Embedding Instruction
Opportunities for Young
Children with Special Needs
SST Region 11 - Columbus, OH
November 20, 2009
EMBEDDED INTERVENTION
Weaving Teaching and
Intervention into Routine
Activities
Recipe for Embedding Instruction for
Children with Special Needs
 Functional learning goals and objectives
 Opportunities for children to learn and
practice functional skills or behaviors
across the curriculum and across daily
activities
 Developmentally appropriate routines
and activities
Material taken from Project Open House,
Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney
A Routines-Based Approach
What’s the best way to address
children’s learning goals and
objectives?
Most experts in early childhood and early
childhood special education will agree that a
“routines-based approach” works best
(Bricker, Pretti-Frontzcak, & McComas, 1998;
Sandall & Schwartz, 2002).
Material taken from Project Open House,
Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney
What are Routines?
Activities that are predictable (may occur
at the same time of the day or in same
sequence every day)
Examples of Routines
 Family / Home
 Classroom
 Wake up
 Snack
 Eat meals
 Outside Play
 Church on Sunday
 Circle Time
 Laundry on Mon. &
 Centers
Weds
A “Routines-Based” or “ActivityBased” Model for Intervention:
Embedded Instruction
- Focuses on a child’s daily routines or
activities like snack, playtime, circle time,
dramatic play as a context for learning and
OPPORTUNITY for EMBEDDING
- Teachers give children opportunities to
practice targeted IEP or IFSP goals or
activities during these daily routines or
activities instead of creating special
instructional time.
Material taken from Project Open House,
Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney
Daily Routines and Activities Provide Opportunities for
Learning for Young Children
Play time!
Blocks, dramatic
play, outside play,
manipulatives, art
materials
Reading!
Reading alone or
being read to
individually or in
groups
Singing songs!
Participating in
group songs or
fingerplays
Eating!
Breakfast, snack,
lunch or dinner
Resting!
Napping,
sleeping,
spending quiet
time alone
Taking care of
oneself!
Bathroom,
washing, getting
dressed
Transitioning!
Coming to school
and going home,
changing
activities during
the day
Others?? Are
there other
routines or daily
activities that
occupy the time
of children you
know?
Material taken from Project Open House,
Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney
Why does a “routines-based”
approach help young children learn?
1.
2.
3.
Children learn best when they’re
interested and motivated.
Children learn best when opportunities to
learn and practice skills occur
throughout the day, instead of just
during one period of time.
It’s difficult for busy early childhood
teachers to take time out of the
classroom schedule to provide special
instruction to meet children’s learning
needs.
Material taken from Project Open House,
Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney
How do I use a “Routines-Based”
approach?
 Find good times to help children learn
about and practice new skills or behaviors.
Good times are times when children
usually use certain skills. For example,
 Taking turns during a board game
 Using names of objects when playing
in the housekeeping area
 Requesting things during a meal
Material taken from Project Open House,
Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney
Using a “routines-based” approach:
 Know what children are interested in, what
gets their attention or what motivates them
 Favorite activities…going down the
slide, being read to, playing with
blocks
 Favorite foods…apple juice, graham
crackers, pizza
 Favorite people…Ms. Susan, friend
Tommy, next door neighbor Mr. Gray.
Material taken from Project Open House,
Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney
Finding Time to Help Children
Practice
Once teachers have identified some
times that children naturally use
skills, they can devise learning
opportunities embedded within the
routine or activity.
. . . Some examples?
Material taken from Project Open House,
Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney
Let’s help Justin practice following
directions…..
Justin is 5 and has trouble following 2part directions (like “Put away the
truck and come sit down.”)
It’s important that Justin learns how to
follow directions because he’s going
to kindergarten next year.
Material taken from Project Open House,
Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney
Tom’s Plan
Tom is Justin’s teacher and knows that
Justin really likes to look at books after
lunch.
He decides to use clean-up after lunch
(and before books) as a time to help
Justin practice following directions.
Material taken from Project Open House,
Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney
More About Tom’s Plan…
 Once Justin is through with lunch, Tom
gives him a chance to practice following
directions by saying…


“Justin, when you’re done with lunch,
throw your cup away and push in your
chair.”
He helps Justin follow the direction if
Justin needs help.
