Teaching students with cerebral Palsy

must realize that every child in the class is their responsibility, not a "problem" to be dealt with

be flexible: be willing to make accomodations/ adaptations to the curricuculum & materials, their instruction, and to re-write objectives for a student's needs

be able to work in a team

be a problem solver

believe in the student's ability to learn: although a CP student may not be able to speak or move fluently, they may be gifted (eg. Christy Brown)

realize that although a CP student may never become fully able to conventionally perform a skill, it is still valuable for them to learn it (eg. basketball for students in a wheelchair)

recognize that CP students may have high levels of frustration (not able to communicate, frequently misunderstood, etc.)

remember that the student's attitude to learning is very important -- must try to encourage a receptiveness to learning (class can be enjoyable and it should be challenging)

must differentiate between a student's misbehaviour and what is disability-related expression by the child

Use the resources available; get informed: watch videos, read books, etc.; communicate with others who have taught CP students

1. consult with special education department, speech clinician, instructional aide, physical therapist, principal, parents, and the student -- work together to look at academic and therapeutic goals

1. ask questions about the physical & instructional environment, social interactions, curriculum, etc.

2. consult with the student regularly
3. involve the family

1. consult with school pediatrician, physical and/or occuputional therapists to identify the individual needs of a specific student
2. consider posture and movement -- the student's comfort will enhance their receptiveness to learning; similarly is important that they are physically receptive to taking in new information
3. Positioning: some CP students may find sitting in a desk uncomfortable; other positions may be recommended by an aide (eg. side sitting on the floor) -- consider this during instructional activities

1. the student must change their position at least every 20-30 minutes (muscular tensions, fatigue,circulation)

4. CP students may have muscular stiffness, and may have difficulty with head "righting" (focussing on target) or orientation

 
1. encourage students to stretch
2. assist child into proper head positioning if necessary, so that s/he can use a normal arc of vision to view the teacher or activity (check head & neck alignment)

5. because of poor motor skills, many CP students will have difficulty holding onto things (eg.pens, x-acto knives, etc.); learning aides may assist the student if necessary
6. muscle tightness may result in a student becoming fatigued; a few students may take naps

1. Try to incorporate multi-sensory learning materials {CP students have limited development in Piaget's "object concept"/sensorimotor period (0-2 years of age)}:

audio-visual

tactile (touch)

proprioceptive

2. "learning requires the active participation of the learner" : encourage discussion and active participation (statistics show that CP students are given few opportunities to participate)

if possible, lab work, hands-on experience, creating something themselves

don't do everything for them if they can do some things by themselves

students can use any method, from speech to augmentative technology to eye-pointing, to communicate in the classroom

writing, if not possible by the student (or if spech-to-text software is not available) is usually done thru an aide

3. allow time for responses (at least 5 seconds)

1. doing this will encourage participation & multi-word answers
2. ask open-ended as opposed to yes/no aquestions
3. encourage the student to use their augmentative device if available (over head nodding) -- some students will not be proficient with the technology
4. don't fill silence gaps between your question and the student's response

4. "learning is a social and individual process": peer and teacher interaction with the student should be a priority: cooperative learning, peer tutoring, discussion

1. students need to succeed socially; include them in group activities, encourage peer interaction
2. to teach social and communication skills, the teacher will serve as a model for the student

5. choose learning activities, not simply to keep CP students busy or for evaluation purposes, but because it helps them learn & has educational value
6. be cautious of how much time is being spent on instruction, and how much is being lost to transitions, technology concerns/ repairs, therapies, toitleting, etc.
7. use better management & preparation to prevent interruptions or delays -- if interruptions do occur, give the student an independent activity to engage in while the teacher is busy with management activities

1. create a specific curriculum considering student's needs and that involves the student
2. get student input & let student help establish an academic program. Ask the student:

is the work too hard/easy?

is the pace too fast/slow?

what teaching methods they prefer

3. provide opportunity for student choice (eg.let them select certain books to read, or give them a choice of topics, etc.)
4. consider the student's interests & their internal motivation to develop needed skills
5. find out what skill level they are at; don't make assumptions; build on their strengths
6. figure out what skills a CP student needs -- go beyond the standardized curriuculum
7. keep high expectations
8. any curriculum should encourage active participation, discussion, cooperative learning
9. structure the curriculum and activities to allow the students to experience success, and demonstrate their competence
10. recognize that everyone is working toward a common goal; not everyone has to be doing the same thing
11. Assessment: don't time tests or give students longer to complete it; mark with different criteria if the student's disability puts them at an unfair disadvantage
12. consider accessibility/transportation (esp. with field trips, out of class assignments)

Technology

85-95% of CP students have a speech disability; 30% have severely limited speech which cannot be easily understood. Students may use:

1. Digitized Speech Generator (Chat Box, Liberator)
2. Bliss Board
3. Eye Movement Recognition Hardware

some devices do not match cognitive ability

it is important for teachers to become generally familiar with the devices

augmentative: not education itself, but a tool to facilitate education (a means to an end)

the teacher needs to see the student behind the technology

books on tape; written instructions on tape or orally

computers:

text-to-speech; speech-to-text (multi-sensory)

large fonts/ display

non-standard keyboards: single keystrokes= frequently used words

technology may need to be adapted for each classroom (entering in new vocabulary onto a board)

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