INITIATING A CHILD WITH LOCOMOTOR DISABILITIES INTO A SCHOOL
6. Motor skills
Adaptations
- Use PVC tube over pencil or stick for better grasp and grip.
- Put plastic covers on cards and pictures to protect from drool.
- Simple helmet to prevent injury from head-banging if present in a child.
- Hand and finger splints for supported grip - to restrain over-movement.
Use locally available materials for developing hand exercises.
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Adaptions and exercises for hands
7. Number Readiness
- To teach concepts of - big, small
- more, less
- before, after
- high, low tall, short - thick, thin
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concept of behind, infront of, beside
- long, short
- half, whole
- missing parts
- behind, beside - heavy, light - in, out
- 3inarow
- count rote numbers
- what next
- birth date, month - days of week
- point to numerals
- left, right to oneself - first, middle, last
- behind, in front of. beside
For activities
- use examples of colours of leaf, lime, hair, bottu/bindi, coal - colour with chalk, charcoal, rangoli powder, vegetable moulds.
- sequence cards of crow and pitcher story, crow and vada story - water in 2 glasses to show more and less
- use child in front of mirror for showing tall and short
use of vegetable moulds
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all activities used for normal children for these concepts are suitable for a child with locomotor disability also. Make sure that
you use adaptation for his hand function and mobility as needed.Tips
- Use old shaving brush, sponge or soft-pin-cushion-pad for applying glue.
- Use paste of maida in place of gum.
8. Reading Readiness
- Matching - flowers, leaves, stones, feathers.
- Name, paste and colour
- use fruits, pictures
- Sounds - own name
- generalise to Kavva, Kamal, Kaala.
- Oddman out - classify objects
- Missing parts
- Develop vocabulary - name words with 'D'...
Activities
- use sounds in audio cassette to repeat in class for indoor learning sounds of rain, frog, storm, train, waves.
- use of patterns for odd man out.
- Use of songs and games for learning.
- Use of riddles.
9. Writing Readiness
- Colour within outline.
- join dots.
- copy patterns - draw zig-zag lines
- trace over
- copy forms - shapes
- follow maze
Activities
- Draw on sand, floor, slate.
- Clay modelling
- Colouring within outline.
- Play with blocks.
- Children to form circle, square.
- Use examples of oval - egg triangle - roof
circle - bangle square - window rectangle - brick
Adaptations - Aids - Reading stand, page turner when required.
_________ S S
• S S
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Sjoin dots
follow maze
Aids
- Use big wooden models of shapes for child to move in and out of it.
This develops Spatial concepts.
- Child may later need to use a typewriter. So, allow to use a play piano key board, Xylophone, or casio as starters.
10. Language Development Through
- conversation - general topics, school, class, family.
- repeating sounds of syllables - labelling objects - ball, cup - story telling
- jokes
- simple riddles - what happens if an egg falls....
- rhymes
- make believe play
- environmental sounds - bird in a cage, etc.
- parts of body on self
- names of toys
- use of here, there, where, ask for more, all gone, pointing - outings
Activities
- in informal setting - sitting in a circle
- in a group
- enjoyable stories
- use of new words gradually
- children to develop the story rag dolls - use of flash cards, picture books, puppets
- tone intonation
- simple shadow play for dramatisation
- outings to collect for scrap books,leaves, feathers, flowers, shells - use of collage to develop story or picturise story
- use of alternate modes of communication where needed
EVALUATION OF CHILDREN WITH LOCOMOTOR DISABILITIES Informal assessment of the child on the basis of:
* Social
* Physical
* Learning
capacities-1
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* Social
- Is the child happy
- Regular to school - Mixing with others - Friendly
* Physical and Cleanliness
Is the child
- taking part in the class - maintaining body balance - exhibiting coordination - energetic
- washing hands when required to - being neat and clean I
A child with cerebral palsy
- may need to wear a bib
- may need more time to go to the toilet
- may need more time to move around'
- may need more time to eat
- may need to use a typewriter/computer in later years to replace writing
* Learning Capacity
- is attention span adequate
- can the child recognise concepts
- does he/she show interest in learning
- is he/she able to repeat simple stories - is he/she able to generalise
- does he/she use correct vocabulary
- does he/she use flash card, symbol charts adequately - does he/she enjoy creative activities
Note:
A child with a disability, even if ready to integrate into regular school may take longer than the mandatory six weeks of readiness training as for normal children. In such a case the child may be given longer period of time to
arrive at readiness in view of the fact that the Government is giving
concessions of time, scribe, waiver of maps, geometry and lab work later, at school leaving examination stage to persons with disabilities.In working with children with locomotor disabilities the teacher should always remember that these children have needs that they share with all children but which in their case are crucial. They need to feel that the teacher understands them and their background. They need to feel the satisfaction of performing tasks successfully and they need to feel that they are members of the respected group. It is the teacher's privilege to fulfill these needs.