When a student is on an IEP, a team of professionals is put together to help support the student. This team usually consists of; Parents, Gen ed teacher, a special education teacher, service providers (OT,PT,DAPE,Speech,PI/OHD Consultant), school nurse, and administration. Having a team of professionals makes sure the student is receiving the support they need, and nothing is missed. Everyone brings a different viewpoint to the table. Depending on the district, each team member's role may vary. A good rule of thumb when a question or concern arises would be to contact the case manager and the parents. From there the case manager can get in touch with the correct service provider.
A big part of the IEP is accommodations and modifications. The purpose of an accommodation is to provide a student with equal access to learning and an equal opportunity to show what he knows and what he can do. Below you will find some common modifications and accommodations you can try in your classroom if they are not already on the students IEP.
ACCOMMODATION: Accommodations allow a student to complete the same tasks as their peers but with some variation in time, format, setting, and/or presentation.
MODIFICATIONS: Unlike accommodations, which do not change the instructional level, content, or performance criteria, modifications alter one or more of those elements on a given assignment. Modifications are changes in what students are expected to learn, based on their individual abilities.
Accommodations and modifications can be used for academics and behavior. Below is a link with many examples you can use in your classroom.
Accommodations and modification examples
Assistive technology (AT) is any item, device, or piece of equipment used to maintain or improve the functionality of people with disabilities, allowing them to be more independent in education, employment, recreation, and daily living activities.
AT is often thought of as iPads, computers, and other tech devices. AT can be as simple as a pencil grip as well. Here are some low-tech and high-tech options you can try in your classroom.
Low Tech AT: Devices that are readily available, inexpensive, and typically do not require batteries or electricity
Specialized rubber pencil grip, Page holder, Modified scissors, Graphic Organizer, Visual Schedules, Adapted Pencil (weighted, fat, skinny, triangular, golf etc.), Adaptive Paper (graph, special spacing or texture, HWT etc.), Pencil Grip, adapted eraser, Slant board, post-it’s, highlighter, squishy ball or sensory input (fidgets), tactile ruler
Mid-Tech AT: Devices that are usually digital and may require batteries or another power source
electrical device, screen magnifier, audiobook, adapted cd player/music player, voice amplification, scooter, gait trainer, wheelchair, braille translation software, switch adapted games or toys, adapted switches, adapted seating (bouncy ball, chairs with seat belts, wiggly butt cushions), adapted keyboard, calculator, electronic speller or dictionary, word prediction software
High Tech AT: Devices that are typically computer-based, likely to have sophisticated features, and can be tailored to the specific needs of an individual student
computer, electronic tablet (iPad, iPod, Kindle, Samsung tablet etc.), electric wheelchair, portable word processor, text-to-speech, speech-to-text, AAC Device, smart board, alerting device.
AT LINKS: