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Needed support for professi<strong>on</strong>al development<br />
in specific areas was identified by all teachers.<br />
One particular need was professi<strong>on</strong>al development<br />
focusing <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> technical skill of operating<br />
AT. Terri spoke of her willingness to<br />
receive training in this area: “I would be very<br />
positive towards it if somebody trained us, I’m<br />
very open to it, I just need to learn about it.”<br />
Additi<strong>on</strong>ally, teachers identified a need to be<br />
informed or guided towards purchasing AT<br />
that would benefit <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir students. For example,<br />
T<strong>on</strong>i commented, “I guess I would like to<br />
know what <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re is to help <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> kids. High or<br />
low tech, I d<strong>on</strong>’t even know what to ask for.”<br />
Characteristics of student populati<strong>on</strong>. All<br />
teachers discussed challenges with <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> student<br />
populati<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y served. Sara was <strong>on</strong>ly at<br />
school in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> morning when <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> initial interviews<br />
were c<strong>on</strong>ducted; however, she is currently<br />
at <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> school full time. The structure of<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> school day, having both morning <strong>and</strong> afterno<strong>on</strong><br />
groups, coupled with varying ability<br />
levels am<strong>on</strong>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se groups, provided substantive<br />
challenges. Additi<strong>on</strong>al challenging factors<br />
that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> teachers identified were (a) poverty;<br />
(b) high mobility am<strong>on</strong>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> children; (c)<br />
English as a sec<strong>on</strong>d language; <strong>and</strong> (d) differences<br />
in maturity between <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> younger, morning<br />
group (M age 3.5 yrs) <strong>and</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> older,<br />
afterno<strong>on</strong> group (M age 4.5 yrs). The high<br />
mobility rate was noted to be both particularly<br />
challenging <strong>and</strong> disturbing. Carole said,<br />
Yeah, especially for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> children that need it<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> most, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y’re <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong>es that are here for<br />
three weeks <strong>and</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>n take off. We open <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
door for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> homeless, or if we find out <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y<br />
are in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Missi<strong>on</strong>. They come for two days<br />
<strong>and</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>n we’ll never see <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>m again because<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y’ve moved, <strong>and</strong> that’s tough. We<br />
had a little girl that was here for 6 days, <strong>and</strong><br />
was here for our class picture, <strong>and</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>n she<br />
was g<strong>on</strong>e. And <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>n you know you look at<br />
that, <strong>and</strong> you say ‘Where’s she at?’ I hope<br />
she is safe <strong>and</strong> warm.”<br />
Teachers cared deeply about <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir students.<br />
They recognized that some of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir students<br />
had no opportunity to experience technology<br />
o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r than what was provided in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> classroom,<br />
<strong>and</strong> even <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>n such opportunities were<br />
of short durati<strong>on</strong>.<br />
Instructi<strong>on</strong>al goals for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> morning <strong>and</strong> af-<br />
84 / Educati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> Training in Developmental Disabilities-March 2008<br />
terno<strong>on</strong> groups differed also, with teachers<br />
identifying <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> afterno<strong>on</strong> groups as more academically<br />
oriented while <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> morning groups<br />
required a significant amount of social instructi<strong>on</strong>.<br />
D<strong>on</strong>na describes her morning class<br />
as needing instructi<strong>on</strong> in social skills: “We<br />
have just gotten a couple of really interesting<br />
students. In <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> morning class, we’ve got such<br />
a variety, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> range is incredible. There are<br />
some self-help things that we really need to<br />
push.” Teachers wanted AT that would benefit<br />
both <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir morning classes, with a focus <strong>on</strong><br />
social skills, <strong>and</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir afterno<strong>on</strong> classes, which<br />
focused more <strong>on</strong> academic skills.<br />
Time. A prevalent <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>me that emerged<br />
was <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> issue of time c<strong>on</strong>straints. All teachers<br />
discussed <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir c<strong>on</strong>cern that AT would cost<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>m time--a limited commodity in preschool<br />
settings. Time c<strong>on</strong>cerns included time (a) required<br />
to learn AT, (b) required to incorporate<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> AT into less<strong>on</strong>s, <strong>and</strong> (c) needed to<br />
teach <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> children how to use AT. Observati<strong>on</strong>s<br />
of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> classrooms c<strong>on</strong>firmed that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
typical day was filled with activities, with children<br />
being engaged in a range of centers,<br />
activities, <strong>and</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>rapy sessi<strong>on</strong>s (for children<br />
with disabilities). Carole described a typical<br />
class:<br />
From <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> moment <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y walk in here in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
morning or in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> afterno<strong>on</strong>, for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> two<br />
hours <strong>and</strong> 40 minutes <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y are in here,<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re is not <strong>on</strong>e time when we sit down.<br />
There’s just c<strong>on</strong>stant moti<strong>on</strong>, c<strong>on</strong>stant transiti<strong>on</strong>s,<br />
not <strong>on</strong>ly for us but for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> kids.<br />
An additi<strong>on</strong>al c<strong>on</strong>cern related to time, was <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
time required to assist children with AT, specifically<br />
with computer use. Karen described<br />
this issue as, “If things [computer software<br />
programs] get too difficult <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>n me or my<br />
assistant have to be over <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re to show <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>m.<br />
You know, I d<strong>on</strong>’t mind helping <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>m, but I<br />
have 20 o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r children.” Observati<strong>on</strong>s c<strong>on</strong>firmed<br />
that 20 3- <strong>and</strong> 4-year-olds required c<strong>on</strong>sistent<br />
attenti<strong>on</strong> by both teacher <strong>and</strong> paraprofessi<strong>on</strong>al<br />
in each of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> classrooms.<br />
Ellen spoke of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> time required to make<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> products using AT. Ellen was <strong>on</strong>e of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
teachers that used AT c<strong>on</strong>sistently in her classroom<br />
<strong>and</strong> knew first-h<strong>and</strong> of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> time required<br />
to produce products for use with 10<br />
children with disabilities. She explains her<br />
c<strong>on</strong>cern,