Overview
This session rediscovers the genius in pretend play and explores the strategies to support and engage children with a variety of disabilities in pretend play. Pretend play is critical to many areas of child development, including communication, language development and literacy learning. There are essential benefits to launching emergent literacy learning within the structures of pretend play routines. There can be many barriers to including children with disabilities in the structure of play routines, especially for our children with high needs. During this session we will share materials, adaptations, tools, resources, and supporting research on the potential of developing early literacy through pretend play.
Learning Objectives
- Evaluate the literacy potential of a minimum of two current pretend play activities in their own environment.
- Identify three accommodations necessary to include students with high needs in pretend play activities with peers.
- List three strategies to incorporate literacy activities in pretend play routines.
Primary & Secondary Strand
Education & Learning: Early Intervention -12/Higher Education
Target Audience
- AT Specialists
- Alternative Media Specialist
- Caregivers
- Communication Specialist
- Consultants/Trainers
- Educators
- Family Members
- Occupational Therapists
- Paraprofessionals
- Physical Therapists
- Speech-Language Pathologists
- Special Education Educators
- Teachers of the Visually Impaired
- Visual Impairment Specialists
Experience Level
Introductory
Primary Life Cycle Addressed
Birth - Pre K
Session Delivery Format
In-person presentation with recording
Course Schedule
This course was given at the ATIA 2023 Conference on Thursday, February 2 from 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM (EST)
Continuing Education Credits
For Satisfactory Completion and Continuing Education information, please visit: ATIA Learning Center CEUs
ASHA CE Information: Recorded Session
Start date of ASHA CEUs offering: February 15, 2024
This course is also offered for the following CE Provider Credits:
ACVREP; AOTA; IACET
For: 0.10 CEU Units or 1.0 CEU Hours.
Speaker/s:
Donna McNear, MA, COMS
McNear Consulting, Independent Educational Consultant
Biography
Donna McNear, MA, COMS, is an independent educational consultant specializing in services and supports to children with visual impairments. She provides on-going technical assistance and training to educational agencies, organizations, and families nationally and internationally. She is an author, researcher, and frequent presenter at workshops/conferences. She is a recipient of the Outstanding Leadership Award from the Council for Exceptional Children.
Relevant Financial Relationship: Yes
Donna does small contract work and training with some of the vision and literacy companies, but is not a full-time employee of a company or receiving any compensation from those companies for presenting this content.
Relevant Non-Financial Relationship: Yes
Donna an author, researcher, and frequent presenter at workshops/conferences.
Kelly Fonner
Fonner Consulting, Consultant
Biography
Kelly is a self-employed consultant and trainer in assistive and educational technology. Since 1986, she has presented to schools, universities & families in 48 US states & internationally in Australia, Canada and South Africa. She presents on a wide range of topics including technology integration, augmentative communication, computer access, literacy, electronic writing, organizers, assistive technology assessment and implementation strategies.
Relevant Financial Relationship: Yes
Kelly does small contract work and training with some of the AAC, and literacy companies, but is not a full-time employee of a company or receiving any compensation from those companies for presenting this content. She is also the co-author of 2 Books on QIAT: Quality Indicators in Assistive Technology.
Relevant Non-Financial Relationship: Yes
Kelly is an ATIA strand adviser and receives compensation in the form of conference registration and partial travel expenses.