Adapting and activity for a special needs child?

Question

my assignment is too adapt a classroom activity for a child with special needs. Specify the developmental objective of the activity, the type of disability for which you are accommodating the activity and how the activity will be adapted to make it accessible to the child's developmental needs.

I want and need some ideas or topics on what I could do to help me get started on it.

Answer 1

I worked for six years with a young lady who has Down's Syndrome.  What impressed me the most, is that they (the person with special needs/mental disability) will teach you more than you teach them.  If you pay attention, they will show you what they need--just invest some time in observing, letting him or her play and explore and eat, etc.  Also, talk to parents, who usually know them best.

My girl did not read, (but knew most of the alphabet).  We made cookbooks and shopping lists with pictures.  To make a cookbook of how to make Macaroni and Cheese, we cut out the pictures from the box and made illustrations of a stove with a pot of boiling water, etc.  I had her draw some of the pictures, and help me glue it, then fasten together with string.  She just loved her own little cookbook!

Her mom is a nurse and my girl knew a lot of anatomy and health stuff, was familiar with the words-like stomach, liver, lungs, etc.  I found one of the nurses study books that the students study by coloring the pictures.  It is for adults but it's a coloring book.  I blew it up larger and made copies.  I cut out different parts, keeping the simpler, larger organs.  I told her the name and then had her tell me the name, then asked her what color she wanted to make it.  Then she colored and helped me to find where it went on the body.  She learned an amazing amount!  Now she knows all about the digestive system, the heart and lungs, brain, etc and can recognize them from the picture or simple descriptions or pointing at spots on her body.  I knew she had it when we went to a children's museum, when we passed the anatomical dummy, she started putting it together and telling the other children and adults all the parts!  

Always use encouragement and things the person can do already to build up to new things.  Then practice, practice, practice.  We worked 6 months to learn the days of the week in order and be able to answer questions like "What's today?  So what's tomorrow?"  We used a round pill organizer for one of our learning tools on that one.  We worked over 1 1/2 years on the months of the year!  But she already knew holidays (because she loves them so much!!) so I used holidays to help learn the months of the year, plus a calendar.

Well, there are other things, but maybe this gives you ideas.

Live well and do good.

Answer 2

I have worked with special ed kids but they had many different special needs.  For portfolios we did ratios by counting a small bag of M&M's then just picked one color, ect. Measuring was doing a simple cooking recipe, P.E. they weight lifted because everyone even our wheel chair c.p. kid could lift something with weight such as a ball even. I am working with a child with down syndrome,autism, non-verbal. The thing I really noticed is she response to other kids her age teaching her. Like reastraunts she gets a kids menu and points to the pic. of food she likes for the waitress when she is around other  kids her age. this goes in reading and socail skills. Hope this gave you some ideas.