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Interventions are extra help or support that teachers give to students who are struggling with something in school like reading, math, or behavior.

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Third space learning is a fantastic source relevant to interventions. They focus on why and how interventions have helped create opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

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The Most Effective Intervention Strategies For Primary And Secondary Schools And How To Make Them Work In Your School

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Here are the most effective intervention strategies and actionable guidance for successful implementation in primary & secondary schools.

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Students who would benefit the most from interventions often have behavior disorders, learning disabilities, or other health impairments.

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Examples:

A. Implementing a reading intervention program for students struggling with reading fluency.
B. Providing behavioral counseling for students displaying disruptive behaviors.
C. Offering math tutoring sessions for students with difficulties in mathematical calculations.

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Using flexible grouping helps group students together by learning activities, helping with interactions with fewer distractions.

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Differentiation is the way teachers change how they teach so that all students no matter their ability level, interests, or learning style can understand and succeed. It means recognizing that not everyone learns the same way or at the same pace, and planning lessons that give students different ways to learn, practice, and show what they know.

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Differentiation helps all learners, including students with disabilities, English language learners, gifted students, and students who just learn differently feel supported, challenged, and successful.

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There are so many different strategies that can help throughout the classroom. My personal favorite is using open-ended projects with topics of their choice. Doing this activity give individuals freedom to do work how they want and can with any topic of their choice regarding the subject matter.

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20 Differentiated Instruction Strategies and Examples [+ Downloadable List]

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As students with diverse learning styles fill the classroom, many teachers don't always have the time, or spend additional hours to plan lessons that use differentiated instruction (DI) to suit students' unique aptitudes.

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While there are many resources to help children specifically learn, there are even some to help with their environment. Such as:

Quiet workspaces – Providing headphones or separate seating for students who need fewer distractions.

Movement breaks or standing desks – Supporting students who need to move frequently to stay focused.

Flexible seating – Letting students choose where and how they sit based on comfort and focus.

Clear schedules and visual routines – Helpful for students who need structure or have autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

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Accommodations are changes in how a student learns or shows what they know without changing what they are expected to learn. They help level the playing field so students with disabilities or learning challenges can access the same content and expectations as their peers.

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Think of accommodations as tools or supports that help students work around a challenge whether it’s related to reading, writing, focus, movement, hearing, vision, or another area.

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Learning Disabilities of America is a key source for all educators. They have any information you could possibly need teaching students with disabilities.

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While the majority of a student's program should be as closely aligned with the general education curriculum as possible, some accommodations and modifications may be necessary. Listed below are some suggested ways to aid students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) learn more effectively at home or at school. Selection from these and other possibilities must be based on the individual needs of each child.
Information and ideas from a multidisciplinary team, including the parents and student, are important for developing an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that meets the unique needs of each student with learning disabilities. A carefully developed multidisciplinary approach will make classroom instruction meaningful for students.

1. For some students who read slowly or with difficulty, a "read-along" technique may be used with taped texts and materials to allow learning of printed materials.

2. For students with memory problems or difficulty taking notes, a fellow student might share notes; the student might tape the lesson; or the teacher might provide a copy of the lesson outline.

3. For students who read below expected levels, educational videos and films or talking books can provide the general information that cannot be acquired from the printed page.

4. For students with short term memory problems (e.g., understand math processes, but have short term memory problems that interfere with remembering math facts), a table of facts or a calculator could be provided.

5. For students whose handwriting is slow, illegible or includes many reversed letters, a cassette recorder or a computer with word processing software could be used for written work or tests.

6. For students who have difficulty with spelling, a "misspeller's dictionary" or computerized spell checker can help make written materials readable.

7. For students who have difficulty reading cursive, small, or crowded print, typed handouts, large print, or double spaced materials can help.

8. To develop memory and listening skills, poetry, rhymes, songs, audio-taped materials and mnemonics may improve performance.

9. To teach spelling, the teacher might use a multi-sensory approach that combines saying, spelling aloud, and writing words.

10. Ways to improve vocabulary and comprehension can include a student-developed file of vocabulary words and the use of word webs and visual organizers to relate words and ideas heard or read on paper. A dictionary or thesaurus, suited to the child's learning level, is also an excellent tool for building vocabulary, spelling and reading comprehension.

