Ecological Inventory

Ecological inventory is a tool that I have come know as vital in any special
needs classroom. It allows the teacher to know the skills and abilities of the
students during a specific activity, especially communication. The inventory
helps structure the observations that target the skills that students will need
to perform. It looks especially at the needs that the environment demands,
mainly in the social/emotional and communication skills. What I appreciate
about this particular assessment is that it looks at not only at the needs or
limitations of the student, but also their unique strengths.
When performing an ecological inventory, I am seeing the environment that
the child is in and the skill level need to perform the task. So for a child to be
able to go to the bathroom independently, they need to be able to perform
the following skills without the teachers help to go to the bathroom
independently. An example of the skills needed to perform an activity, such
as going to the bathroom are as follows:
1.) Ask for permission to use the restroom
2.) Open the door
3.) Locate the toilet
4.) Pull down/unbutton/take off pullup, pants, underwear or diaper.
5.) Sit on toilet and go to the bathroom
6.) Wipe
7.) Wash hands

Preference Assessment
The importance of a preference assessment cannot be expressed enough,
especially within a special needs classroom. To understand what the child
likes, and dislikes, what edible reinforcers he/she enjoys and what can calm
them down or easily upset them is need-to-know information for the teacher.
Preference assessments allow the teacher to figure find the best positive
reinforcers (in the form of edibles, toys and etc.).
I had James for my preference assessment. He really enjoyed the yellow and
pink squishies, while not at all enjoying the goldfish-which he would swipe off
the desk and not give a second look at. He enjoyed M&Ms, the yellow
microphone and the pinwheel but didnt particularly enjoy the orange stress
ball, that was shaped like a brain.
Many times James would hold onto the object for longer than 10 seconds and
refuse to give it up. Professor Bond would then intervene and take it out of
his hands. I would then present the next two stimuluses to James before he
could become upset that his toy was gone.
Overall, the assessment was very interesting, and fun to give. I was able to
see physically what he enjoyed and what he definitely didnt like. What I
thought was interesting about the assessment was the fact that he wouldnt
hold the pinwheel or the microphone correctly-because he didnt know how.
He didnt understand that youre supposed to hold a pinwheel and blow so
you can visually see the motion of it. When he held the microphone he would
hold the end of it. But about three quarters of the way through, James began
to show some behaviors and refused to cooperate so the preference
assessment ended.

Quill Assessment
This Quill Assessment was very detailed in terms of social, core and
communication skills. What was difficult about this particular assessment
was that I needed at least a weeks worth of time observing all of the
behaviors and skills of the child to complete the assessment. The
assessment itself is for children with Autism and allows the teacher to create
behavioral objectives in the following categories: Non-verbal Social
Interaction, Imitation, Organization, Play, Group Skills, Community Social
Skills, Socioeconomic Skills and Basic Conversational Skills. Using the data
(that is all observational on behalf of the teacher) will allow teachers to
target the areas that each individual student is struggling.
Giving this assessment was quite easy, Travis is adorable and easy enough to
follow around and observe. My one reservation when filling out this
assessment was not having enough time in the classroom observing his
behavior and skills. Three hours per week unfortunately isnt enough, but I
could have given this to his teacher, Miss. Mandy and she would have been
able to fill it out perfectly since she spends many hours a day with him. The
person administering this test must spend time every day with the child to
have accurate results on the assessment itself.
So, I did the best that I could and was Traviss shadow for a day, I observed
him at breakfast, snack time, recess, circle time and stations time. Being
able to see him in a variety of environments added much depth to the overall
assessment and allowed me to address his needs more specifically. Overall
the Quill Assessment is thorough and very detailed oriented.

Task Analysis
Task analysis is a unique tool that allows the teacher to observe her students
in action to understand how students perform certain tasks with an
obtainable goal in mind. It allows the students to see each individual step
through a picture or a verbal/gestural prompt.
For my task analysis the child that I had in mind was Donny from Miss.
Kaylas class when brushing his teeth during the afternoon. In the best case
scenario I would like to have the cards laminated and then have them put on
a ring (since theyll be around the sink and all). Showing Donny the picture,
along with a verbal prompt and a partial physical prompt may help him to
master the chain of events leading up to brushing his teeth properly and
effectively.

