Specialized instruction can be delivered through a variety of effective strategies, many of which can be embedded in ongoing classroom activities. For Jimmy, the itinerant teacher planned activities with the early childhood teacher that would occur every day. The teacher gave Jimmy the least assistance necessary for him to be successful on the task, which led to his independently getting dressed during these transition times. The team met together to plan the strategy, the itinerant teacher made the necessary materials, the classroom teacher implemented it on a daily basis, and the itinerant teacher monitored the intervention weekly by observing it in the classroom and talking to the child care staff. By the end of the school year, Jimmy was using his picture schedule independently and his parents were using a similar program at home.
Adequate support is necessary to make inclusive environments work.
Support includes training, personnel, materials, planning time, and ongoing consultation. It can be delivered in different ways, and each person involved in inclusion may have unique needs. In Jimmy's program, the child care director provided administrative support, in terms of encouragement and approval, to Jimmy's teacher during the early stressful periods after he was enrolled. The itinerant teacher provided support for the classroom teacher through regular weekly meetings, offering advice, and demonstrating ways to work with Jimmy in the classroom. The assistant teacher helped directly in the classroom during the busiest times of the days, either directly with Jimmy or by taking on activities that would free the classroom teacher to work with him.