Severely DisabledSeverely Disabled

Teaching students with severe disabilities requires patience and creativity!

Defining Severely Disabled

1. Severity Require greater assistance than peers of a

similar disability

2. Combination Two or more disabilities whose individual

severity would not be classified as severe but in conjunction, do constitute severe.

Approximately .5%-2% of population

Defining Severely Disabled

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) defines Severe/Profound Mental Retardation as:

“ …a child with “significantly sub-average general intellectual functioning existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period that adversely affects a child’s education performance.”* *Individuals with disabilities Education Act

amendment of 1997, 105th Cong.,(1997).

Characteristics of Severely Disabled

Social developmentDifficult interacting or may be oblivious to

others. Neither initiate or respond to interactions. Difficulty performing self-help activities such as dressing, feeding, and grooming (or totally absent). May exhibit self-abusive acts or abusive behavior such as biting or scratching.

Characteristics of Severely Disabled

Cognitive developmentExhibit a great deal of variation. If the primary

disability is orthopedic or health impairment, cognitive function may not be affected. In others, student may be unable or not respond to simple commands, identify shapes/colors, or symbols/words.

Categories of mental retardation

Characteristics of Severely Disabled

Language DevelopmentCommon problems include delays inspeech

and language, speech clarity, and bizarre speech patterns. Often unable to communicate or utilizes noises such as grunts or shrieks.

Characteristics of Severely Disabled

Motor DevelopmentDelays are very common. Specific problems

may include difficulty walking or sitting without support. Children may be unable to perform basic tasks such as rolling over, grasping objects, or holding their head up.

Characteristics of Severely DisabledMay use a electric

powered indoor/outdoor chair (EPIOC)Dimensions of mobility, quality

of life and pain/discomfort improved significantly

No significant improvement in health state, independence and social life (interesting)(Davies, Souza, & Frank,

2003)Be careful, especially if

student is new to chair.

Cross-classifications

Students with severe disabilities (autism, CP, ED, Down’s, LD, MS etc) often have varying degrees of mental retardation.

Teaching PE to Severely Disabled

Most will require specialized pull-out classes instead of inclusion. However, this may change with the new legislation being considered. There are drawbacks to separation to pull-out classes including: Exposure to students without disabilities is absent Severely disabled students tend to learn “handicapped skills,

attitudes, and values” from their peers who are also disabled Teachers tend to pacify and just keep students busy at the

expense of developing functional community-based skills Skills attitudes and values of students without disabilities

often become more constructive, tolerant, and appropriate (Brown et al., 2004)

Teaching PE to Severely Disabled

Important concept – every student, regardless of disability, can learn. Educational gains may be very small, if present at all.

Sometimes, your instruction may simply reduce the rate of decline. It is your call whether the instruction is effective; if not a change is necessary.

Because severely disabled students learn at a slower rate, extension activities become necessary. Give parents ideas that can be utilize at home (homework for

parents).You may need to communicate with simple statements,

gestures, or physical prompts. However, try and build their communication skills.

Teaching PE to Severely Disabled

What to teachDetermined by educational needs of each individual

student. There are few rules on what to teach, some students may need a psychomotor focus (balance, tracking objects), other a cognitive focus (memory, directions), or affective (communicating, peer relations).

Standardized assessments such as Brockport and TGMD2 may not be applicable. There is a large list of assessments in your text however gaining access to them may be difficult.

Teaching PE to Severely Disabled

Use various prompts to communicate Verbal, printed, gesture, and

physical promptsCommunication boards –

picture which communicates to student what is happening next. http://www.do2learn.com/pictu

recards/howtouse/schedule.htm

Teaching PE to Severely Disabled

Teaching PE to Severely Disabled

Analyzing the behaviorTask analysis:

Terminal behavior: riding a tricycleEnabling behaviors: mounting the tricycle, balancing, holding

on, turning, stopping, pedaling, dismountingBreak behaviors into even smaller steps

Teaching PE to Severely Disabled

Behavior ManagementPositive (must be pleasurable): praise, hand clapping,

drawing, spinning, music, favorite equipment, favorite activities, stuffed animal, flashing lights, etc. Communicate with other teachers and parents

• Focus more of your energies on positive consequences

Negative (must be unpleasant): removal of music, turn lights on, no activity (stop). You must find what works.

Teaching PE to Severely Disabled- activities vary greatly

Manipulative Patters

Throwing Pushing a ball down a ramp, grasp and release

Catching Tracking suspended balls, reaching for balloons

Kicking Touching balloon taped to floor, push ball along with foot

Striking Hitting ball off tee, hitting suspended ball, using only hand

Locomotor patterns

Running Being pushed quickly in a wheelchair while keeping head up

Jumping/

hopping

Lifting head up and down while being pushed in a wheelchair, moving body up and down

Galloping/ Skipping

Moving arms up and own while being pushed in a wheelchair, using adapted mobility aids such as walkers

Teaching PE to Severely Disabled- activities vary greatly

Perceptual-Motor skills

Balance Propping up on elbows, making shapes on mats, balancing objects in palm

Spatial awareness

Moving arms in when going between, ducking head when going under

Visual-motor coordination

Tracking suspended objects, attempting to touch switches that activate stimulating toys

Physical Fitness

Endurance Continuous activity, movement body parts repeatedly, perhaps even just going up and down on toes

Strength Use stretch banks, isometric exercises

Flexibility Perform range of motion activities (be careful)

Activities for Daily Living

Many severely disabled students have difficulty with “simple” tasks we take for granted such as seating themselves in a chair, opening a door handle, differentiating simple words, or walkingSome students are so low functioning that

working on object tracking or skipping does not help them in their daily lives. In such cases, coordinate with PT’s, OT’s, and speech pathologists to extend their instruction.

YouTube Vid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S0j2WQLu1o