Developmental Delays and Curriculum Development

Developmental Delays and Curriculum Development

When working with children, it is vital to be aware of the appropriate developmental milestones, especially at young ages. First, being able to identify typical development for given ages and stages helps the educator to spot individuals with potential developmental problems, and provide early intervention (Gonzalez-Mena & Eyer, 2009). Second, it allows educators to develop curriculum plans that work with both the actual developmental stage of the child, and to create integrated curricula for children with and without developmental delays (Gonzalez-Mena & Eyer, 2009). This applies to all children, but is especially vital when working with children with developmental delays. In an effective curriculum, a child is challenged while not being pushed beyond his or her current capability.

When working with any children, one must be aware of the classroom environment, and how it is tailored to the needs of the children using it. For children with developmental delays, this includes providing safe spaces for individuals with difficulty in fine and gross motor control. Second, one must create an environment that fits with most learning styles, and that does not penalize individuals with learning or cognition delays. This includes repeating directions several times, and using non-verbal cues, such as clapping, to indicate desired behavior (Gonzalez-Mena & Eyer, 2009). The physical, mental, and emotional needs of all the children in a classroom should be considered in designing the environment of a classroom.

Similar care must be taken in creating a preschool curriculum. In looking at play-based curricula, school should be enjoyable to the child, while still guiding him or her toward learning goals. High quality, enjoyable, developmentally targeted, teaching leads to much greater growth in a child's thinking and reasoning than does non-targeted teaching (Sylvaa, Taggart, Siraj-Blatchford, Totsikac, Ereky-Stevens, Gildena & Bell, 2007). Teachers who know the approximate developmental stages of a child are better able to both focus their curriculum, and to identify areas in which each child needs individual help. With knowledge of the ways in which children develop, a teacher build a year-long curriculum, that progresses as his or her students get older and have different needs (Sylvaa et al., 2007). In addition, a curriculum should be able to be implemented at any time, so that individuals with delays can come into the curriculum cycle at the point which best fits them.

Teaching should change as students develop, whether it be typical or a-typical development. For example, when beginning a preschool year, a teacher might focus on gross motor control, and provide a great number of opportunities to use the body, and move, including dancing and rhythm exercises. The teacher might pair this with activities designed to build basic vocabulary (Gonzalez-Mena & Eyer, 2009). These activities might give way to those focused on fine motor control, such as stringing beads, and problem solving at a more detailed level, such as constructing puzzles or answering riddles (Gonzalez-Mena & Eyer, 2009). By using the same portions at different points, or by repeating certain portions, the teacher can tailor the curriculum to any student, typical or developmentally delayed.

An effective preschool curriculum requires a variety of components. First, children tend to learn better in environments that are adult-led, but child-centered, so while the teacher should demonstrate and aid, he or she should not be the focus of the activity (Sylvaa et al., 2007). Second, a curriculum should include a variety of different types of learning, from motor, to verbal, to cognitive and so on (Sylvaa, et al., 2007). Finally, a good curriculum includes planned time for one on one interaction with teachers, allowing them personalized attention (Sylvaa, et al., 2007). Together, these three elements create a successful curriculum.