This is the first set of lessons offered in the community. We use Fashion Square Mall in Saginaw Township as the "classroom" for these lessons. This indoor mall is available in all weather and is accessible to wheelchairs. We established an excellent rapport with mall staff, and with the staff in individual stores and restaurants. Our students are welcome and safe in the mall.
All lessons (at all levels) involve training in the following areas:
Students travel on the STS (Saginaw Transit System, now called STARS) bus with the staff during the first year in the community. We ask that they learn the driver's names, that they be responsible for paying the bus fare, and that they learn how to get their power wheelchairs securely attached (and/or seat belts secured). Students ride alone on the bus the last lesson of the year and on subsequent lessons during advanced years.
The overall goal for students is to become independent in various ways (on transportation, in bathrooms, in restaurants, etc.). The major objective of the mobility specialist (for this first year) is to teach students how to navigate through a typical mall. At the end of the year, students are expected to travel anywhere in the mall without adult help, to ask for assistance from appropriate mall staff when needed, and (on the last lesson of the year) to travel to and from the mall without staff on the STS bus, and to eat with teammates at a sit down restaurant without staff helping.
The physical therapist expects that students who are learning to drive power wheelchairs will do so safely and efficiently by the end of the school year. Students are also expected to be able to handle mall lockers, transfer in and out of wheelchairs, self-cathorize (if necessary), order food they can eat and handle, and control money when making a purchase. All this should be accomplished (with many exceptions depending on the severity of a child's disability) within the first year in the community.
Students are also expected to be using their watches efficiently by the end of year one. This is not always possible, since many students struggle the whole five years with time concepts. We have had, however, much success getting students to be time conscious. In just about all cases, students improve their ability to interpret watches and use time. It usually takes the entire year to ingrain the skills.
It is not unusual for student teams to repeat level one the following year. This set of lessons establishes the routines, the rules, and the basic knowledge set that students need to accomplish before they can be successful in subsequent years.
Community travel lessons occur for five to six hours (all school day) once a month. New teams begin the training year in October; these are young kids ( 7 to 9 years old) and we let them get a month under their belts in regular classes before pulling them out for community based education. Normally there are nine lessons a year, but only eight in year one because of this late start. Here are the eight lessons:
01. Public bathroom familiarization
Parents, family members, teachers, and teacher aides are invited to observe or participate in the community travel program. We encourage visitors to attend at least one class. We ask that parents (visitors) attend not more than three lessons a year, since students understandably defer to their parents, rather than pay attention to their teachers and the lesson.
02. Restaurant skills (ADL skills for eating)
03. Locker use
04. Wheelchair driving skills, if appropriate
05. Asking for help appropriately and when needed
06. Money management: practice shopping, knowing bills and coins, budgeting
07. "Free time" after lunch (self motivation)
08. Practice using escalators and elevators
09. Time management, practice using a digital or talking watch
10. Practice using a digital or talking calculator
11. Body management: knowing where you are in space, how to pay attention (center/relax)
12. Understanding concepts: independence, responsibility, teamwork
13. Space management: leading and following; movement through space; layouts and routes
Lesson One: Introduction to community travel: checklists and rules
Lesson Two: Introduction to the overall mall layout
Lesson Three: Introduction to the food court, rules and eating/restaurant skills
Lesson Four: Learning the west hall; Introduction to money management
Lesson Five: Learning the east hallway of the mall; Introduction to time management
Lesson Six: Learning the north hallway of the mall; Introduction to body management
Lesson Seven: Learning the south hallway of the mall; Introduction to space management
Lesson Eight: Final review/test
Experience Outcomes: We give students credit for having new experiences (first time at the mall, for example), and for practicing skills within a relatively new environment.The student will have the following experiences:
Knowledge Outcomes: Students do a lot of repeating back what we want them to learn (rules and routines, for example). When they can correctly repeat back what we want them to remember, they get credit for a knowledge outcome.
Competence Outcomes: When students can demonstrate skills (safe driving in a power cart, for example), they get credit for being competent in that skill area.
