Accommodations: Observations

In studying the many kind of accommodations, I have learned that there are many ways in order to accommodate for a child with a learning disability.  Among many other things students with disabilities should be observed in the classroom in order to learn the best way in which to accommodate them.  There are strategies for observing them, ecological assessments in which the student is observed in multiple environments, multiple observation methods, and many questions to ask while making observations.

Students should be observed objectively throughout the year to determine if the negative behaviour they are exhibiting is general or specific.  This is very important because once it is determined what triggers the behaviour the teacher and school can make accommodations for the student in order to minimize the negative behaviour.  It is also important to do an ecological assessment in order to determine if the stimulant of the negative behaviour is environmental, such as another student, a certain place, or a teacher’s methods, so accommodations can be made for any of these things as well.

There are multiple methods of observation in order to record the student’s negative behaviour and determine a stimulus.  It is possible to keep anecdotal records, event records, duration records, or checklists/rating scales.  Each of these things keeps records in a different way, although none are more or less important than others.  Each has benefits to them, and depending on what the most prevalent misbehaviour is and what accommodations you are attempting to make it is necessary to keep one of, or many of these types of records.

In keeping these records it is easier to make appropriate accommodations for the student with the disability, and accommodations can change over the school year as necessary.  The student will get the best education out of this effort, and will be able to succeed in school.