Kindergarten Locomotor Stations With Developmental Coordination Disorder
Mrs. Patel teaches kindergarten PE in a class of 22. The 18-minute lesson focuses on hopping, jumping, and balancing. One student, M., has an IEP goal for locomotor skills and a diagnosis of developmental coordination disorder. M. can jump forward 3 consecutive times with arms assist but cannot hop on one foot for more than 1 second; M. avoids the balance beam and often trips during group transitions. The class has 6 balance beams, 12 poly spots, 8 hoops, and one paraprofessional. The gym is also used for a lunch transition, so noise rises near the end of class. M.’s IEP specifies maximum support in PE and data collection every two weeks. The school uses a standards-based report card with a rubric of “emerging, developing, proficient.”
1. Design a three-station circuit with specific modifications for M. at each station. Explain why the modifications change equipment, space, or support rather than removing M. from the locomotor task.
Read the worked answer
Station 1, hoop jumps: all students jump forward from hoop to hoop; M. uses poly spots placed 15 cm apart and jumps with arms free, starting with two-foot takeoff. Station 2, balance: a floor line, then a low beam, then a higher beam. M. begins on the floor line and holds a two-foot balance for 5 seconds, then moves to the low beam with the paraprofessional’s hand at the hip only if needed. Station 3, animal walks: bear crawl and frog jumps on mats; M. may do a shorter 3 m path with a visual finish card. The modifications preserve the target actions-jumping, balancing, locomotor travel-but reduce balance demand, distance, and waiting. Changing equipment and space is preferable to a separate activity because M. practices the same IEP-relevant skills alongside peers, and the task can be graded upward as M. succeeds. A visual “challenge by choice” card lets M. select the low or high beam without leaving the station.
2. Describe a two-week data-collection plan that fits the IEP and the “emerging, developing, proficient” rubric. Include what counts as progress and how you will keep the data comparable across days.
Read the worked answer
Collect data twice weekly at Station 2 and once weekly at Station 1. At Station 2, give M. three trials of a two-foot balance on the low beam and record the longest hold in seconds. At Station 1, record the number of consecutive forward jumps without losing balance, best of three trials. Use the same cue (“feet together, look at the spot”), the same surface, and the same distance each time. Define the rubric operationally: emerging = 0–1 second balance or 0–2 jumps; developing = 2–3 seconds or 3–4 jumps; proficient = 4+ seconds or 5+ jumps with arms free. Progress is an upward change from M.’s own baseline over two weeks, not a comparison with classmates. The paraprofessional records on a simple tally sheet, and Mrs. Patel reviews it weekly. One video sample can support the IEP report and help the team decide whether to increase beam height or fade hand support.
3. Explain how the paraprofessional should support M. without reducing M.’s active practice, and describe a specific fading plan.
Read the worked answer
Use a least-to-most support hierarchy: first a verbal cue, then a visual model, then a gesture, then light touch at the hip, and hand-over-hand only if M. cannot initiate safely. The paraprofessional should stand to the side, not in front, and should wait 3 seconds before prompting so M. has a chance to attempt. Set a concrete goal: M. completes three balance trials with only a verbal cue before the adult moves to another student. Use a “help card” that M. can hand to the adult to request support, which builds self-advocacy and reduces hovering. Fade by increasing the distance between adult and beam, delaying prompts, and moving from the low beam to the floor line. Record the prompt level each day. The rationale is that maximum support in the IEP means the support needed for access, not constant physical assistance; too much help reduces the practice repetitions M. needs to learn balance and hopping.