01. Practice using public bathroomsThe student will attain the following knowledge (be able to repeat to the teacher):
02. Practice appropriate behaviors in a restaurant
03. Practice using an elevator and/or escalator
04. Environmentally assess bathrooms and restaurants (if appropriate)
05. Use a digital (or talking) watch and calculator
06. Practice window shopping
07. Practice problem solving
01. List items to bring on lessonsThe student will demonstrate competence in the following:
02. Answer basic questions about the program (review)
03. List the advantages of malls (especially indoor malls)
04. Describe the shape (layout) of Fashion Square Mall
05. Define "money management"
06. Define "time management"
07. Define "body management"
08. Define "window shopping"
09. List the layout and services of a typical indoor mall
01. Ability to use a mall locker independently or with team support
02. Ability to drive safely in the mall
03. Shop independently (or with the assistance of teammates)
04. Use an elevator and/or escalator independently or with help from teammates
05. Travel independently to major mall landmarks
06. Use a digital or talking watch
07. Use a calculator
08. Travel on the lift bus without staff supervision the last lesson of the year
09. Eat in a restaurant without direct staff supervision during the last lesson
10. Ability to ask for assistance from appropriate individuals (customer service, store clerks, mall security)
01. Learning the morning (getting ready) checklist01. Students are introduced to the checklist. As they enter the door to the therapy room, they must get a checklist, a pencil, and then go to the table to review the items on the list. The checklist is our way to ensure that all students start the day prepared and on an equal footing. Students are required to be as independent as possible, but if they have problems related to their impairments, we assist them. There are ten items that must be checked off before students can leave for the day:
02. Introduction to the concept: "independence"
03. Learning about the journal and the digital camera
04. Learning how to be safe on a bus
05. Learning the community travel daily routine
06. Introduction to the concept: "landmark"
07. Learning how to use the mall lockers
08. Learning how to problem solve
09. Introduction to the skill: "making eye contact"
10. Learning basic skills for driving a power cart (where appropriate)
11. Learning the shape of the mall, the center, and where the bathrooms are located
12. Learning to eat in a nice restaurant
13. Learning what free time is (and isn't)
14. Learning how to use the journal
A. Hygiene check: Did you brush your teeth/hair, take a bath, put on clean clothes?Students will eventually use a digital camera and learn how to take pictures. During beginning lessons the staff take the pictures. We use the camera and journal for several reasons:
B. Did you bring a watch? (if not, we will loan one). Put the watch on your wrist.
C. Did you bring a pouch (fanny pack) to carry your things in? (if not, we will provide). Put the pouch around your waist.
D. Did you bring a calculator? (if not, we will loan one) Put the calculator in your pouch.
E. Put your money in your pouch
F. One or two students leave therapy, go to the office, and get the funds needed to pay the lift bus
G. Everyone must go to the bathroom (unless they wear diapers or cath)
H. Students are told what the lesson is about for the day
I. Students tell the therapy staff of any problems they are having with their equipment (we fix what we can before the day begins)
