e-mail: svuran@mku.edu.tr
Social participation and acceptance of developmentally disabled children are achieved by education. Early years of life are very important for the development of children. Therefore, starting education in early childhood is at least as important for developmentally disabled children as it is for other children.
Progress of education of special needs children in many countries has been caused by the efforts of families, specialists and non-profit organizations.
The Small Steps Early Intervention Program for Developmentally Delayed Children was developed at Macquaire University in Australia.
Now, I would like to state the basic assumptions of the program:
The Small Steps program aims to educate special needs children through their families in the early years of life, from 0 to 6 years, following very small steps in various developmental areas.
Now, I want to talk about the characteristics of the Small Steps program:
The Small Steps program was initially developed for parents who plan to educate their children at home by themselves by choice or by necessity.
The developers of the program observed in many families that when the parents believe that the child can learn a certain skill, the child can really learn that skill. The writers of the program state that the role of the specialists is to assist the parents in planning instruction and advising.
Although the Small Steps program was developed for parents, it can be easily used by teachers, therapists or students as well. The program is very comprehensive in the sense that it doesn't only shows how to identify goals, it also shows how to teach, how to assess, and how to integrate the newly acquired skills in the daily life.
Now, I would like to show an example of a skill from the book about receptive language skills. The skill is 'Brings a known object from another room when asked'.
The last simple direction in this sequence requires the child to keep a specific request in mind while she goes to another room, finds an object and brings it back to you. Once she can do this she has an excellent basis for mastering the more complex directions in sequences that follow.
How to Asses
Method: Ask your child to bring you an object from another room. The object should be something with which she is very familiar and something which can always be found in much the same place.
Score plus if your child brings you the object you have requested.
This item is applicable only to children who are walking. If your child is not yet walking, continue with other sequences and return to this item when it becomes appropriate.
How to Teach
Begin by asking your child to bring something familiar from the other side of the room. Next pretend to discover, as you leave a room with your child, that you have forgotten something: 'Oh! We forgot to bring Teddy. You get Teddy.' Wait for your child just outside the door. Give your child something to take to someone in another room-- this way, she need only remember her mission for the one-way trip. Finally ask her to bring you something from another room, as described under How to Asses.
Now, let us have a look at the books.
The Small Steps program consists of eight volumes. The first two books introduce the program and teach how to conduct assessment and instruction, and the last book is the developmental skills inventory which includes all skills of the program. The other books are about specific developmental areas.
The third book is about communication skills. The main parts included in this book are language development, supporting communication development in pre-verbal and verbal children.
The fourth book includes gross motor skills such as sitting, walking, climbing, playing ball, etc.
The fifth book includes fine motor skills such as puzzle skills or drawing skills. Concept acquisition is included in this book as well.
The sixth book includes receptive language skills such as attending to, listening or understanding other people.
The seventh book includes personal-social skills such as playing with others or self-help skills that are important for getting along with others.
Now, I would like to introduce the Small Steps Program implemented in Turkey:
The Small Steps program was translated from English to Turkish by a group of individuals from Anadolu University.
The Small Steps program was brought to Turkey by the Organization of Support to Mentally Retarded Individuals. This organization printed the Turkish version of the program and coordinated the services provided to the families by various universities which utilize the Small Steps program. Initially, the program was implemented in four universities. In 1996-97, Ankara University started to implement the program; in the next year, Anadolu, Gazi and Marmara universities followed.
The program was adapted to Turkish by paying attention to the features of the Turkish language and culture; nd as simple expression was used as possible. However, most families requesting services were from lower-middle class and lacking educational experience with their children. Due to these facts, the Small Steps program was implemented at the universities by providing extensive and systematic guidance to the families.
First of all, every university trained and hired undergraduate students from special education or related departments such as psychology as family guides. The family guides made home visits and supported family members in conducting assessments, educational planning, skill instruction, preparing educational environments, managing behaviors, etc.
Lastly, I would like to share with you the characteristics of the Small Steps Program Implemented by Anadolu University in Eskisehir in 1997-98.
The Small Steps program was implemented with the collaboration of the Department of Special Education and Research Institute for the Handicapped in Anadolu University. The roles and the responsibilities of the members of the project team were as follows:
The program coordinator was Professor Suleyman Eripek, head of the Department of Special Education. The coordinator was responsible for providing coordination between the university and the Organization of Support to Mentally Retarded Individuals. A protocol was made between the university and the organization and, this protocol required the organization to pay the salaries of the family guides.
