Blending Teaching Approaches
For the Early Learner
Perspectives associated with teaching the
Young Child with Development Delay
Presented By:
Kate Day
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Topics Of Discussion
 Who is the YCDD Student
 Play
 Supporting a Developing Sensory System
 Universal Behavior Supports
 Creating Positive Behavior Support
 Social Stories
 Teach . Show. Practice
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Preschool students with YCDD:
 Are children first
 Have diverse strengths and needs
 Most often need explicit instruction across
curricular domains
 May be gifted academically or have mental
retardation
 Will need specialized instruction in social skills
and communication
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Integrating Early Learning Experiences
 Quality of Life Influenced Curriculum
 Collaboration and coordination with all
parties involved including parents, teachers
and therapists
 Child learning is embedded in all activities
throughout the school day
 Use of a variety of instructional strategies
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Quality of Life Influences Curriculum
 Life is the teacher, plan to help the child access their
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world in the moment
Avoid teaching skill acquisition in a “clinical” way.
Playtime is supported and facilitated using a variety of
supports including visuals, imitation and social
reinforcement
Child choice and interests are incorporated into
activities
Same-Aged peers as a
 Communication partner
 Play partner
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Instructional Strategies
 Visuals: Benefits all students. Use visuals to enhance directions,
become a voice for children with language delays, help children
orientate to their environment and create visual expectations.
 Say what you expect (question vs. direction)
 Model skill – “Look at me…now you try”
 Pro-positive Demands and Feedback
 “First/Then” or “When/You can” or “Go ahead and…then”
 “That’s not quite what I am looking for” “Try it this way” “Almost”
“Let me show you again” and then prompt or guide for accuracy.
 Motivating instruction:
 Sing (the expectation)
 Dance (out a string of instructions)
 Clap (rhymes, imitation, teach opposites)
 Jump (count, waiting, listening for directions)
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Child’s Work….Play
Current child development theory suggests that children
use play as a means of constructing knowledge and
values about their world. Through physical and social
interactions with their environment, foundations for
future learning are created.
Judith Vestal MA OTR
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Play with Me….Pretty Please
Child Perspective
Adult Perspective
 Play is child’s work
 Play Partner
 The result of play is
 Playing with a child
rounded development
 Emotional
 Physical
 Cognitive
 Social
An avenue for learning
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means:
 You are emotionally
engaged and playful
 Follow the child’s lead
 Comment on what the
child is doing
 Modeling for
expansion
Play Development Timeline
12-24 Months
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Socially, children of this age enjoy playing alone. As they age, they
become interested in the play of other children but do not join.
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The youngest members of this group still continue to play alone
with their own toys in their own way. As they get older, they will
join small groups of young children and use similar toys but will
probably not share or try to influence others play.
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Older 3’s and 4’s are primarily concerned with doing their own
thing but like to do it as a group. They are beginning to share and
take turns, follow another play script but still hold on to their own
objectives and ideas.
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This group prefers to play with others, though still takes a
break now and then. Cooperative play requires a little
organization and usually the child takes on oles with-in
their play group.
Solitary Play
24-36 Months
Parallel Play
36-52 Months
Associative Play
52-60 Months
Cooperative Play
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Kinds of Play
 Active Play: running, biking, throwing, kicking…This
play helps physical development.
 Creative Play: drawing, clay play, singing, music
making….Exercises small motor skills and
imagination.
 Imaginative play: dress-up and make
believe…encourages problem solving, language
development and social skill development.
 Nurturing Play: Playing with dolls/stuffed animals
…helps children develop emotionally and understand
their feelings and the feelings of others.
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Supporting a Developing Sensory System
Sensory Processing: The ability to organize and
interpret sensory information from the environment
and to use that information to make appropriate
responses.
How we process input: receiving input is a cycle –
everyday our body registers sensory input, orients to
input, organize and respond with a motor response.
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Sensory and Behavior
 Everything that a person does is a “behavior” and
every behavior has a cause, whether it is to
communicate to get attention, get something that
is wanted, avoid something or to meet a need.
 Sensory behaviors are those that have a motor or
neurological cause. They are the responses that
our bodies make naturally as we interact with the
environment. Even though it may not always
seem like it, sensory behaviors are usually
unconscious and involuntary.
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Activities to Support Students
Universals and Sensory Support
Success for the Child
 Well defined rules
 Activities have to engage the
 Routines and predictions
 Schedules
 Attention Signal
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 Positive Adult interactions
 In place strategies to
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increase appropriate
behaviors
 Opportunities for free- play
and movement
 Physical environment
conducive to learning
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whole child; they must be an
active participant
Just right challenge…They
must experience success to
increase confidence
Positive reinforcement
Activities that engage
multiple senses
Practice
Creating Positive Supports for Young Children
 Prevent problems before they
occur
 Be positive
 Be consistent
 Have rules and routines
 Set limits
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Challenging Factors
 Communication delays
 Sensory Issues
 Emotional Problems
 Temperament traits
 All children are different
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Power Struggles Happen Because….
 Battles are not chosen carefully
 Big deals are made over little things
 We think we can make them do it
 We expect young children to think like adults
 We fail to anticipate problems
 We are inflexible in managing behavior
 We treat all students the same
 We protect our own esteem and take other
behavior challenge personally
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Setting Limits
 State the limit in a clear and simple manner
 Be reasonable
 Make sure you can and will enforce what you say
 Stay calm
 Be as consistent as possible
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Ways to Encourage Compliance
 Be Specific…Tell the child what you want them to
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do verses saying “stop.”
Use a clear directive not a question
Use a soft firm voice
Describe the behavior you want
Make sure it is possible for the child to complete
the request.
Give the directive twice and then refer to behavior
momentum
REINFORCE COMPLIANCE