11. For students who have difficulty organizing time, materials and information, a variety of approaches can be used, including:

a quiet, uncluttered homework space

alarm watch

purchased texts that can be marked with a highlighter

a homework assignment diary coordinated between home and school

study skills instruction

a personally-developed date-book or scheduler

12. For students who copy inaccurately, but need written practice to solidify learning, changes that may help include: leaving a space directly under each word, phrase or sentence, or having handouts on the desk for those who can't copy from the blackboard or take dictation accurately. For left-handed students, place the list of words at the right margin. For students whose writing is large, provide enlarged spaces for "fill in the blank" activities.

13. For students who seem to process auditory information slowly (e.g., not fully understanding questions asked, recalling needed information, or forming an appropriate answer), be patient. Allow sufficient "wait-time for the answer or provide the questions in written form.

14. Oral and written language should be taught together as much as possible. Illustrations in a book being read should be used to generate conversation, vocabulary and concepts that will relate to what is to be read. Material that is read can be translated into a verbal summary, a word web, a visual organizer, or a computer presentation.

15. Students who find reading slow and difficult may benefit from supplementing the subject matter being read with video tapes, DVDs, captioned TV programs, or computer software.

More on Reading

Since reading is central to learning, children who do not learn to read by the second grade are likely to struggle with learning throughout their lives. Reading assessment should include skill levels in decoding, fluency and comprehension.

As children learn to read, they learn how spoken and written language relate to each other. Thus, the components of a reading program must also relate to one another, engage all children and meet their individual needs. Reading activities may include:

Listening to good stories and books, appropriate to the child's age, read aloud daily

Language games that encourage identification of rhyming words and creation of rhymes

Instruction and practice in phonemic awareness, alphabetic knowledge, alphabetic principles, decoding strategies, vocabulary acquisition, fluency and comprehension

Additional reading instruction in a small group or tutoring setting

Before/after school and summer school classes

Teaching Mathematics

Theories on mathematics disabilities view spatial visualization and verbal skills as critical. These two skill areas are important for anyone learning mathematics, but are especially important for students with learning disabilities. These areas should be heavily emphasized in the teaching and remediation of mathematical concepts and skills.

An individualized education program in mathematics would concentrate on developing concepts and skills within such strands as: numeration, geometry, measurement, collection and interpretation of data, estimation/mental computations, patterns and relations and word problems/applications. Concepts are best introduced with "hands-on" concrete materials. Knowing one-digit facts is important, but work with paper and pencil algorithms should not be emphasized, since calculations can be done with calculators if memory or sequencing is a problem.

Estimation strategies are often taught as mental computations skills are developed. Students should be encouraged to draw illustrations and representations whenever possible. They should consistently discuss, read and write as they solve more complex computational and word problems. For students with learning disabilities, confidence in the practical applications of mathematics to everyday life is also very important.

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Accommodations, Techniques and Aids For Learning

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While the majority of a student's program should be as closely aligned with the general education curriculum as possible, some accommodations and modifications may be necessary. Listed below are some suggested ways to aid students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) learn more effectively at home or at school.

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Accommodations are used for students with disabilities who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP), but sometimes they can also help students who don’t have formal plans but need temporary support.

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Letting children who have hearing problems use headphones is a great accomodation.

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Modifications are changes to what a student is expected to learn. This means the learning goals, assignments, or assessments are adjusted or reduced to better fit the student’s individual needs and abilities.

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Dr. Michael Kennedy helped the educational system in Virginia and created specific list that is readily available to the VA school systems.

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Description:

A hallmark of students with disabilities is they struggle to successfully learn content within the general education curriculum at the same rate and with the same success as peers without disabilities. All IEPs contain a section to record needed adaptations (which can be broken down into accommodations and modifications) to help the student bridge the gap between their current functioning level and the level needed to succeed within the stated curriculum. Teachers who are strategic about leveraging key accommodations and modifications are in position to help their students access the curriculum in powerful ways that can lead to learning and behavioral success.

Based on the HLP resources and information shared at the workshop on May 16th, 2019 by Dr. Michael Kennedy, the following is a checklist to guide school leaders and other professionals as they address key elements that comprise ways to successfully adapt and modify curriculum tasks and materials for students with special needs.