J. Students travel to the designated exit door and begin the bus routine (review the rules for riding the lift bus).
A. We want students to develop good hand and eye coordination. The camera is a good tool for doing visual training.02. Rules for riding the lift bus:
B. We use the pictures to record a day's events; it is a graphic representation (memory tool) that students keep in their journals
C. At the end of the day, we use the pictures and the journal to review what was learned; it is a very good summary and memory strategy
A. Do not approach the bus until it has come to a complete stop and the doors have opened03. At the mall entrance (ask the students where they are; look for landmarks); review the lesson for the day; travel to the lockers:
B. Turn your chair off on the lift, brakes on, hold on to the side rails
C. Kids in 3 wheel carts transfer to seats; kids in four wheeled vehicles do not transfer
D. Seat belts on; chairs must be fastened to the floor of the bus
E. Power off on the bus
F. Students are responsible for paying the bus driver and getting a receipt
G. Once the bus is moving, no talking to the driver unless it is an emergency
H. Good behaviors on the bus; do not undo your seat belt, do not move around a moving bus, do not throw things, do not argue
I. Wait for the bus to stop and for the doors to open before moving to get off
Students review the basic routine for community travel (what we do every time):
01. Use morning checklist; get ready to go out on the lessonStudents learn the rules and sequence for locking coats in the lockers:
02. Ride the bus to the mall
03. Meet to talk about the mall lesson by the front doors
04. Put coats away in the mall lockers
05. Problem solve as a group
06. Do the day's lesson
07. Eat lunch
08. Have free time after lunch
09. Get coats out of the lockers
10. Ride the bus back to Millet
11. Review the day's activities using the journal
A. Select an appropriate locker (low down so kids in wheelchairs can access it; not near the bathrooms and water fountain, near a landmark)04. Problem solve:
B. All students share the same locker, and the expense of the locker
C. Open the locker door and prop it (one student can be the door holder)
D. Using the locker requires teamwork. Help your teammates get coats off
E. A leader is selected to handle the money and to remove (and safeguard) the key (kids take turns being leader)
F. Followers cannot interfere with the leader
G. Put everyone's coat in the locker
H. Put the two quarters in the slot
I. Close the door and put pressure on it
J. Turn the key and remove it. If students mess with the key before this level of the sequence the door will lock in the open position
K. Put the key in the pouch (the leader) and keep it safe until the end of the day
L. If a problem arises, go to customer service and ask for assistance
Learn how to problem solve: (Discuss eye contact and practice doing it)
Review basic ideas about the community travel program
A. What is the name of the program?How to problem solve:
B. Why are you taking these lessons?
C. What are the names of your teammates?
D. What does the staff do? What are their names?
E. What day of the month do you go on lessons?
F. Discuss advantages of malls (accessibility, climate, variety, help)
G. Where will we eat lunch this year?
H. What time do we eat lunch?
I. What do we do after lunch?
J. When can you go to the bathroom?
K. What does it mean "to bond" with a teacher (how do we manage your behavior if you are inappropriate)
A. Students park or sit so that they are in a circle, facing each otherWhile on a lesson at the mall you get separated from your teachers and teammates. What should you do?
B. One student is selected to be the "teacher/leader"
C. The staff tells the students what the problem of the day is and instructs them how to problem solve
D. The teaching staff then moves away from the group so that the students can be independent
E. The student "teacher" makes eye contact with each student and repeats the problem to be solved
F. Every student is given the opportunity to give an opinion
G. When everyone has spoken, the student teacher calls the staff back to the circle and reports what the team feels is the answer to the problem.
Ask at customer service where there is a place to sit down; follow directions to the location.
05. Discuss and then practice good movement skills (walking versus running, wheelchair driving, or cane skills)
Wheelchair driving rules reviewed (if appropriate):
A. Don't back up unless you ask permission to do so (if you get permission, look behind you before moving)06. Discuss the layout of the mall (hallways, shape, large stores, center). Next month they study the center, four hallways etc.
B. To turn around, go forward unless you must back up
C. Travel as fast as people walk; if you are passing pedestrians, you are going too fast
D. Keep a safe distance from the person/chair in front of you
E. Drive on the right side of the hallway
F. Turn your power off when you stop
G. If you leave your wheelchair, take you key with you
H. When you are entering a hallway (leaving a store, for example), stop and look both ways
I. Travel in a line, be a good leader (don't leave teammates behind) and be a good follower (stay up with the leader)
J. Don't "buzz" around. No unnecessary or reckless movements (zig zagging, spinning, etc.)
A. Use your restaurant voiceThe lunch routine is established at the first lesson, and is repeated throughout the time spent at Hudsons Cafe.
