I
decided to change my organization, I want to learn more about special education
and early intervention programs so the organization I will be researching and
reporting on is the Division of Early Childhood. Their work focuses on helping children with
special needs and their families. Their
website link is: http://www.dec-sped.org/
One
current issue/trend from the website that caught my attention is from their
latest posted news. The post is a
revised set of DEC recommended practices for early intervention and early
childhood special education. These act
as guidelines for early childhood professionals as well as families. Among these recommendations, in the topic of environment
they used a term I had never heard of before, “Universal Design for Learning”. They ask for practitioners to consider the main
principles of this theory when creating “accessible environments” (DEC, 2014). Upon further research I found out that UDL
focuses the “what, how and why of learning” to differentiate curriculum based
on brain networks that address these questions (National Center on Universal
Design for Learning, 2012). This is a
very practical approach to learning for any child and I see how the DEC would
recommend it specifically for children with special needs.
Related
to diversity, I also learned that the DEC recommends that assessments be done “with
use assessment materials and strategies that are appropriate for the child’s
age and level of development and accommodate the child’s sensory, physical,
communication, cultural, linguistic, social, and emotional characteristics” (DEC,
p.7). I was surprised but glad that they
mentioned cultural characteristics as they are sometimes left out. Furthermore they recommend that “Practitioners
build trusting and respectful partnerships with the family through interactions
that are sensitive and responsive to cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic
diversity” (DEC, p.9). There are many
different types of diversity and it important to keep them in mind when working
with children and families.
References
Division for Early Childhood. (2014). DEC
recommended practices in early intervention/early childhood special education
2014. Retrieved from http://www.dec-sped.org/recommendedpractices
National Center on Universal Design for Learning.( 2012). What is UDL? [web page]. Retrieved from http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/whatisudl
Rosanna I too have never heard of these "Universal Design for Learning" what a neat idea. I know that I heard on the radio the other day that companies are hiring individuals with autism. The reason they are doing this is because the person with autism is so focused on an act that they get it done with little to no distraction. I am someone who is easily distracted. I think that once people stop thinking within the box, we will open up a whole new world of possibilities. Good blog. Look forward to working more with you.
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