6th5th4th3rd2nd1stKYear

Step One: Sensory PackagingDistinction of work in the sensory disabilities and the significant cognitive disabilities field.

Each student will present with unique sensory abilities and preferences that will drive how best to build a literacy program. It is more than a Functional Vision Assessment or Functional Hearing Assessment

Questions to ask:What does the child see?What does the child hear?What are his / her proprioceptive needs?What are his / her vestibular needs?What about positioning for optimal learning?

Step Two: Communication“There are still than one million children and adults who, because of communicative, sensory, and /or motor differences are non-speaking. Lack of communication skills continues to compound other aspects of the initial difficulties…. As a result, lack of functional communication will impede progress in all skill areas.” (Korsten, Foss, Berry, 2008, p. 8)

Communication is…- a process by which information is exchanged

between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior

- Communication Bill of Rights

Questions to Ask:How does the student communicate?

-Receptive-Expressive

Does the student have a communication system?Is it functional?What is the student’s primary response mode?

Receptive: Calendar System

(from Calendars by Blaha, 2001)

Step Three: ContentLiteracy

Numeracy

Science

Social Studies

National Reading Panel: Their Charge

In 1997 Congress wanted ….

Status of research-based reading knowledgeStatus of effectiveness of reading effectivenessReport of conclusions by 1998, (Done by 1999)

National Reading Panel: The Process

Literature search / useable research (25%)Reading development: preschool – grade 12Published in English in refereed journalObjective, rigorous research design/standardsDisabilities: LD, DHH, “reading disabled”Other Special Population: ELL

National Reading Panel: Conclusion

Phonemic Awareness (under Alphabetics)

Phonics (under Alphabetics)

Fluency

Vocabulary

Comprehension (vocabulary and text comprehension)

5 Components / Research and Practice

Expert Reading Panel FindingsVI, DHH, and DB Field FindingsSignificant Cognitive Disabilities Findings

What do we know?What do we not know?What are teachers doing that works? ***

Part Two:Evidence-based Instructional Strategies

For Learners with Significant Support Needs / Sensory Disabilities

Practices to HighlightCreating a Literate EnvironmentAccess to Standards/ General Education Curriculum – IEP ConnectionInstruction Linked to InterestsTeam Approach to LiteracySystematic InstructionEcological Inventory (future planning)Task AnalysisDifferentiated InstructionActive LearningData Collection

Literacy Rich Environment

Using a student’s interest “to boost literacy learning.”(Kluth, 2008, p. 41)

Differentiated InstructionWant to be sure we do not mix up level with response ability. A kid who uses eye gaze may be at an abstract level of symbolic understanding. Want to tease out:

- access symbolic level response

Three Symbolic levelsAbstract Level: Concrete Levels:Presymbolic Levels: communicate using nonsymbolic meansAnd then Awareness Level: focus is on intentionality,

Step Four: PersonalizationAdaptations

AccommodationsModifications

Access Skills

Goals and Objectives

Child’s Routine

Adaptations to Meet Learner’s StyleVisual

Auditory

Kinesthetic / Tactile

Experiential

Reading Pen

Text to Speech Programs

Write: Out Loud

Adaptations for Reading

Denham, 2004

Text using Symbols

What’s Next: choices, symbols, name, tied to other curriculum items

Personalized book

Student’s “I Am” poem in general education classroom.

Student’s with Autism “I Am” poem in general education classroom.

Shared Writing Task

Each person writes a sentence about their favorite fruit to build a story. Everyone contributes.

Letters are targeted by the colored tape.

Stickers to participate in sentence vocabulary.

To Achieve LiteracyTo achieve literacy, there must be reading.To achieve reading, it must be meaningful.To achieve meaningfulness, there must be communication.To achieve communication, there must be experience.To achieve experience, there must be opportunity.To achieve opportunity, there must be care and understanding.

Adapted from an original quote by Laurie Hinzman, LaFayette Elementary School, San Diego, CA

Student Websiteswww.starfall.comwww.cellsalive.comwww.brainpop.comwww.discoverspace.orgwww.funschool.kaboose.comwww.geocities.com/EnchantedForestwww.funbrain.com

Teacher Websiteswww.eduplace.comwww.teachervision.fen.comwww.eduscapes.comwww.readwritethink.orgwww.attainment.com

Early Literacy Skills Builder

ResourcesBrowder, D., & Spooner, F., Teaching Language Arts, Math, & Science to Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities, Baltimore, MD, Paul H. Brookes Publishing CompanyDowning, J., (2005), Teaching Literacy to Students with Significant Disabilities, Thousand Oaks, CA, Corwin PressKluth, P., and Schwarz, P., (2008), “Just Give Him the Whale!” Baltimore, MD, Paul H. Brookes Publishing CompanyKorsten, J.E., Vernon Foss, T., and Mayer Berry, L., (2008) Every Move Counts, Clicks and ChatsBlaha, R., (2001) Calendars for Students with Multiple Impairments including Deafblindness, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired