Traditional models education focus on student learning a development sequence of skills (e.g., student learn to add, then subtract, then multiply). Most students with cognitive disabilities can learn this developmental sequence of skills but will learn them at a much slower rate as their nondisabled peers. Also, a developmental approach to programming assumes that students will incidentally learn to apply the skills they acquire to everyday life situations. this bottom-up approach (developmental) to teaching students with cognitive impairments typically leads to teaching age inappropriate skills that are not functional in nature.
A top-down approach has been verified as a more effective means of developing curricula for students with cognitive impairments.In this approach educators view the student within his/her current and future natural environments and then identify the skill sequences that will help them perform as independently as possible within these environments. This "top-down" approach lead to functional, age-appropriate curriculum.
An appropriate approach to assessing functional academics as well as other life skill needs is to use the ecological inventory process (previously discussed in Chapter One). In considering the functional nature of skills one must focus on how the skill will be used by the student; when will they use the skill; in what environment will they use the skill.
Turn to page 117 and review Figure 5.1 to observe how an ecological assessment approach leads to curriculum considerations.
Functional curriculum can be related to most academic areas. Table 5.1 present tradition academic content areas with examples of functional activities in each content area.
Review Table 5.1 on page 118. Consider other activities that represent functional skills within the identified academic content areas. E-mail me one new idea for each area (i.e., reading, math, science, social studies, & health) using the ideas represented in Table 5.1 as examples. Title the assignment "Functional Curriculum Within Traditional Content Areas by name).
Review the elementary school matrix showing the relationships of scholastic and social skills to adult life domains (Table 5.2, p. 119).
Choose one of the academic, social skill areas (far right column). Brainstorm a new idea for each of the adult life domains (across the top of the table). E-mail me your list of ideas. Example: I choose "Speaking" as my content area. I will brainstorm a new idea for each of the domain areas (e.g., employment, home, leisure, etc.).
Now do the same activity with secondary idea presented in Table 5.3 on page 120. E-mail me your ideas (spedseve@mnstate.edu) titling this "Elementary and Secondary Scholastic and Social Skills Within Life Domains by name".
Information regarding student's academic performance can be obtained from each of the following assessments. Review your notes about the following assessments and consider how they assess functional academic skills.
Curriculum-Based Assessment
CBA is a performance assessment that is tied to how the student performs within the school curriculum. Features of CBA:
Ecological Inventories
If you are still unsure of how to conduct an ecological inventory, review the description on pages 125 and 128.
Review the ecological inventory on page 127, Figure 5.4. Toward the bottom of the inventory on pages 127 and 128 find the section indicated as "Nonhandicapped person Inventory". In this section, the first column identifies the activities and skills from the ecological inventory. The next column marked as "Student Inventory" is the assessment component. a 'plus' is noted if the learner is able to perform the skill and a 'minus' if they are unable to perform the skill. The third column, "Discrepancy Analysis" indicates what the learner is unable to do, or why they received a minus. The fourth column describes the adaptations that will be put in place as well as instruction that will occur.
This process of "Discrepancy Analysis" identified skills from the ecological assessment that need to be either adapted for the student or the skills that need instruction that should then be addressed with objectives if the learner is to perform the identified activities within their personal environments.
In the following table I have developed a discrepancy analysis for the activity of "paying for groceries in the grocery store". The student inventory has been completed. Through this assessment process the skills with a 'plus' are skills the student is able to perform. The skills marked with a 'minus' are skills the student does not perform at this time. For each of the skills that the student is unable to perform, identify an adaptation in the "What-To-Do-Options" column. Also, identify what skills you would target for instruction. (This assignment will not be e-mailed but you can expect to see a similar task on the test.
Nonhandicapped Person Inventory |
Student Inventory |
Discrepancy Analysis |
What-To-Do-Options |
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Activity: Paying for groceries in grocery store |
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| Skills: Place stick to divide groceries (person in front from yours) | + |
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| Place groceries from cart onto belt | + |
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| Take out check book and pen | + |
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| Write date on check | + |
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| Write name of store on check | - |
Unable to spell store names |
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| Ask for dollar amount | + |
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| Write dollar amount in numbers | - |
Has difficulties writing a dollar amount which is orally given |
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| Write dollar amount in words | - |
Unable to spell number words |
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| Sign check | - |
Unable to write name cursively |
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| Give check to clerk | + |
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| Take receipt | + |
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| Say thank you | + |
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| Take groceries and leave store | + |
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Read about Community-Basede Instruction on page 132.
Identify an additionalfunctional environment for teaching each of the following functional skills.
| Standing quietly in line. |
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| Dressing & Undressing |
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| Writing a check. |
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| Filling out a form. |
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| Telling time. |
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| Communicating wants. |
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Review Social Validation p. 132-133.
For each of the folowing skills, identify a functional, age-apprpriate way to teach the skills to a secondary student.
| Skills | Functional Age-Appropriate Equivalent Activity |
| Adding Numbers | Adding prices of items in grocery store. |
| One-to one correspondence | |
| Writing numbers. | |
| Telling time. | |
| Counting money. | |
| Fine motor skills. | |
| Counting by fives. | |
| Learning colors. |