B. Don't play with the utensils, salt and pepper, etc. (color the restaurant menus)
C. Make eye contact with the waitress
D. Put your napkin on your lap, wipe your face/mouth from time to time
E. Order something easy to eat, don't order too much
F. You can use the restaurant bathrooms if you need to
G. Pay your own bill, leave a tip
A. A student is selected to enter the restaurant first and request a table for the correct number of people09. Go to free time. Explain the free time rules:
B. Teachers eat with students this year except for the last lesson at which students demonstrate their ability to eat as a team with no adults directly supervising (teachers eat at a near by table but do not interact with students unless necessary)
C. Students who need to go to the bathroom do so before ordering
D. Students get out their calculators and determine what they will order, how much it will cost, and how much they will have left for free time after paying the bill, tax, and leaving a tip (25 cents)
E. When the waitress comes, students make eye contact and order in a clear voice
F. If the student needs special attention like their food cut up in the kitchen, they request it at this time
G. Students are encouraged to talk to each other throughout the meal
A. We have to know where you are at all times. Check in and check out10. At Millet:
B. We will not tell you how to find places. Ask a teammate or at customer service
C. If you get lost in the mall, we will follow you, but we will not help. You must use your eyes and ears, and ask for help from appropriate mall personnel
D. We will not loan you money and you may not ask teammates or others for money. You are learning money management (you might have spent too much at lunch or didn't eat or drink what you ordered; ie. you wasted your money instead of budgeting it).
E. You must never leave the mall. Stay inside at all times, unless teachers tell you otherwise.
F. You must follow all driving rules. If you violate driving laws, we will take your key and park you
G. We will confiscate keys, money, and purchases that are left unattended. Keep track of your things
H. You must be courteous to all store personnel
I. You cannot spend all your time and all your money in the arcade. Talk to us about time and money limits
J. Do not hassle clerks by bringing items to the counter that you do not have the money to pay for. Learn to read price tags and know how much you have to spend.
K. If you need or want help at free time, the teachers will be happy to assist you, but you must carry your own selections, and manage your own money
The main activity upon returning to Millet is a review of the digital pictures and the use of student journals to record the day's events. We may also send home homework (rules we want them to memorize). We also send home parent/teacher notes at the end of each lesson.
A. Take receipts to SallyWhat you can't do when you get back to Millet:
B. Return everything borrowed
C. Get your notes to take home
D. Go to the bathroom, cath, change as needed
E. Play in the gross motor room or gym if available
F. Make purchases if you have money left (pop, candy); learn to use a vending machine
G. Learn to tie your shoes, zip and unzip, use snaps, etc (OT issues)
H. Read, color, listen to music, play with the marble machine
I. Get on the internet and surf
J. Center; relax
K. Practice the route to and from the bus
A. Cruise around the school without a teacherRules for calling the bus:
B. Play in the gym or gross motor room when there is a class in the room
A. Know what you are going to say and ask for before dialing the number
B. Say hello
C. Say who you are
D. Tell them you are part of the community travel program
E. Tell them how many people are going total, and how many in wheelchairs
F. Tell them where you are going and what time you need to leave
G. Tell them when you need to return to Millet
H. Ask how much it will cost
I. Say thank you and goodbye
01. Introduction to the concept: "Teamwork"01. By the front doors (where are you? Why are you taking these lessons?):
02. Learning to use a calculator
03. Learning the mall center and landmarks leading to the four hallways
04. Learning appropriate behaviors and procedures in the mall (public) bathrooms
05. Learning the routes to large stores at the end of the hallways
06. Learning the routes to mall bathrooms, lockers, and customer service
07. Learning to operate an elevator
02. Put coats away; find a place to sit for problem solving:
What did you learn during the last lesson? (why are you taking these lessons, rules for riding the bus, how to problem solve with your team, how to make eye contact, where to get help, what it means to bond, wheelchair driving rules, lunch rules and routine, free time rules, where the middle of the mall is, the shape of the mall, how to use the locker, the daily routine, advantages of malls)
What does it mean to be a member of a team? Who is on your team? Ask each teammate what they most like to do
A. These are friends who will help you, just like you will help them; for example at the lockers03. Students review how to use a talking calculator:
B. These are people you like to talk with (want to know more about)
C. These are people you travel with, that you don't leave behind
D. These are friends who will help you solve problems (just like you will help them) like how to find places in the mall
A. How to turn it on and off04. Go to the center of the mall:
B. How to turn the volume on and off
C. Identify (show the staff they know by displaying) the important buttons (1-9; plus, minus, times, divide, equals, clear, etc.)
