Early Intervention Services: Natural Learning Environments |
What are natural learning environments? Natural learning environments are... |  |
- A variety of settings where children live, learn, and play
- Settings natural and comfortable for children, families, and other care providers
- Home and community settings where all children participate
- Settings where children, families, and care providers participate in routines and activities that are important to them
- Everyday routines, activity settings, and learning opportunities including...
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- Play grounds, libraries, homes, churches, child care facilities, preschools, neighborhoods, stores, restaurants
- Bathrooms, kitchens, play
rooms, bedrooms, backyards
- Car rides, bus rides, train
rides, and other forms of
transportation
- Eating, bathing, playing,
reading, taking a walk, doing
errands and chores, visiting
| How do I make sure I am using natural learning environments when I provide early intervention?
- Invite and encourage families and care providers to identify their priorities and outcomes as an initial step in the planning process
- Ask families and care providers what activities and routines are part of their daily life
- Identify the important people in the children's and families' life
- Observe children engaging in real life activities with families and care providers across natural settings
- Coach families and care providers in everyday places during real life activities and routines
- Be a resource for families to network with other families in the community
- Learn about your community, especially formal and informal activities for young children
- Provide families with emotional, informational, and material resources to support the achievement of Individualized Family Service Plan outcomes
- Seek out the networks you need from local, state, and national resources
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Why are natural learning environments important? Natural learning environments... |
- Are the law (Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act)
- Support families in promoting their children's development, learning, and participation in family and community life, which is the purpose of Early Intervention
- Promote families' sense of belonging in their communities
- Emphasize children's, families', and care providers' abilities during everyday activities
- Focus on function and socialization
- Promote learning (children and care providers learn better in natural contexts and settings)
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- Enable children to learn by modeling their peers and families Provide children with opportunities to practice skills throughout their day
- Strengthen and develop lifelong natural supports for children and familiesStrengthen and develop lifelong natural supports for children and families
- Recognize family members and care providers as the primary influence for nurturing growth, development, and learning
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Services provided under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act must be in natural environments. Other environments may be used only when:
- Alternate options for intervention services in natural environments have been explored.
- The Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) team can justify that the IFSP outcomes cannot be achieved satisfactorily in any natural environment.
- Justification includes an explanation of how the desired outcomes will be generalized into typical daily routines for the child, family, and care providers.
- Justification is child-focused and is not for the convenience of the program or the provider.
- A need exists to bring families together to network or to provide other family supports as identified on the IFSP.
Note: Exception to the use of natural environments should be short term and alternate options for providing services in natural environments should be explored. Justification should include a plan with criteria for outcomes and a time-line for further exploration of service delivery in natural environments.
Key References:
Journal Articles
Campbell, S. (1997). Therapy programs for children that last a lifetime. Physical and Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics,7(1), 1-15.
Dunst, C.J., Bruder, M.J., Trivette, CM., Raab, M., & McLean, M. (2001). Natural learning opportunities for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Young Exceptional Children, 4(3), 18-25.
Hanft, B., & Pilkington, K. (2000). Therapy in natural environments: The means or end goal for early intervention? Infants and Young Children, 12(A), 1-13.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997. [U.S. Code of Federal Regulations 303.12(4)(b) (2)].
McEwen,I. (Ed.). (2000). Providing physical therapy services under Parts B & C of IDEA. Section on Pediatrics, APTA.
McWilliam, R.A., &. Scott, S. (2001). A support approach to early intervention: A three-part framework. Infants and Young Children, 13(4), 55-66.
Sandall, S., &. Ostrosky, M. (Eds.). (2000). Young exceptional children, Monograph series No. 2: Natural environments and inclusion. Denver, CO\ The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children.
Shelden, M.L. c\ Rush, D. (2001). The ten myths about providing early intervention services in natural Environments. Infants and Young Children, 14(1), 1-13.
Web Sites
http://www.ah.ouhsc.edu/tolbert (Under Model Service Delivery, see complete reference list on Natural Environments)
http://puckett.org/childlearn/
http://tactics.fsu.edu/
http://www.cpd.usu.edu/spies/default.htm
http://www.ldeapractices.org
http://www.cde.state.co.us/earlychildhoodconnections/local/naturalenvironments2.html
Video
Being a Kid - Distributed by Western Media Products 1-800-232-8902 or http://www.media-products.com
Created June 2001 by Lisa Ann Chiarello, M'Lisa Shelden, Mary Jane Rapport, Joyce Barnett, Nancy Cicirello, and
Elisa Kennedy, Section on Pediatrics of the American Physical Therapy Association 1111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, VA 22314, Phone: 800-999-2782 Fax: 800-399-2782, www.apta.org
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