Scenario about speech and language: Brandon, a 12-month-old doesn’t repeat phrases as he hears them. He reacts to loud noises and speaks two words “ma” and “buh.” Mr. Killian suspects he has some difficulty hearing but has not been able to prove this. His parents have not mentioned anything to support this theory. Esmeralda, a new 12-month-old to the center, meets Brandon and says “Hi!” Brandon looks at Esmeralda and smiles. The two children part ways and Brandon plays in the block area with another teacher. What are your thoughts on the scenario? Example responses to Scenario:
Scenario about speech and language: April is 3 months old. She is being fed a bottle by her teacher, Miss Dakota. She grasps Miss Dakota’s fingers and holds on tight, sucking at the bottle faster when Miss Dakota begins softly singing “Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star.” Miss Dakota responds by talking to April and commenting on how hungry she must be. April smiles and unlatches from the bottle, looking into Miss Dakota’s eyes while smiling. What are your thoughts on the scenario? Example responses to Scenario:
Comment below how you would handle either of the scenarios.
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Scenario about staff team building: During a staff meeting, Rae mentions jokingly that Kendra, her assistant teacher, doesn’t help during snack time with their group. Kendra laughs and brushes it off and the meeting continues. Later, Kendra disconnects from the group and eventually asks to leave the meeting early. As the director/supervisor, what could have been done to address this situation before it became a problem? Example responses to Scenario:
Scenario about staff team building: A group of staff members have decorated one table in the staff lounge that they usually sit at. They replace fresh flowers with real ones and set up pretty placemats on that one table. When other staff members sit at the table, this group of staff become upset. As the director/supervisor, what would you do in this scenario? Example responses to Scenario:
Comment below how you would handle either of the scenarios.
Scenario about stress with children: Alexis is a young infant in your classroom. You have noticed that when the overhead lights are on Alexis does not make eye contact and pushes you away when you try to pick them up. What would you do in this scenario? Example responses to Scenario:
Scenario about stress with children: Tabby is a new toddler in your classroom. You have noticed that she covers her ears a lot throughout the day. This prevents Tabby from participating in your classroom activities since she is focused on covering her ears. What would you do in this scenario? Example responses to Scenario:
Comment below how you would handle either of the scenarios.
Scenario about Inclusive Classrooms: Lincoln is a 5-year-old who is joining your classroom in a few weeks. Lincoln's parents mentioned that he uses a wheelchair most of the time during your first meeting. They tell you that he mostly likes to be in his wheelchair and that if he gets down onto the floor to play, he will need support getting back into his chair. What modifications could you make in your current classroom to support Lincoln? Example responses to Scenario:
Scenario about Inclusive Classrooms: A new child, Amin, has just started in your classroom and he has autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Amin has unique sensory and communication needs, and he requires specific supports and accommodations to ensure his successful participation in the classroom. Amin often misses parts of your directions for activities and does not want to participate in new sensory-related activities. What could you do to help Amin be able to do well in your classroom? Example responses to Scenario:
Comment below how you would handle either of the scenarios. Do you know how to support infants and toddlers with their stress? Angry outbursts and negative reactions to stress in parents and caregivers have an impact on infants and toddlers’ stress levels. In this training, we will explore stress and its impact on infants and toddlers, the causes of stress in children in daily life, in the classroom, and methods for reducing stress for children.
***Does this topic interest you?*** You could enroll in our new course titled Limiting Stress in Infants and Toddlers for 2 clock hours. Click here to enroll. Comment how you limit your own stress and would that help with infants and toddlers too?
Here is mine: I try to stay away from any stressors that I can. I try to focus on what I can control rather than cannot control. Yes, I believe that's a good thing for infants and toddlers as well. Scenario about Social Milestones: James, who is 4 years old, will only play with Tricia throughout the day and no other children. Are James’s actions developmentally appropriate? Why or why not? Example responses to Scenario:
Scenario about Language Milestones: Jarrette, who is in second grade, has been using inappropriate language. Are Jarrette’s actions developmentally appropriate? Why or why not? How would you react to the language? Example responses to Scenario:
Comment below how you would handle either of the scenarios.
Scenario about Physical Milestones: Clark is 2 ½ years old. He has started to refuse to play while he is outside. He will sit on the ground by the gate or on a bench. His teachers will roll a ball to him and he will refuse to play with it. Inside the classroom he loves to dance and play moving games on the carpet. What could his teachers do to encourage Clark to play and use his gross motor skills outside as well as inside? Example responses to Scenario:
Scenario about Emotional Milestones: Gretchen is 13 months old. She is the “tester” in the classroom. If her teacher puts a cup of paint on the table next to her to help another child, Gretchen will stick her hand it in. If her teacher sets a bucket of foam blocks on a shelf while grabbing other toys, Gretchen will pull it down and crawl away. What reason could you presume that Gretchen is acting the way that she is? Is this typical? Example responses to Scenario:
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Bean Bag Activity: Provide each child with a bean bag and direct them to balance it on their head You can make it more difficult by having them try balancing it while hopping or trying to balance it on one knee, etc. Scenario about Adaptive Classroom Activities: Nathan is a 4 year old in your classroom that uses a wheelchair. He isn't able to join in on the bean bag activity exactly the same way as the other children in your class. He does have full use of his upper body including his arms. Example responses to Scenario:
Tissue Paper Kicking Activity: Stick the tissue paper vertically on a soft surface. Place infant on their back with their feet against the tissue paper allowing them to kick the tissue paper. Scenario about Adaptive Classroom Activities: Jackelina is an 8 month old in your classroom with gross motor delays. She doesn't kick her feet very often but you don't want to leave her out of this activity. Example responses to Scenario:
Comment below how you would handle either of the scenarios.
I am going to start a new blog series with scenarios! These scenarios are going to be anything from how to deal with reinforcement for particular behaviors or how to reply to an upset family. I'm going to work on two scenarios a week with some examples of how people have said they would interact in them. Feel free to comment your own response if it is the same or different than the responses I post. Scenario about Positive Reinforcement: Mason is often caught putting toys in the fish tank. What positive reinforcement technique would you recommend to combat this behavior and how would you implement it? Example responses to Scenario:
Scenario about Redirection: When lunch comes out, Bobby insists on helping carry all of the plates and bowls to the tables when it's not their job for the day. What could you do or say to redirect them? Example responses to Scenario:
Comment below how you would handle either of the scenarios.
Do you need help supporting school-age children with inclusion? Most of us likely have a general idea of what inclusion means. Based on the term alone, we can understand that it has to do with including others in an activity of some kind. It also means not excluding someone based on their individual ability level. While this is the first part of inclusion, there is another consideration that needs to be made when working towards an inclusive classroom. Inclusivity is about being welcomed into the classroom and also making the child feel that they are a part of that community by considering their needs and supporting them. Inclusive classrooms provide individual supports that benefit not only the school-age child with special needs, but also their peers and teachers. Teachers play an important role in providing a program that truly works for each child and what they need as an individual. The Joint Statement of the Division of Early Childhood (DEC) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) describes an inclusive classroom as having three components, including access, participation, and supports.
***Does this topic interest you?*** You could enroll in our new course titled Inclusive Classroom Communities for School-Age Children for 2 clock hours. Click here to enroll. Comment how you currently support "Access, Participation, or Support" in your classroom.
Here is mine: When I was in the classroom, making sure every child could participate was very important to me. I would adapt an activity in the gym or in the classroom so that every child could do it. For example there was a child who had trouble with their fine motor skills, I asked them if they would like me to cut the shapes or if they wanted to try it on their own with my support. Sometimes they would ask a friend to help them instead which was totally okay! |