D. Add E. Subtract
A. Learn the names of the four hallwaysIf a student requests to go to the bathroom during the morning lesson, they will be told that students often use the "bathroom excuse" to get out of doing lessons. They must go to the bathroom when they arrive at the Millet Center as part of their morning "getting ready to go into the community" checklist. If the staff feels that they do need to use the bathroom, we of course let them do so. If we feel that they are trying to get out of the lesson, we have them look at their watches, go to the bathroom, and look at their watches again to see how long they were gone. At free time when the other students are off on their own, the student bonds with the staff and reviews the part of the lesson they missed. We have found this to be a very effective behavioral modification technique.
B. Select landmarks for each of the four hallways
C. Face each four hallway in turn (say to the students: face the hallway that has" X" as it's landmark)
Bathroom familiarization: When students go into public bathrooms the first year, the teachers accompany them.
A. They are shown the handicap stall and encouraged to use it and to be as independent as possible05. Locate mall destinations: customer service, lockers (yours), bathrooms, Sears; Penneys, Marshall Fields, front doors
B. They are instructed how to activate the automatic faucets
C. They are taught how to get soap from a dispenser and how to wash their hands
D. They are shown how to use the automatic dryers
E. Special problems arise depending on the child's impairments. Often their is a behavior or training program already in place in the IEP. We provide special attention as needed.
01. Learning to ask for directions01. Meet by the front doors
02. Learning to follow a route based on directions given
03. Learning the rules for eating in the food court
04. Learning basic eating skills, opening, cutting, etc.
05. Learning the food court routine
02. Put coats in lockers, find a place to sit for problem solving:
What did you learn during the last lesson? (why are you taking these lessons; What does it mean to be a member of a team? Names of the four hallways; proper use of mall bathrooms)
Review:
A. What are some good driving skills?You want to go to the food court, but you don't know the way. You ask at Customer Service for directions. You don't listen very well, and then you forget some things, and after a while you realize that you missed the food court and are now far from Customer Service. What should you do?
B. Why go to the bathroom before the trip?
C. What is free time?
D. What are good restaurant skills?
How to ask for directions at customer service:
A. Be polite; say excuse me and thank you03. Go to customer service and ask for directions to the food court, follow the directions. Find a place (location and table) for everyone to sit in the food court
B. Remember to listen carefully after you ask the question so that you remember the answer
C. Repeat the instructions back to show that you remember
D. When asking for directions, find out which hall (N,S,E,W), the side of the hall (right or left), and about how far (near the end, half way, etc.)
04. Receive instructions in the food court for the following skills:
A. How to select a table that is convenient for your team05. Eat in the food court.
B. How to park by the table to allow everyone to be comfortable (and to have a space)
C. How to transfer to chair by a table (if appropriate)
D. How and where to park your power cart if you transfer
E. Learn the choices (drive around the food court and visit each restaurant; write down the cost of kid meals and what you get)
F. Learn about best choices for your situation (is soup a good idea? things that are hard to cut; etc.)
G. Learn the rules for eating in the food court:
01. Order your food "to go." Why?H. How to carry food from a restaurant to a table (what to do with the drink)
02. Order yourself
03. Pay for your own food
04. Do not eat all your food until your teammates have arrived
I. How to open the bags
J. How to get the paper off a straw
K. How to cut food (how to use a rocker knife if appropriate)
L. How to use adaptive plates, cups, utensils (if appropriate)
M. How to clean yourself after eating
N. How to clean up a table and the area around the table
O. How to get help in the food court (what to do if you spill something)
P. Where is the nearest bathroom?
A. Select a restaurant06. Free time
B. Determine what will be ordered
C. Determine how much the meals will cost
D. Use the calculator to determine how much money will be left for free time
01. Learn about money management01. Put coats away; find a place to sit for problem solving:
02. Learn all the stores (relative locations, associated landmarks) in the west hall
03. Learn the locker hallway
What did you learn during the last lesson? (how to ask for directions at customer service, how to eat in the food court; eating skills, etc.)