ANECDOTAL RECORDS

September 24, 2015

Students A, B, and C all wanted to interact with the smartboard. Child A
would stand up when he was not supposed to and whine when it wasnt his
turn. The teacher verbally prompted him twice along with gesture and Child
A was then seated and quiet. Child B waited until it was his turn but would
consistently look at Child A, especially when Child A was making noise.
Student C could not sit on the carpet square, and sat on my lap instead.
Student C interacted with the smart board during the appropriate times, but
had difficulty listening to the directions Sit down afterwards. Child C had a
5 second constant time delay when the teacher instructed the child to sit
down with one verbal prompt.
On playground student C engaged with other children by grabbing their
hands and guiding them towards a certain part of the playground. Child C
used minimal verbal language when doing this.
Child B after recess liked to explore the forbidden half of the classroom,
especially when the aid, teacher or myself was not looking.

October 1, 2015
Child D, E, F & G during playtime would interact with me, but did not openly
communicate with each other. Child D liked to pour my tea and his own tea,
but would not pour any of his classmates tea.
In turn child F would then pick up the teapot and pour his own tea and
pretend to drink out of it while making little noises.
Child E would put plastic food into my hands and even tried to force some
into my mouth. He proceeded to bite on the plastic food, even after myself
and other teachers kept removing from this oral cavity.
Child G engaged child D and I and asked if we wanted more tea, and then
went to the kitchen to makes some more. Child G served child D and no one
else.
Child G on the playground engaged with another student on the playground
from another class and wanted to climb the mountain with him. Child G was
a better climber than his partner, but did not seem to notice her partners

slow pace-and soon left without said friend-who shrugged his shoulders and
hopped off and ran after child G.
October 15, 2015
Child H, I and J were very active in participating during story time. Children
H, I & J were not particularly close to one and other but were acting very
similar throughout circle time, and the teacher kept on having to remind
them that it wasnt their turn. Child H needed a gestural and verbal prompt
to listen to the teacher, while Children I and J needed only one verbal
prompt. At recess children H, I & J didnt interact with each other much, but
were in the same general vicinity.
When children went inside, they had a sub for the day. Children behaved well
during circle time, but when it came to stations they children were noisy and
chaotic and taking advantage of the sub. Especially children I, J and K.
Children were asked to make patterns and a majority of children were not
able to do so without an example or modeling beforehand. Some children
needed partial physical prompts with many verbal prompts to complete the
task with a 80% accuracy.

October 22, 2015

Today was pumpkin patch day. I had child L and M, because their mother
hadnt arrived yet and was still on the way. Child L played with my watch,
and began to bounce around the wagon after 5 minutes of sitting. Child L
began to sit quietly again once I said that that we were going for a hay ride
to pick pumpkins and that we were leaving. Once the tractors started up,
they had child Ls full attention. Child M wanted to pick a big pumpkin, and
headed off with Kaitlyn. Child L wanted to pick a pumpkin but made
screaming noises whenever I touched one. Holding child L and bringing him
to different pumpkins worked well, and he eventually pointed to a pumpkin
and decided to put it in his bag.

November 5, 2015
While cleaning up after snack time, Child N was done eating and a teacher
had already cleaned up his mess. He proceeded to run over to the circle time
area without permission. Miss. Mandy called him back and had him sit and
wait for his turn. While Child N was sitting Miss. Mandy would call a child,
they would get up, throw their trash away into the trash can and then
proceed over to the circle time area. When Child N was called, he jumped up
out of his seat, ran to the trashcan and pretended to throw something away

(since a teacher had already cleaned everything, there was nothing in his
area that he could throw away) and proceeded to the circle time area. We
were all in stiches after that.