The chief administrator of the program was Gonul. Myself and Bunyamin, a colleague who is not with us today were the program advisors. The chief administrator was responsible for the implementation of the program, including the preparation seminars and home-visits. Furthermore, she was the head of the research team which conducted the studies my friends will talk about soon. She motivated all of us through the entire process. I thank her very much.
The program advisors were responsible for monitoring the family guides in all respects and solving he problems arising during the implementation of the program. I will talk about what exactly we did as program advisors soon.
Regarding the family guides, the senior students of the teacher training program for developmentally disabled children were asked to volunteer for becoming a family guide. 19 out of about 35 students volunteered. The family guide candidates were trained by a seminar lasting for three days, 12 hours in total. One of the candidates could not meet the requirements. Hence, the project was implemented by 18 guides.
A family with a developmentally disabled child was assigned to every family guide. In a couple of months, after the guides gained some experience, a second family was assigned to each guide, except one guide. That is 35 families and their developmentally disabled children received early intervention services in that year.
The families were provided with a two-day, 8-hour seminar consisting of information about Small Steps program and family guide support.
After the initial training, the project was implemented as follows:
The family guides were expected visit each family once per week for two hours. The purpose of these visits was to work with the parents in order to help them implement the Small Steps program; not to work with the child. However, they could role model the parents by working with the child from time to time.
The parents were asked to work with their children at least for half an hour on the requirements of the Small Steps program. However, they had to spend a couple of hours for reading the books, preparing materials, keeping records as well.
The parents guides were advised to adopt one of the following styles while working with the parents:
1. To support the parents whom can easily understand and implement the program by reading themselves whenever they had difficulties.
2. To tell and show the parents how to conduct assessment and instruction if the parents can understand the books but cannot transfer their knowledge to practice.
3. To read the books and summarize the key issues to the parents whom cannot understand the books. This group of parents were shown how to implement the program as well.
4. To give weekly homework to the parents whom does not understand the books when read and summarized to them either.
The parents were encouraged to involve everybody at home, even individuals from outside who visit the family often in the implementation of the program.
In the first weeks of the program, the family guides were asked to choose a developmental area and conduct assessment and instruction in that area only. Once the guides and the family members got experienced in these skills, detailed assessment was conducted in every developmental area. The final step in planning was to determine where to start instruction in every developmental area.
The program administrators monitored the activities taking place at home. Program advisors met with the family guides once per week in the first two months, once Per two weeks in the rest of the project. During these meetings, experiences were shared; problems and possible solutions to these problems were discussed. Also office hours were determined for individualized consultations.
The first family of each family guide was visited by the program advisors once. During these visits, the family guides were observed while working with the family members and provided feedback about their performances.
The first families in the project received guide support for eight months, the second group of families received guide support for about 5 to 6 months.
None of the families had received early special education services before attending the Small Steps Program. Most of the mothers were housewives and were the primary implementers of the program at home. As I mentioned before, most of the families were from lower-middle class. We even had a mother who was illiterate.
The children completed 5 to 8 skills in average in the developmental areas that were included in their individualized education programs.
Since this program was implemented for the first time at Anadolu University, we wanted to evaluate the program with detail by examining the opinions of family members as well as family guides. Now, my colleagues will talk about the studies we conducted and share the results with us.
Example:
Receptive Skills RL.B: Responding to Gestures and
Simple Directions
BRINGS A KNOWN
OBJECT FROM ------- RL.B.28
ANOTHER ROOM
WHEN
ASKED
The last simple direction in this sequence requires the child to keep a specific request in mind while she goes to another room, finds an object and brings it back to you. Once she can do this she has an excellent basis for mastering the more complex directions in sequences that follow.
How to Asses
Method: Ask your child to bring you an
object from another room. The object should be something with which she is very
familiar and something which can always be found in much the same place.
Score plus if your child brings you the object you have requested. This
item is applicable only to children who are walking. If your child is not yet
walking, continue with other sequences and return to this item when it becomes
appropriate.
How to Teach
Begin by asking your child to bring something
familiar from the other side of the room. Next pretend to discover, as you
leave a room with your child, that you have forgotten something: 'Oh! We forgot
to bring Teddy. You get Teddy.' Wait for your child just outside the door. Give
your child something to take to someone in another room-- this way, she need
only remember her mission for the one-way trip. Finally ask her to bring you
something from another room, as described under How to Asses.
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