Success in Therapeutic Recreation
Developing programs that will grow
By Kelli Anderson
Once through the doors, knowing what should be done to help each person with special needs—most often children—is a one-by-one assessment. Will they need staff assistance? Special incentives? Attention to sensory needs? Physical adaptations? Modifications in teaching technique? A carefully matched companion?
Unfortunately, there is no cookbook answer.
"You have to look at each unique child, the program itself and the other kids," says Robyn Miller, inclusion manager at the NSSRA. "There are so many factors. Sometimes they need no support for a particular program. You want to go with the least restrictive environment."
Assessments should include communication with family, physicians and other service providers as well as on-site observations to get as complete a picture as possible to understand the range of needs. Miller explains that sometimes all that is needed is a trained staff equipped with a behavior modification plan consisting of consequences and rewards. Who doesn't remember jumping through hoops to earn a sticker, for example?
Or, for many children, it's just a challenge to hold it all together for a six- to seven-hour day, and providing gross motor play before a class or circle time can make all the difference in their ability to concentrate and participate later. Little things can get great results, but almost every plan is a tweak-as-you-go process of evaluation and modification to get just the right fit for each person.
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