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Handout 3a.5sh
Individualized Intensive Interventions

SarahSashi is a Romanian little girl who is 3 years and 11 months. Sashi lives with her mother and father who adopted her when she was 2 years old. She has been going to a community preschool for about 5 weeks. Sashi has developmental delays in the areas of speech and language, gross and fine motors skills, and with cognition. She will use a few single words, and she knows about 10 signs. She had recently learned to walk about 8 months ago, but she has an awkward gait and is a bit unbalanced when she runs. She is in the process of being toilet-trained.

Sashi’s parents report that Sashi is very active and most often in movement. Her parents commented that they are madly in love with their little girl, but that their dreams were somewhat shattered because they were expecting to adopt a child of typical development. They report that Sashi likes pretty hair bows, ribbons, and clips and will try to pull them out of people’s hair, although she does not like to wear them in her own hair. They have a very difficult time in the community because Sashi will resist moving by either pulling away from them or dropping to the ground. Sashi will also try to wander off when they are in stores, restaurants, and other community places. When Sashi wanders, she often will mouth objects within her reach. In the home, they need to keep the bathroom and bedroom doors closed so that she cannot get access to items in these rooms, for fear of choking. Also for her safety, they have Sashi sleep in a crib.

At preschool, Sashi seems to have a very short attention span and will move from one activity to the next. She seems very interested in her peers, but doesn’t seem to know how to greet or interact with them. She is a very happy child. She is beginning to imitate her friends’ gross motor activities and loves to dance and listen to music. The school staff reports that Sashi engages in challenging behaviors throughout the day. These behaviors include mouthing toys, pulling hair, resisting moving, and wandering around the classroom. Because Sashi has several challenging behaviors, she needs one-on-one assistance or guidance during unstructured activities (playground and centers).

This material was developed by the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning with federal funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (Cooperative Agreement N. PHS 90YD0119). The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, nor does mention of trade names, commercial projects, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. You may reproduce this material for training and information purposes.

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