Accommodations for At-Home Learning

If you were to walk into any classroom, accommodations are taking place, even if difficult to see at first. By taking a closer look you might notice one student who has a schedule on their desk, one who is using a timer or a child is having the instructions read to them.

Whether a child has an Individual Education Plan or not, teachers frequently are helping children through their assigned tasks. Now that children are learning from home, we need to think of ways to adapt these same accommodations for at home.

Below is a list of accommodations that are frequently used in the classroom and a quick description. Click on any underlined accommodations to learn more about how to incorporate these strategies for At-Home learning.

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At-Home Learning Accommodations

Google Read and Write: A versatile, FREE Google Chrome extension that has the ability to read text out loud, predict your writing and turn speech into text! Click to find out my top three uses for Google Read and Write

Manipulatives: Many learners are kinesthetic, meaning they learn better by manipulating the objects they are learning about. Math can be difficult without direct instruction or these objects to manipulate. Check out Toy Theater that help bridge the gap between in-person and online learning.

Time Accommodations / Frequent Breaks: Some tasks simply take longer. Here are some strategies of how to structure academic time.

Assign one task at a time: Breaking down the task and limiting distractions. Click to learn quick ways to break down a task into more manageable parts.

Re-read and clarify instructions: Sometimes hearing someone else read the instructions, using different words or talking through the problem can really help!

Frequent check-ins: Children are accustomed to raising their hand if they need help. Building in check-ins can increase confidence!

Prompting and Reminding: We don't expect all children to be given instruction and independently master the task right away! Linked here is a deeper look at the types of prompts we provide our children and how using the right type of prompt can increase independence and compliance.

Most-to-Least Prompting: This strategy is excellent for learners who lack confidence in their task. Click to learn more about the importance of most-to-least prompting.

Schedules: Knowing what is happening next, and how long until a preferred activity can help ease the anxiety of online learning!

Scribing: Oftentimes the IDEAS are more important than the child getting the words down themselves. Learn more about determining if this is an activity you could scribe for your child.

Environmental Accommodations: This could be blocking out visual distractions, finding a quiet space or many others! Environmental Accommodations are very important for our children who have diverse sensory needs. Learn more about how to accommodate these needs in your home.

Extension activities: Sending assignments online can limit the personalization a teacher can make. If you have found an activity your child enjoys, let them dig deeper!

First / Then: Sometimes breaking down a task into what I have to do, then what I can do after can be very helpful. Read more about putting together First / Then prompts here.