Step 2: Adapting Regular Class Activities to Meet the Student's Individualized Objectives

Given that the educational team and the family have identified the student's learning objectives, they next need to consider the ways in which the regular classroom lessons and activities can be modified to meet the student's individual learning needs. In developing adapations, the team should remember that the purpose of any adaptation is to enhance learning and that providing individualized adaptations does not mean 'watering down' the curriculum. In fact, individualized curricular and instructional modifications can enhance learning for all students! Teachers modify curriculum and instruction frequently even though they may not be aware of it. Just a few examples of methods for enhancing learning include: placing students who have difficulty listening in the front of the classroom; repeating instructions several times; and demonstrating the task to be completed. Here are the kinds of modifications the team will need to consider for individual students:

• The Activity As Is. There are many times when participating in the activity without any adaptations may be entirely appropriate for a student with a disability. There is no reason to create a special adaptation, provide separate materials or additional assistance, if a student doesn't need it. In fact, providing unnecessary adaptations may result in a student feeling 'stigmatized; and providing too much assistance discourages a student from learning to do things independently. We sometimes make the mistake of assuming that a student will need special adaptations to participate, when, in fact, that is often not the case!
  
• Modifying Learning Goals. As noted previously, perhaps the student may need to be given a different amount of work or material to master. However, in modifying learning goals, we should not always assume that students with disabilities should be given less work. In fact, a student who has a particular strength in a subject or content area may actually be able to do more in that area than her classmates!
  
  We can also modify a student's learning goal by having her demonstrate what she has learned in a different way than her classmates (e.g., taking an oral test instead of a written exam; or manually signing a class presentation or book report). We can also embed an entirely different learning objective for a specific student into a class activity. For example, a student with very diverse needs may be learning to initiate interactions, take turns, and count out objects in an elementary math lesson in which the other students are learning to regroup objects for two-column addition. Even though somewhat different than the work of classmates, these tasks are still relevant and meaningful if they assist the student in meeting her IEP goals and objectives.
• Modifying, Adding, or Substituting Materials. Teachers modify or adapt instructional materials on countless ways and on a regular gasis. For example, one teacher may give a student a reading text in which the main idea in each paragraph has been highlighted with a marker, this would be an example of modifying the instructional materal that all the other students are using. An example, of adding materials would be a math activity in which a student uses a calculator while other students work the same problems out 'long-hand'. An example of a substituted material would be a student's daily journal that consists of pictures that the student arranges to tell a story while the other students are writing their stories during journal time.
  
  While modifying, adding, or substituting materials is frequently necessary to enable students with diverse needs and abilities to fully participate in regular class activities, teachers should only make those modifications that are really necessary. A student whose instructional materials are noticeably different from those of the other students for most of his ativities may often feel stigmatized, or left out, and grow to resent the adaptation.
  
  Material and environmental adaptations can greatly increase the possibilities of including students who need more intensive support in learning activities with their nondisabled peers. Communication boards and computer-based communication systems, adaptive switches, special seating and positioning devices, materials highlighted in bright fluorescent colors for students with visual impairments, and Super-Catch Mitts with Velcro surfaces for pitch and catch games are all examples of material adaptations that can enhance participation. An additional advantage of using computer and assistive technology to increase participation is that classmates often have a great interest in these devices as well, and this can further enhance opportunities for positive social interactions.
• Providing Personal Assistance. Activities can also be adapted by providing personal assistance to the student with a disability. There are some important things to consider in using personal assistance. First, a student should not be given more assistance than he/she needs(students, especially elementary age children in their eagerness to help, often provide more assistance than needed). Second, the student receiving assistance should be taught, whenever possible, to request that assistance himself; knowing how to ask for help when needed is an important survival skill. Third, extra assistance provided by adults should be decreased whenever possible to allow for more peer supports, so that the child has more opportunities to interact and learn from his classmates.
  
  Many times general education teachers will ask for the assistance of another adult in the initial stages of developing a more inclusive classroom, and this extra pair of hands may well be necessary! However, if a teaching assistant is required, the assistant should be assigned to the teacher as a support for the whole class. Assigning an assistant solely to one student often backfires for that student - the other students in the class learn to interact with the assistant and not with the student, and the student never learns to function outside the presence of the extra adult. Moreover, the presence of a constant, 'one-on-one' assistant may limit the interaction of the student with the regular classroom teacher as well.
  
  Student to student supports enhance interactions and friendships, and should occur in situations in which both students with and without disabilities are learning, such as a cooperative learning activity. In fact, students are often the very best experts on how to provide assistance. After all, they have had the most recent experience in trying to master the material! Do not be afraid to ask students for their ideas and to include them in the planning process - you will be surprised by the quality of their suggestions! And, make sure that all students have the opportunity to be "helpers" regardless of their needs and abilities. All students need the opportunity to provide assistance.
• Providing Alternate Learning Activities (Classroom, School, or Community-Based). There may be times during the course of the day in which a student may require an alternate activity that is different from the activities of the rest of the class. For example, the student may have an important instructional objective that cannot be adequately covered in the context of the regular classroom (such as street crossing and pedestrian skills for an elementary age student; or community-based vocational training for a high school age student). The student's educational team needs to consider very carefully how to plan for these objectives. Keep in mind that alternate activities can occur in the regular classroom, in other areas of the school, or in the community.
  
  In choosing and scheduling alternate activities, the team should first consider if the activity can occur in the regular classroom (either at the student's desk or another area of the room) at a time that the student will not miss something else that is important. If the IEP objective cannot be addressed in the regular classroom, the student's team needs to determine whether or not the objective is truly essential for the student to learn. If the objective is appropriate and an alternate activity outside of the classroom is necessary, arrange for peers to work with the student at the same time, if possible (each of the students involved should have their own objective for the activity). For example, one elementary school in Kentucky always pairs students with and without disabilities for community-based instruction. Each student has his own learning objectives for the community activity. While one student may be learning to make a simple purchase, a peer might be learning to calculate percentages. The important thing to remember is that even alternate activities can include valuable opportunities for peer interactions and mastery of important skills for all students!
  

Consider the following two stories - one an elementary school student and one of a high school student - illustrating how regular class activities were adapted to meet their individual learning needs:

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