This checklist is shared with permission.
Reference: Council for Exceptional Children. (2019). CEC's High-Leverage Practices Institute: Accommodations Implementation Guide.
Note: We are aware that the hyperlinks are not working for the Web Resources. We have contacted the authors and are working on this issue.

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training and technical assistance centers

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HLP 13 Checklist: Adapt Curriculum Materials and Tasks (High-Leverage Practices Implementation Guide)

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A hallmark of students with disabilities is they struggle to successfully learn content within the general education curriculum at the same rate and with the same success as peers without disabilities.

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Unlike accommodations, which keep the learning expectations the same but change how a student accesses or completes the work, modifications change the actual content or the difficulty level of the work. This is done to help students who would not be successful with the standard curriculum, even with supports or accommodations.

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A student might be assigned fewer questions on a math test or receive problems at a lower grade level.

Instead of writing a full essay, a student might complete a short paragraph or answer questions verbally.

In a history lesson, a student might be expected to identify key facts instead of analyzing cause and effect.

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So many teachers have helped one another by creating good resources to keep all of the other educators in the loop of everything possible.

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IEP Accommodations vs. Modifications: What’s the Difference?

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If you’re a general education teacher, the IEP accommodations and modifications page is for you!

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Modifications are typically used for students with significant disabilities who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and need a more personalized version of the curriculum. Sometimes these students may be working toward alternative learning goals

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Adaptations are changes made to how students access learning or participate in classroom activities so that everyone can take part and succeed. They help students learn the same material as their peers, but in a way that fits their individual needs without lowering expectations or changing the learning goals.

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📊 Use visual aids (charts, pictures, diagrams)
→ Helps: visual learners, ELLs, students with learning disabilities

🧾 Break instructions into smaller steps
→ Helps: students with ADHD, autism, or processing challenges

🔑 Pre-teach vocabulary before lessons
→ Helps: ELLs, students with speech/language impairments

🎬 Use closed captions for videos
→ Helps: students with hearing impairments, reading support

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Many outreach programs have information for educators to give the best learning possible.

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POPARD - Provincial Outreach Program for Autism and Related Disorders

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Academic Adaptations: What Are They and Why Are They Important? - POPARD

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As explained in the BC Ministry of Education’s A Guide to Adaptations and Modifications, adaptations are teaching and assessment strategies designed to accommodate individual learning needs to enable students to meet the learning outcomes and demonstrate mastery (BC Ministry of Education, 2012). When planning for student adaptations, adjustments may be made to the way the

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Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) is customized teaching created to meet the unique needs of a student with a disability. It’s not just giving extra help, it’s changing how, what, or where a student is taught so they can access the general education curriculum and make meaningful progress, just like their peers.

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SDI is planned and delivered by special education teachers or service providers, based on a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). Every student who receives SDI has a disability that affects their learning and needs instruction that goes beyond what’s typically offered in the classroom.

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A student with dyslexia receives explicit, small-group phonics instruction 4 times a week.

A student with ADHD works on goal-setting and time management using a structured checklist with a special ed teacher.

A student with autism receives direct instruction in social skills with role-playing and visual supports.

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One of the examples that I do not see talked about very often is positive and constant feedback. Giving them positive affirmation gives students a sense of ability and encourages them to keep doing what they are doing.

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This tool is intended to be used by instructional leaders and those in coaching capacities to look for the presence of SDI in co-taught classrooms during formal observations. The list is not exhaustive, and questions may be presented in multiple ways to help uncover the various factors that contribute to the implementation of SDI and the variety of SDI one might see. An administrator or observer may only see 1 or 2 observable behaviors in an observation. This tool is intended to promote conversation between the observer and the observed.

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This tool is intended to be used by instructional leaders and those in coaching capacities to look for the presence of SDI in co-taught classrooms during formal observations. The list is not exhaustive, and questions may be presented in multiple ways to help uncover the various factors that contribute to the implementation of SDI and the variety of SDI one might see.

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Understanding SDI's means that anyone with an IEP can use it. When thinking about them think about How they are taught instead of where.

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Adaptations are important because they support equity and equality. They also support inclusion in many ways leading to a better learning environment for students and teachers.