Applied Behavior Analysis Lessons, Discrete Child Training Lesson

Plans

Students: Travis
Grade Level: Preschool
Date: November 5, 2015
Teacher: Miss. Mandy
Language/Communication Domain
Objectives (target behavior and level of mastery): Identifying Environmental
Sounds such as a frog, clock ticking, car starting and etc. Student will be able
to identify 20/20 sounds correctly (by use of picture, or orally) without
prompting (physically or vocally) by the end of this Developmental
Intervention Plan.
Materials: Environmental sounds material and cassette player (or CD player
as well)
Setting: Quiet room away from high noise level

Instructional Procedures
Specific Prompts to be used:
-What sound do you hear?
-Partial Physical prompting such as guiding child to point to the correct
picture.
-Model the correct response
Fading of Prompts:
Most intrusive prompts will be used less and then be completely replaced by
least intrusive prompts by the fifth day.
Schedule of Fading Prompts:
When child only needs one prompt 85% (17/20) of the time the teacher will
stop prompting every other time.
Reinforcement:

a. Types of reinforcement delivered: M&M, High-fives, verbal praise (ex: Good

Job Travis! Great Job! Boy youre Smart!)
b. Initial Schedule of Reinforcement: Every time Travis responds correctly
without a prompt he will be given an M&M. When Travis answers correctly
with a prompt, he will be given a high-five or verbal praise (which is less
desirable than candy).
c. Fading of Reinforcement: Once student is able to correctly identify the
correct sound 85% of the time, Travis will only receive verbal praise or a high
five. When he correctly identifies 20/20 sounds correctly he will receive an
entire small tube of Mini M&Ms.

Generalization Procedures:
1.) Points to Picture Representing Sound- Place picture on the table in front of
the child. Play sound on cassette player. Ask the question What do you
hear? Prompt the child to point to corresponding picture. Fade prompts
overtime.
2.) Label Sounds-Play sound on cassette player, ask the question What do
you hear? Prompt the child to label the sound.
Promotion of Self Directed Learning: Through the use of partial physical
prompt and one verbal prompt the student is gaining understand the
correlation between the sound and the picture. The student is thus more
likely to associate the sound with the actual physical prompt. Starting with
the sounds that the child is familiar with will help them gain confidence and
sounds frequently heard in his environment.

Applied Behavior Analysis Lessons, Discrete Child Training Lesson

Plans

Students: Travis
Grade Level: Preschool
Date: November 5, 2015
Teacher: Miss. Mandy
Language/Communication Domain
Objectives (target behavior and level of mastery): Travis will be able to
correctly identify eight shapes correctly 80% of the time by the end of this
Developmental Intervention Plan.
Materials: 8 shapes
Setting: Quiet space away from high noise level
Instructional Procedures
Specific Prompts to be used:
-Point to ____.
-What shape is this?
-Physically guide child to point to correct shape.
-Model the label of the shape
Fading of Prompts: Student will be aided by the teacher physically guiding
child to point to the correct shape (if necessary). By the third trial, the child
will not receive physical guidance from the teacher unless the student made
five incorrect answers in a row.
Schedule of Fading Prompts: The teacher will use the most invasive prompts
at the beginning of the trials, but will then only use the least intrusive
prompts during the middle and end trials.

Reinforcement:
a. Types of reinforcement delivered:

-Verbal Praise Good boy Travis! Very Smart and etc.

-Mini M&M
-High five or tickle
b. Initial Schedule of Reinforcement: Student will receive the most intrusive
praise first (ex: verbal praise, edible or tickling). Towards the middle trials
reinforcement these reinforcements will be replaced with a high five.
c. Fading of Reinforcement: By the end of the 4th trail, tickling, edibles and
verbal praise will cease to be reinforcement, and be replaced with a highfive.

Generalization Procedures:
1.) Identifies Shapes: Place shapes on the table in front of the child. Establish
attending and say Point to _square__. Prompt child to point at the correct
shape, (i.e. the square).
2.) Labels Shapes: Sit in chair facing the child. Establish attending and
present a shape. Say What shape is this? Prompt the child to label the
shape and reinforce response.
Promotion of Self Directed Learning: Through partial physical prompting and
visuals the child will come to understand that the word square is a four
sided figure on a card. Beginning with 3-D shapes in the same color and then
introducing 2D shapes will show the child that they are not 1D, but actually
objects in reality.

