Adaptations for Students with Disabilities

Students with Physical and Motor Disabilities

• Make sure materials are easily accessible. Use wide pencils for handgrips, squeeze scissors, large containers for paint or paste: slip store bought foam hair curlers over pencils and brushes apply Velcro dots or strips to brush handles: use shaving brushed, deodorant roll-on applicators or sponges for painting.

• Stabilize objects in the workspace by using trays, taping down paper or easels and putting a heavy object in water cups to prevent tipping.

• Ask before providing assistance, and when assistance is required, provide only the amount that is needed.

• Design the activities with plenty of extra time for students who need it. Familiarize yourself with the adaptive arts activities and materials.

• Provide enough space for movement activities.

• If the activity calls for movements with witch the student has difficulty, vary movements.

• Select the movement activities during a time when student has a lot of energy.

• Consider any safety precautions before selecting an activity. If safety of the student is questionable, do not use the activity.

• Do not use items that are too small or too difficult to pick up. If activity the student to pick up any art materials, put the materials in a tube and let the student sprinkle them onto the posted paper.

Students with Learning Disabilities

• Make certain you have the student's attention and that he or she is looking at you before giving instructions

• Provide individual and or small group instruction.

• Repeat instructions. Use concrete examples. Ask the student to repeat the instructions to determine the comprehension and clarification.

• Present information and directions using all the senses.

• Establish and maintain routines.

• Give directions in small, single units. If directions are complicated, "chunk" them by inviting students to complete a step first before going on to the next step.

• Minimize distractions, such as noisy areas, loud fans, etc.

• Be aware of low frustration threshold. Help each student with his or her problem.

Students with Communication Disabilities

• Provide good verbal role models by speaking in complete sentences. To increase articulation and language skills, talk while doing simple tasks.

• Repeat, with corrections if necessary, what a student has said: however, do so by restating what the student has said rather than correcting him or her.

• Reward the student for efforts to use speech to communicate.

• Attend to what the student is saying rather than how it is said.

• Ask the student questions, preferably open-ended ones, to encourage language and expression.

• Encourage spontaneous speech.

• Use props that stimulate language.

Students with Behavioral and Emotional Disabilities

• Provide a consistent routine for completing such activities as transition to and from activities, clean up, etc. Establish procedures, rules and expectations, and assist the student in following them.

• Give the student a small amount to do at one time. Praise at each step to encourage completion.

• Provide students with activities in which they may channel their energies in positive activity. Keep students busily engaged in activities.

• Give verbal and non-verbal recognition for efforts.

• Do not take negative behaviors personally. Recognize that students may not know how to act in new situations.

• Identify each student's individual space, and provide ample physical space.

• Help the student learn to express his or her emotions in appropriate ways during group discussions.

• Establish eye contact, keep questions brief and listen attentively.

• Expect appropriate behavior and provide consistent consequences of unacceptable behavior.

• Be prepared by having alternative activities or approaches planned.

• Do not take negative behaviors personally. Recognize that students may not know how to act in new situations.

Students with Deafness and Hearing Impairments

• Look directly at the student to whom you are speaking. Speak slowly as the student may wish to lip-read. If a sign language interpreter is present, talk directly to the student with deafness and not to the interpreter.

• Be flexible with your language. If a word is not understood, try another word rather than simply repeating yourself.

• Be aware of false interpretations (a nod of the head does not necessarily mean, "I understand").

• Do not shout. Hearing aids make sounds louder, not clearer.

• Check with the student's special education specialist to ascertain if it is appropriate to use sign language, miming or gesturing to augment lip reading abilities.

• If you are talking to a student you know to be a lip-reader, keep the following things in mind: avoid changing your message suddenly: keep your face in the light so the student can see your lips: never look away or cover your mouth while speaking.

• Use simple, basic language.

• Do not chew gum when instructing or communicating with student.

Students with Developmental Disabilities

• Keep directions simple: break the task into progressive steps: demonstrate each task.

• Provide motivation with frequent praise and encouragement.

• Repeat directions often, exercising extreme patience.

• Allow and encourage the student to do his or her work whenever possible.

• Guide the student through the activity should he or she find the activity too difficult.

• Use one-skill activities until the child develops comfort with the group and the routines.

• Break down the steps in more complicated activities, and allow the student to participate by performing fewer steps.

• Select activities that focus on concrete themes and processes.

• Alternate quiet activities with the active ones.

• Place speed of songs to students (use recordings that have a slower than normal tempo).

• Give physical and verbal prompting as needed.

Students with Blindness or Visual Impairments

• Provide the student with the opportunity to handle the object under study.

• If you are demonstrating a craft, allow the student to place his or her hands on yours as you demonstrate the activity.

• Always identify yourself. Let the student know when you are talking to him or her.

• Inform the student when you are about to leave. Do not just walk away.

• Avoid using gestures and other forms of visual communication to explain directions or concepts.

• Converse as you would normally, and don't be embarrassed if you use words like: see" and "look".

• Sometimes it is helpful to give directional assistance by using the clock face method: "Your crayon is at one o'clock," etc.

• Assist the student on the stairs by guiding a hand to a banister. When giving assistance in seating, place the student's hand on the back or arm of the seat.

• Do not leave a student with blindness in an open area. Instead, lead the student to the side of a room, to a chair or some landmark from which he or she can obtain a direction for travel.

• Do not leave a student with blindness abruptly after talking in a crowd or where there is noise that may obstruct the student's hearing without saying that you are leaving. Otherwise, he or she may be talking when no one is listening or even present.

• Do not pet a dog guide. The dog has an important job to do and petting may be distracting.

• Mark paint containers with a tactile code (e.g., circle-red, rectangle-blue) that the student can use to guide his or her choice.

• When working in groups, either performing or discussing have the speaker identify him or herself before speaking.

• Touching is not the way a student with a visual impairment can learn. Provide a detailed verbal description of an object or of what you are doing so they can visualize it in their mind's eye. Try to keep the description concrete and related to things with which they are familiar.

• When guiding a student who is blind, give verbal cue that you are to be the guide. Allow him or her to place his or hand (in a cupped manner) in a position just above your forearm or wrist due to their height).

• Walk normally, but perhaps more slowly.

• Give verbal clues along the way to orient them to their surroundings.

• Give advance warnings of potential obstacles, such as a flagpole, an exhibit case, any protruding objects, etc.

• Be specific in giving directions. It is useless to point or give visual landmarks. If the child must make a turn, state whether it should be left or right.

• Walk alongside and slightly ahead of the student with blindness or visual impairment when you are assisting.

• Do not hold the child's arm while walking. Let him or her hold your arm. The motion of your body tells the child what to expect