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Specially Designed Instruction (SDI)

This is a teaching strategy that is tailored to the unique need of a student with specific disability. This can include students with specific learning disabilities, speech or language impairments, emotional disturbance, autism, and others.

Examples:

1. Individualized instruction

2. Use of specialized materials

3. Implementation of behavior management strategies

Resources: Title: "Understanding Specially Designed Instruction" Description: This resource provides an in-depth look at SDI and how it supports students with disabilities.

High-Leverage Practices:

1. Title: "Implementing Specially Designed Instruction" Description: This practice involves effectively implementing SDI to support students with disabilities in the classroom.

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It addresses their Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals; accounts for their disability; provides modifications or adaptations to content; and encourages access to the general education curriculum.

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Modifications

This is a change in what children are expected to learn and helped, this is for children who may not be able to be in the same level as the rest of the kids. These children will have multiple or one disabilities that may affect there intellectual level. (specific learning disability or multiple)

Examples:

Reduced homework assignments

Simplified reading materials

Modified grading criteria

Resources: Title: "Making Modifications for Students with Special Needs" Description: This resource provides practical examples of how to make modifications for students with special needs.

High-Leverage Practices:

1. Title: "Modifying Instruction" Description: This practice involves changing the content or delivery of instruction to meet the unique needs of students.

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Adaptations

These changes in what a student is looking to learn and show in class. This is provided for children with certain disabilities like cognitive who cant access the general education even with help. These kids who brain injuries or serve disabilities.

Examples:

1. Easier assignments

2. Use of visual aids

3. Modify assesments

Resources: Title: "Adapting Instruction for Students with Special Needs" Description: This resource provides strategies for adapting instruction to meet the needs of students with special needs.

High-Leverage Practices:

1. Title: "Adapting Curriculum" Description: This practice involves modifying the curriculum to ensure it is accessible and meaningful for all students.

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Adaptations are changes in the way instruction and assessment are carried out to allow a learner equal opportunity to demonstrate mastery of concepts and achieve the desired learning outcomes. They are made to meet a student's needs as identified on an individualized education plan (IEP).

1. Accommodations

Accommodations is a type of adaptation that creates a personal learning environment for a child by altering instruction, classroom environment, assessment and/or other materials and attributes in order to provide a student with a disability an equal opportunity to participate in class activities and demonstrate knowledge and skills.

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Accommodations do not fundamentally change the instructional level, content or learning expectations of the course, standard, or assessment. They are intended to help students overcome or work around their disability and fully access the general education curriculum, without changing the instructional content.

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Adaptations, Accommodations, and Modifications - Parenting Special Needs Magazine

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Adaptations are changes in the way instruction and assessment are carried out to allow a learner equal opportunity to demonstrate mastery of concepts and achieve the desired learning outcomes. They are made to meet a student's needs as identified on an individualized education plan (IEP). 1.

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Accommodations

Are changes on how children learn, not exactly what they they learn. This is given for children who are in general education. These children maybe experiencing autism or emotional disturbance or child who are under (IDEA).

Examples:

More time on tests

Using tech

Preferential seating

Resources: Title: "Understanding Accommodations for Students with Disabilities" Description: This resource provides an overview of various accommodations and how they support students with disabilities.

High-Leverage Practices:

Title: "Implementing Accommodations" Description: This practice involves effectively using accommodations to support students with disabilities in the classroom.

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Common accommodations and modifications in school

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Refer to this checklist of common modifications and accommodations to get to know options for struggling students.

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Differentiation

It's a teaching strategy that involves adjusting the curriculum, teaching methods, and classroom environment to meet the unique needs of individual students. It is typically applied to all students, regardless of their abilities or disabilities.

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If you have a child who struggles in school, it can be hard to make sense of all the different supports and services available. Kids get help in all sorts of ways and settings.

Some spend all day in the general education classroom and use accommodations. Some receive specialized instruction ( special education). Still others leave the classroom to take part in response to intervention (RTI) programs. And some may do all these things.

Intervention and accommodation are both types of support. But they aren't the same thing, and they're not designed to help in the same way. Here are the key differences.

What they are

Targeted instruction to improve a specific skill.

Interventions are based on a child's needs. They:

Supplement the general education program

Use evidence-based strategies and techniques

Help students improve a skill or learn to apply existing skills to new situations

A change to teaching or testing that removes barriers and provides equal access to learning. Unlike a modification, it doesn't change what a child is learning. It changes how a child is learning.

Academic expectations aren't lowered. A child with writing issues might be allowed to say the answers for a test instead of writing them. But the end result of the work is equal to that of kids without accommodations.

Circumstances in which they are used

Interventions are used to teach the skills kids need to improve a specific area of weakness. Once those skills are gained, interventions typically end.

Those weaknesses could be deficits in academic skills, like reading or writing. But there are also interventions for behavior problems (PBIS) that help kids better manage self-regulation, or learn more appropriate ways to interact with other kids.

Students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a 504 plan have formal accommodations included in their plans. They may or may not continue to get those supports throughout their school years.

