Developmental milestones

Best practice in educational goal writing is for a goal to be discipline-free and reflective of meaningful outcomes, not only for the current IEP cycle but looking forward. Given the one variable requirement of GAS, how does this process work when developing team-oriented goals?

Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) is a client-centric, criterion referenced measure of progress, responsive to minimally significant changes in a specific outcome, whether it be an individual goal or a functional goal.

In March 2017, the Supreme Court ruled on the case of Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District. Endrew F. was a student with autism who for years had made only minimal educational gains under the IEP developed by his school, causing his parents to transfer him to a private school.

Physical therapy goals in the school-based practice setting can focus on a variety of areas, including: participation (student’s involvement in a life situation), activity (student’s execution of a task or action) and impairment (i.e. at the level of body structure and function.) For a number of reasons we find that student goals that address participation within the context of school routines...

On April 12, we hosted a webinar, Progressive Gait Training: Motor Learning Strategies and the Research, discussing motor skill acquisition through practice, feedback and prompt reduction. It concluded with a demonstration of the Rifton Pacer and tips for therapeutic and functional use of the Pacer emphasizing the benefits of dynamic support and the reduction of physical assistance to increase...

Typically developing children reach most motor milestones in a fairly predictable manner. By six months babies are rolling; by eight months they are creeping on all fours and sitting on their own and by ten-twelve months they are standing and getting ready to take their first steps. During this part of the first year of life, typically developing babies are exploring their environment, interacting with...

This post is the first in a series of articles on the topic of adaptive equipment use in the classroom. Adaptive equipment, used appropriately, serves as a teaching tool for students to learn the motor skills of sitting, standing, and walking, while engaged in the curriculum. This post focuses on active sitting as a motor skill. Adaptive Equipment for Classrooms Series: Part 2 of 3 Adaptive Equipment for...

When teaching children with special needs new skills, therapists and teachers typically provide prompts to guide the process. According to activity-based curriculums, prompts are defined as supports, and may come in many different forms. Prompts are ever changing, depending on the activity. A wide variety of prompts enables special education classroom staff to choose the one or combination that are most...