Principles and Practices

Principle

Coordination and collaboration among families, teachers, and specialists become crucial in supporting the language and literacy development of children with disabilities and other special needs.

Communication between teachers and families is crucial to better serve all children. Communication becomes particularly critical in situations where children have unique needs. In these cases, coordination and collaboration between teachers and families are necessary supports for the child.

Practices

• Determine with the family what their language use and preferences are and develop a plan to support that family’s goals while also addressing classroom and/or IFSP and IEP language goals.
• Vary and adapt the amount of adult guidance according to children’s abilities so that each child is in charge of his or her own learning as much as possible.
• Connect learning goals and activities to local and state curriculum and standards.
• Make use of all senses (vision, hearing, touch, taste) when introducing and presenting vocabulary and other concepts.
• Provide multiple opportunities for children with disabilities to interact with their peers without disabilities in both English and their home language.
• Model for your students without disabilities ways they can interact with and assist their classmate(s) with a disability.
• Use physical gestures, signed words, visual cues, and props when the real item is not an option (or pair the real item with one or more of these cues) to promote successful communication in both English and the children’s home languages.
• Implement the use of technology (e.g. computers, voice output devices, switch-operated toys) throughout the classroom as another means of supporting student learning.
• Offer adapted or specialized materials (e.g. recorded books, Braille books and other printed material, large and bold print, adapted handles on various materials) throughout the classroom to enhance active participation.
• Make appropriate environmental changes (e.g. color contrast in materials, good lighting, reduced noise level, comfortable seating and work spaces) to support children’s learning.