Case Study
I primarily observed in Miss. Mandys room as well as Miss. Kaylas room during a
majority of my time at Weirton Elementary. Miss. Mandys room is an all-inclusive preschool
classroom and she has about ten lower-functioning students, all with IEPs. Miss. Kaylas
classroom on the other hand is much larger than Miss. Mandys and she has higher functioning
students, along with a couple of students that hold IEPs mainly for behavior.
In my time in these two classrooms I saw different teaching tactics for children. I saw
Task Analysis used when students were using the bathroom, particularly for flushing and
washing hands. In Miss. Bonds classroom I was privileged to observe Discrete Child Training as
well as appropriate physical prompting, including partial physical and full physical prompting. I
was also able to watch the teachers model behavior as well as certain skills for the students.
This came in the form of assessing childrens ability to create or find patterns, playing Chutes
and Ladders at centers, Circle Time, as well as recess. Every teacher that I observed used a
gestural prompt to aid the students in understanding of what the teacher needed to be done by the
student. Positive reinforcement was given immediately to the student when they performed the
skill the teacher was requiring. There was a substantial amount of differentiated instruction in the
classrooms as well and each was tailored the individual students need.
The main reason for the preference assessment is simple, we as teachers want to know
what is pleasing to the child, and it can be for positive reinforcement or positive correlation of a
certain task or activity. If the child needs to be calmed down quickly, rewarded or engaged for a
few minutes, we need to know what they are captivated by. Some special uses for the results of

the preference assessment include using it as a reinforcement for Discrete Child Training, task
chaining and can be used as a discriminative stimulus.
The Quill Assessment is an assessment specifically for children who fall anywhere on the
Autism spectrum. The assessment is detailed in terms of social, core and communication skills.
The only con for this particular assessment is that the person administering it must view the child
through unbiased eyes, and it also many hours of observation. The Quill Assessment allows the
teacher to create behavioral objectives in the following categories: Non-verbal Social Interaction,
Imitation, Organization, Play, Group Skills, Community Social Skills, Socioeconomic Skills and
Basic Conversational Skills. Using the data (that is all observational on behalf of the
teacher/administrator) will allow teachers to target the areas that each individual student is
struggling. Then using Quills book, Do Watch Listen Say the teacher can find strategies, lessons,
interventions and more to help the child in the particular field that they struggle with.
Task Analysis is mainly used as a visual prompt as well as a verbal prompt for students. It
simply outlines the steps to perform a task with visual pictures. The student is the prompted
visually, and if necessary verbally prompted and partial physical prompted as well. This allows
students to chain activities or skills together in order to perform the full skill completely.
I have learned so much in the past semester from this field experience. I have never been
in a full inclusion classroom, and have seen more strategies, skills and interventions in this
school than I have had in my four years of experience. But the main impression that I took away
from this experience wasnt something that I read in a textbook. I fully believe that one of the
greatest tools in the classroom is the teachers patience. And patience is tough to master,
especially on long days when youre running on copious amounts of caffeine and trying to make
it until Friday. Days when the kids make you want to pull your hair out and you have 15 papers

to grade and then you have to coach soccer practice at five pm. Patience is key to mastering the
classroom-as well as mastering life. I have learned that there is always a strategy to be found for
a child who doesnt understand, a prompt for a confused student and an assessment for a child
who needs aid. In this class I have learned interventions, strategies and theories and ideas that
will help my future students master skills. Any problem that my future student may have can
probably be answered by a book, a team of specialists or simply myself because of the
knowledge that Franciscan has imparted to me. Experience is a wise teacher, and paired with
patience will lead to a prosperous classroom. Ive learned about task-chaining, discrete child
training, the hierarchy of prompts, the different kinds of play and the importance of
communication as a skill. This class has instilled a desire in me to learn and read as much as I
can about special education, as well as reading every single childs IEP who walks through my
door. I have learned that the teachers knowledge drastically affects the classroom they teach.
Teachers who have been trained and educated well in school have a better chance of fighting for
their students needs while giving them more opportunities to learn. This is what instills me to
learn as much as I can, while I can. And that is the entire point of education, to impart knowledge
to one and other and even upon the unwilling student.