Material taken from Project Open House,
Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney
Planning for Ashley
 Ashley is 4 and has a language delay
and problems in communication that
often cause her to have difficulty
interacting with other children. Her IEP
includes the following objectives:
 Engage in conversations with other
children
 Use words to describe common
objects
 Take turns playing with toys and
materials
Material taken from Project Open House,
Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney
How would you help Ashley?
 Using Ashley’s matrix, identify ways that
her teacher can give her help with her
IEP objectives during the activities or
routines marked with an “X”.
Material taken from Project Open House,
Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney
Ashley’s Activity Matrix
IEP Objectives
Free Play
Engage in
conversations
with other
children
x
Use words to
describe
common
objects
x
Take turns
playing with
toys and
materials
x
Snack
Outside
Bathroom
x
x
x
Material taken from Project Open House,
Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney
x
Circle
Robert Will Walk Unassisted for
10 Feet
 Set up furnishings in the classroom so that it’s easy
to mark 10 feet—from the snack table to the
bookcase.
 During daily classroom activities, Robert’s teacher
can easily keep track of how far he walked (e.g.,
halfway from the snack table to the book case—
about 5 feet).
 Remember that Robert’s teacher has to make sure
that he has opportunities to walk unassisted and a
good reason to go from one place to another.
Material taken from Project Open House,
Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney
What about kids like Todd?
 Finding interesting activities and other
children’s favorites during the day isn’t a
problem for most children. However, for
children like Todd, finding interesting
opportunities to practice skills can be
challenging.
Material taken from Project Open House,
Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney
Do you know kids like Todd?
Todd is 3 and is in Maria’s preschool classroom.
He doesn’t seem to be interested in anything.
He spends most of his day wandering around
the room, rarely playing with toys or engaging
in activities. How can Maria help Todd
practice skills during daily routines if Todd’s
not interested?
Material taken from Project Open House,
Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney
Setting Up Opportunities to Get
Children Interested
Here are some ways that Todd’s teacher can
get Todd interested in the activities around
him…
 Provide interesting or novel materials in the
classroom. Consider cycling toys or
materials that children are tired of and
adding novel toys / mateials that can spark
Todd’s interest.
Material taken from Project Open House,
Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney
Setting Up Opportunities to Get
Children Interested
 Place a desired toy or object within
Todd’s view but out of his reach. Todd
might become motivated to ask for help
so he can get the toy or the object.
 Provide “just a little” bit of a preferred
material or activity so Todd has a
chance to ask for more. For example,
Todd’s teacher might just give the
children one cracker so they’ll have a
chance to ask for more.
Material taken from Project Open House,
Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney
More tricks to get children
interested…
 Todd’s teacher might provide Todd and
others a chance to make choices
between activities or materials. For
example, providing different drinks
during snack (milk or juice) requires him
to make a choice and tell the teacher
what he wants.
Material taken from Project Open House,
Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney
More tricks to get children
interested…
 “Sabotage” an activity by “forgetting” to
provide all of the materials that Todd
wants or needs. For example,
“forgetful” teachers can give children
paintbrushes and paper, but no paint!
Children love to remind the teacher
what they’ve forgotten!
Material taken from Project Open House,
Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney
More tricks to get children
interested…
 Set up an absurd or silly situation that
violates a child’s expectations. For example,
Todd’s teacher might decide to serve the
children blocks and plastic animals for snack
and wait to see their reactions!
CAUTION: When using these “tricks of the
trade” remember not to single a child out.
Todd would feel badly if he was the only
one in the class who always had to ask for
“more”.
Material taken from Project Open House,
Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney
What about Ashley?
Ashley needs help naming common
objects…how could her teacher use one or
more of the “creating interest” strategies to
create an interesting learning opportunity for
Ashley?
Material taken from Project Open House,
Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney
How about these?
 Add novel materials to the room that are objects
that Ashley is familiar with—for example, new
dolls, a new kind of toy animal, ball, etc.
 Sabotage a situation by leaving out an essential
item (that’s a common object) that Ashley needs to
complete a task.
 “Violate expectations” by giving Ashley and
some others an inappropriate substitute for an item
(e.g., blocks for snack).
 Let Ashley choose between two types of a
common object (e.g., red cups or blue cups for
snack).
Material taken from Project Open House,
Drs Dinnebeil and McInerney