You come to the mall with friends on a Saturday. You bring five dollars. In the morning you spend four dollars in the video arcade. Then you go to lunch in the food court. At lunch you order a Happy Meal. This costs three dollars. The clerk says that you can't have the Happy Meal. Why not? What can you eat? What should you have done?
This is called money management. How might you have budgeted your money? Demonstrate budgeting
02. Review stores in the west hall. Walk around the hall and find the two ends. Identify landmarks for the two ends of the hall.
03. Do a functional drill; for example, where can you buy a toy, play a game, get a cookie etc.
04. Explore the bathroom hallway. What landmarks indicate the beginning of the hall? Where is your locker?
05. Lunch and free time. Back to the Hudsons Cafe in January
01. Learn the three times a day when the watch must be used01. Put coats away; find a place to sit for problem solving:
02. Introduction to time management
03. Learn all the stores (relative locations, associated landmarks) in the east hall
What did you learn during the last lesson? (how to budget, the west hall)
When you try to put your coats away at the lockers you have all kinds of trouble, including losing your money when you locked the door open. What should you do?
02. What three times do you need to use your watches for during community travel? (coming to the mall, eating, returning to the school)
03. Free time for five minutes; return on time to the agreed upon location
04. Review stores in the east hall. Walk around the hall and find the two ends. Identify landmarks for the two ends of the hall.
05. Do a functional drill; mix in stores from the west hall.
06. Lunch and free time
01. Introduction to body management01. Put coats away; find a place to sit for problem solving:
02. Learn all the stores (relative locations, associated landmarks) in the north hall
What did you learn during the last lesson? (east hall; time management)
While in the mall by yourself, a stranger starts talking to you. He is very nice. After a while, he asks you if you would like to go to his car where he has a present for you and some candy. Should you go to his car? What should you do?
Introduce body management (how to control your body)
A. Define centering and practice (stop thinking, stop moving the body, don't talk)02. Review stores in the north hall. Walk around the hall and find the two ends. Identify landmarks for the two ends of the hall.
B. What is selective attention, practice tuning the senses
C. What does it mean to concentrate (pay attention)? Concentrate for one minute
D. What does it man to relax (do relaxation exercise)
01. Learn the concept: "personal space"
02. Learn the concept: "orientation check"
03. Learn the concept of a "travel route"
04. Learn all the stores (relative locations, associated landmarks) in the south hall
01. Put coats away; find a place to sit for problem solving
What did you learn during the last lesson? (about strangers who ask you to go with them, the north hall; body management)
While on the STS lift bus with teammates, your wheelchair begins to move. The motor on the bus is very loud and the driver is concentrating on driving safely. How could you have avoided this situation? What should you do now?
Introduction to space management:
01. Learn the concept: "personal space"02. Review stores in the south hall. Walk around the hall and find the two ends. Identify landmarks for the two ends of the hall.
02. Learn the concept: "orientation check"; locating your position in space
03. Learn the concept of a "travel route"; practice routes to and in the south hall
01. Review (test for knowledge) as many of the rules as time permits01. Ride the lift bus independently
02. Review (test competency) as many routes and locations as time permits
A. What are the rules for riding the list bus03. Put coats away, find a place to sit for Problem solving:
B. What is the sequence for using the lockers
C. What are the wheelchair driving rules
What did you learn during the last lesson? (south hall, personal space, space management)
A. Why are we doing thisWhile in a nice restaurant, one of your teammates starts acting inappropriately. What are some inappropriate actions in a restaurant? What should you do?
B. Where do you go to get help
C. What is a teammate
04. Find the center of the mall (What are the landmarks for the mall center?)
05. What are the four hallways? (what are the landmarks for each hallway)
06. What is at the end of each hallway?
07. Random functional search for stores