Abstract
This chapter provides practitioners with a blueprint for developing a unit plan to teach expository writing to neurodivergent deaf students. Teachers are challenged to support the needs of these students. The authors provide a structure for teachers to focus on minimizing barriers and making learning accessible to all students using a universal for design (UDL) framework. The chapter includes a sample unit plan using the profiles of fictional target students. A clear process is described to unwrap the standards and determine the skills and concepts to be taught. The process for developing goals, objectives, selecting materials, assessments, and strategies is also included. Throughout the course of this chapter, each step of the process is clearly outlined by using a think aloud process and providing a rationale behind each decision.
TopNeurodiversity
Neurodivergence and neurodiversity are relatively new terms in the disability field, first appearing in print toward the end of the 20th century (Singer, n.d.). While not yet commonly understood, they are growing in popularity, and the words are becoming more mainstream. Neurodiversity is a term that refers to the notion that no two brains are alike (Singer, n.d.), and neurodivergent refers to a series of diagnoses where processing of information parts from what is considered typical or “normal.” The baseline of “normal” processing is often referred to as neurotypical.
Most frequently, the literature refers to neurodivergent people as those having a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, learning disabilities (including dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and more), or ADHD. Let’s briefly unpack each of these diagnoses to create a shared understanding of them before moving on.
The IDEA defines autism as a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age three, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. Other characteristics often associated with autism are engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences (IDEA, 2004, 300.8(c)(1)).
What this means is that children who receive special education due to a diagnosis of autism do so because of deficits in communication and social interactions. While this is the official definition for eligibility under IDEA, autistic people and people with autism vary widely in their social and communication skills.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Unit Plan: A series of lessons connected by an overarching goal or enduring understanding.
Multiple Means of Action & Expression: A principle of UDL where teachers provide flexible options for students to demonstrate their learning.
Neurodiversity: A term encompassing the idea that no two brains process information alike.
Expository Writing: A text that students create to convey factual information.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL): A research-based framework that provides a guide for teachers to minimize the barriers faced by their students in the physical environment, the curriculum, and the instruction.
Neurodivergent: A term that refers to a series of diagnoses where processing of information parts from what is considered typical or “normal.”
Multiple Means of Representation: A principle of UDL where teachers consider how to deliver content to best ensure student understanding.
Lesson Plan: A single day’s instructional activities tied to a specific learning objective to be achieved on that day.
Multiple Means of Engagement: A principle of UDL where teachers consider how to pique student interest and motivation to get them ready to learn.