Chapter 1
Activity Inventory and Intervention Guide
Start by using the Activity Inventory to find out where your students need help. Fill out the form by interviewing parents and teachers. Activities will vary depending on the chronological age and cognitive level of each student. Activities for a 3-year-old who is developing typically may include things such as dressing, coloring, reading picture books, and riding a tricycle. Activities for a 16-year-old with cognitive impairments at or above the 3-year-old level may include self-help skills (e.g., cooking), community living skills (e.g., using public transportation), and functional academics addressed in the general education curriculum (e.g., calculating the cost of items on a grocery list).
The Activity Inventory has two main columns:
- In the first, list the student’s regularly occurring activities at home and at school. Obtain this information from student, parents, and teachers.
- In the second, rate your student’s performance for each activity. Ask parents and teachers to indicate a high, medium, or low need for instruction based on the following criteria.
- Low need for instruction: Performance level is higher than the average demonstrated by peers who participate in the same activity.
- Medium need for instruction: Performance level is about the same as the average demonstrated by peers who participate in the same activity.
- High need for instruction: Performance level is lower than the average demonstrated by peers who participate in the same activity.
Activities that receive a high need for instruction rating are intervention priorities. Performance levels will be increased by determining interventions that increase visual efficiency.
The sample Activity Inventory (Table 1.1) shows the performance ratings for the regularly occurring activities in one student’s daily schedule.
Table 1.1 Sample Activity Inventory
Regularly occurring activities | Need for Instruction | Comments | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Low Need | Medium Need | High Need | ||
Breakfast | ✓ | |||
Dressing | ✓ | |||
Arrival routine | ✓ | |||
Centers | ✓ | |||
Journal time | ✓ | |||
Morning circle | ✓ | |||
Toilet | ✓ | |||
Lunch | ✓ | |||
Playground | ✓ | |||
Arts and crafts | ✓ | |||
Computer games | ✓ | |||
Snack | ✓ |
Use the Intervention Guide (IG) to evaluate performance in priority activities and to determine what kind of intervention is needed to increase performance levels. The Intervention Guide has four columns.
- In column 1, list priority activities—those with a high need for instruction on the Activity Inventory.
- In column 2, list specific media or object affected by poor visual efficiency based on information gathered during observations of each priority activity.
- In column 3, list related visual skills and developmental sequences and/or related perceptual skill deficits. Related visual developmental sequences (chapter 2) are based on information from the Developmental Sequences Chart and Appendix A: Continuum of Visual Development. Related perceptual skill deficits (chapter 3) are based on information from the Perceptual Skills Evaluation (Book 3).
- In column 4, list the intervention, which is the accommodation you will provide, the skill you will instruct, and/or the compensatory strategy you will teach. Use the student’s Functional Vision Assessment (not included in the BVEP) and his or her related developmental sequences (column 3 of the IG) to determine appropriate accommodations for listed media. Use the Visual Skills Chart (Table 2.2) to determine appropriate target skills for instruction. The related perceptual skill deficits (column 3 of the IG) determine the need for compensatory strategies to increase efficiency when perceptual skill deficits impair performance.
Table 1.2 Visual Skills Chart
Category | Skills | Media | Function |
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Visual examining behaviors |
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Visually guided movements of the body |
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The sample Intervention Guide (Table 1.3) shows priority activities (identified by the activity inventory) and related media/objects affected by poor visual efficiency (based on information gathered during observations of each priority activity).
Table 1.3 Sample Intervention Guide Showing Priority Activities and Affected Media/Objects
Priority Activities | Media/Objects affected by poor visual efficiency | Related visual developmental sequences (V) and/or Related perceptual skill deficits (P) | Intervention Accommodation (A) Skill (S) Strategy (St) |
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Arrival time | Name tag on cubby | ||
Hook on coat rack | |||
Journal time | Notebook | ||
Centers | Picture books | ||
Puzzles | |||
Morning circle | Weather pictures | ||
Playground | Anything in bright sunlight | ||
Arts and Crafts | Lines for cutting |