Struggling students who don't have an IEP or a 504 plan may be able to get informal supports that enable them to show what they know.

What they should include

Interventions should include targeted assessments to measure the development of a child's skills.

Instruction should be planned carefully and provided regularly. It should include data collection (or progress monitoring) to track growth and help shape decisions about next steps.

Accommodations allow a child to get around a specific barrier or challenge. They should represent a change in one or more of the following:

Presentation (the way information is presented)

Response (the way assignments or tests are completed)

Setting (where your child learns)

Timing and scheduling (the time your child has to do the task)

Examples may include

A system of scaffolding showing kids that what they already know can help improve their understanding of a topic ("We're going to read a story about dogs. Before we do, think about what you already know about dogs that may be useful as we read.")

Multisensory reading programs

Schoolwide PBIS programs that explicitly teach behavior that is acceptable in the school environment

Social Thinking®

Preferred seating away from distractions

Use of a formula sheet or number line for math tests

Small group testing

Extended time for assignments or tests

An extra set of textbooks for home

Audiobooks or text-to-speech technology

The freedom to work or take a test in a different setting, such as a quiet room with few distractions

About the author

About the author

Amanda Morin is the author of "The Everything Parent's Guide to Special Education" and the former director of thought leadership at Understood. As an expert and writer, she helped build Understood from its earliest days.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Jenn Osen-Foss, MAT is an instructional coach, supporting teachers in using differentiated instruction, interventions, and co-planning.

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The Difference Between Interventions and Accommodations

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If you have a child who struggles in school, it can be hard to make sense of all the different supports and services available. Kids get help in all sorts of ways and settings. Some spend all day in the general education classroom and use accommodations. Some receive specialized instruction ( special education).

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Interventions

Are selected strategies that helps support a well designed plan to help students with disabilities make academic and/or behavioral progress.

Example: Small group instruction

One-on-one tutoring

Use of educational software

High-Leverage Practices:

Title: "Providing Feedback" Description: This practice involves giving students timely and specific feedback to improve their understanding and performance.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If you have a child who struggles in school, it can be hard to make sense of all the different supports and services available. Kids get help in all sorts of ways and settings.

Some spend all day in the general education classroom and use accommodations. Some receive specialized instruction ( special education). Still others leave the classroom to take part in response to intervention (RTI) programs. And some may do all these things.

Intervention and accommodation are both types of support. But they aren't the same thing, and they're not designed to help in the same way. Here are the key differences.

What they are

Targeted instruction to improve a specific skill.

Interventions are based on a child's needs. They:

Supplement the general education program

Use evidence-based strategies and techniques

Help students improve a skill or learn to apply existing skills to new situations

A change to teaching or testing that removes barriers and provides equal access to learning. Unlike a modification, it doesn't change what a child is learning. It changes how a child is learning.

Academic expectations aren't lowered. A child with writing issues might be allowed to say the answers for a test instead of writing them. But the end result of the work is equal to that of kids without accommodations.

Circumstances in which they are used

Interventions are used to teach the skills kids need to improve a specific area of weakness. Once those skills are gained, interventions typically end.

Those weaknesses could be deficits in academic skills, like reading or writing. But there are also interventions for behavior problems (PBIS) that help kids better manage self-regulation, or learn more appropriate ways to interact with other kids.

Students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a 504 plan have formal accommodations included in their plans. They may or may not continue to get those supports throughout their school years.

Struggling students who don't have an IEP or a 504 plan may be able to get informal supports that enable them to show what they know.

What they should include

Interventions should include targeted assessments to measure the development of a child's skills.

Instruction should be planned carefully and provided regularly. It should include data collection (or progress monitoring) to track growth and help shape decisions about next steps.

Accommodations allow a child to get around a specific barrier or challenge. They should represent a change in one or more of the following:

Presentation (the way information is presented)

Response (the way assignments or tests are completed)

Setting (where your child learns)

Timing and scheduling (the time your child has to do the task)

Examples may include

A system of scaffolding showing kids that what they already know can help improve their understanding of a topic ("We're going to read a story about dogs. Before we do, think about what you already know about dogs that may be useful as we read.")

Multisensory reading programs

Schoolwide PBIS programs that explicitly teach behavior that is acceptable in the school environment

Social Thinking®

Preferred seating away from distractions

Use of a formula sheet or number line for math tests

Small group testing

Extended time for assignments or tests

An extra set of textbooks for home

Audiobooks or text-to-speech technology

The freedom to work or take a test in a different setting, such as a quiet room with few distractions

About the author

About the author

Amanda Morin is the author of "The Everything Parent's Guide to Special Education" and the former director of thought leadership at Understood. As an expert and writer, she helped build Understood from its earliest days.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Jenn Osen-Foss, MAT is an instructional coach, supporting teachers in using differentiated instruction, interventions, and co-planning.

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The Difference Between Interventions and Accommodations

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you have a child who struggles in school, it can be hard to make sense of all the different supports and services available. Kids get help in all sorts of ways and settings. Some spend all day in the general education classroom and use accommodations. Some receive specialized instruction ( special education).