Developmental Intervention Plan (from Quill Text)

Developmental Area:
A. Organization
Space 3. Completes activity by putting away materials. Travis has a difficult
time completing an activity by putting away materials, as per said in his Quill
Assessment.
Goal: For Travis to be able to put away his materials after completing an
activity 70% of the time in opportunities given at home and in the school.
Helping Travis define boundaries of space will help him understand that he
needs to put materials away when he is done playing.
Activities: Adult/Child:
Help define the boundaries of space by taking out a single toy, activity of
play set at a time. Separate large spaces into smaller, defined areas and
reduce clutter. Establish predictable and logical locations for items (i.e. the
blocks should not be kept on the highest shelf) and limit the environmental
choices that the child is surrounded by.
Label dresser drawers with a picture and written labels to indicate the
location of certain items at home. Also, label toy boxes/cubbies and all
organization play items this way in the classroom.
Have a specific placemat for the child (one that has an outline of all the
materials needed for the meal) and place it where the child will be seated.
Separate toys into bins. Group toys into individual party sets or closed-ended
play activities. Example: a baby doll, two outfits for the baby doll, spoon,
plate, bottle and toy food would all go into the same bin. In a different bin
you can place toy cars, a couple of play people and some blocks. All pieces
necessary to complete a specific activity or schema should be contained in
each bin.
Activities in Peers/Group:
Color-code toys that belong in a certain area by marking certain bins with
colored rectangles that correspond to an identical rectangle placement on a
shelf, bin and etc. Have the students play a game together by seeing who
can quickly and accurately put away the most amount of toys in a set
amount of time.
Data Collection:

Travis will be observed at playtime clean-up, 4 times a week with a

checklist/anecdotal records to see if he was able to clean up his materials
after playtime is over.
Quill, Kathleen Ann (2000). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

Developmental Intervention Plan (from Quill Text)

Developmental Area:
B. Imitation
Motor inhibition 6. Imitates in novel contexts. In Traviss Quill Assessment the
results showed that he struggled with imitating a sequence of three or more
actions.
Goal: When playing a game of patty-cake in class, Travis was having
difficulty with his overall gross motor skills. He was struggling to clap, hit my
hands and then clap again because he started giggling and laughing. When I
asked him to close his eyes, open them and then to touch his toes-he
touched his knees instead. In conclusion, a sequence of three actions is
something that we need to work on.
Activities: Adult/Child:
Create videos modeling a sequence of play actions. Have the child then
watch the videos and then model play with the child.
For cooking activities, make simple cookbooks. Have each page represent a
step in the cooking sequence.
Attach simple songs containing action cues to common routines like bath
time or clean up.
Activities with Peers/Group:
Engage in a multi-step obstacle course that has some elements of body
imitation mixed with movements through equipment.
Set up movement sequences that imitate daily events. For example, pretend
to get in a toy car, drive to a gas station and pump gas.
Strategies:
When teaching imitation, there are three choices:
1.) Scaffold
2.) Prompt
3.) Shape

The choice of the strategy and level of prompting used is made moment to
moment based on the childs attention, understanding and interest.
Follow the childs lead if purposeful. If the child is unfocused or not engaging
in purposeful activity, provide inappropriate modeling to cue targeted areas.
When the childs behavior is meaningful to the context, reference and shape
it to the target actions.
If the child is difficult to engage or keep focused on task, ask the following
questions:
1.) Is the activity organized?
2.) Is the activity meaningful to the child?
3.) Is the activity motivating to the child?
4.) Do you have the childs attention?
5.) Is the child comfortable in the environment?
6.) Can you interrupt the childs rituals?

Data Collection:
Once weekly, ask Travis to perform a three sequence activity, such as Simon
Says, or ask him to play patty-cake with you at recess. Give him the
instructions, count down from three (to remind him there are three
sequences) and observe and record. Once he perform three sequences
increase the number of sequences he can do to 4-8.

Quill, Kathleen Ann (2000). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.