M.O.V.E. (Mobility Opportunities Via Education)® Rationale
(Prepared for Grand Rapids Public Schools, Grand Rapids, Michigan)

Action:  Attend M.O.V.E. (Mobility Opportunities Via Education)®) training of methodology to teach children functional mobility skills. M.O.V.E. is a top-down, activity-based curriculum designed to teach students basic, functional motor skills needed for adult life in home and community environments.  It combines body mechanics with an instructional process designed to help students acquire increased amounts of independence necessary to sit, stand, and walk.

Rationale:  Students enrolled in Grand Rapids Public Schools’ (GRPS) programs who are not able to sit, stand or walk independently require implementation of research-based instruction to ameliorate, modify or accommodate mobility skills. M.O.V.E. (Mobility Opportunities Via Education )® training provides a pedagogical framework of instruction in preacademic and modality domains. GRPS professionals and noncertified staff are accountable to teaching students presenting with cognitive impairment, sensory impairment, and limited mobility skills. Attendance at this training provides opportunity to train multiple staff in specific instructional techniques supported by outcome data.  Increased student achievement requires ongoing improvement of instructional skills.

Alignment with GRPS District Initiatives:

“Ensure the achievement of high academic standards by all students”

Students with tertiary motor and motor compounded with cognitive impairment require curricular participation that not only increased academic learning sets, but also decreases dependence upon environmental supports.  A primary lens of measurement is acquisition of both domain and academic skills.  A secondary lens of measurement is the degree to which students require environmental supports, including staff assistance.  Increasing mobility independence decreases the variance and intensity of environmental supports required to access the general education curriculum.

“Engage parents and community in meaningful partnerships in support of district goals”

The foundation of this intervention approach is the engagement of parents and primary care-givers in ensuring continuity of strategies with daily routines in the natural environment. Parents receive specific training and follow-up in instructional techniques that prepare students for access to new academic skill sets. Preparation for supported work environments requires acquisitions of academic skill sets and familial supports. Participation in MOVE® methodology ensures access to national outcome results.

“Increase the systems capacity to provide rigorous, high quality instruction through embedded and differentiated staff development at all levels of the organization”

Training M.O.V.E. (Mobility Opportunities Via Education)® results in the ability of trainees to provide professional development and support at both the program and district levels. Curriculum rigor is measured using criterion-referenced assessments, The TOP DOWN MOTOR MILESTON TEST®is similar in scope and sequence to current district assessment measures such as MAP. Both quantitative and qualitative MOVE® research provides outcome data that demonstrate specific developmental gains in mobility and cognition (see below).

“Wellness Initiative”

Upright positioning and movement assist movement and clearing of secretions. Ear infections, surgery and seizures can cause loss of learned skills and consistent application of movement techniques facilitates recoupment of these skills. Cardiovascular fitness (movement to oxygenate the blood), bone health improvement (due to coordinated weight and pressure on the bones to maintain use and prevent osteoporosis and deformities) is an additional benefits supporting readiness to learn.

Alignment with GRPS Special Education Focus Areas (Lake, 06-30-09):

1. Support the development and implementation of Rti across the district. Inherent
   Inherent in the design of MOVE® is a tiered-approach to combining mobility instruction with academic and preacademic standards, using daily routines to teach functional skills.
2. Increase compliance with IDEA. Acquisition of Individualized Education Program (IEP) annual goals require rigorous and relevant instructional approaches with MEASURABLE results, both intrastudent and systematically.
3. Increase the use of differentiated learning strategies. MOVE® provides a pedagogical framework for instruction that aligns with individualized education plans and provides flexibility in tailoring strategy use to student need.

Impact on Student Achievement:  Specific training benefits include instructional techniques for imbedding curriculum within functional daily living activities, knowledge of equipment for environmental modification and increased mobility activities for access to the community.  In addition, training encompasses individual adjustments to equipment on site, expertise in repairing equipment and authorization for discount purchases as determined by Individual Education Program (IEP) plans.

Grand Rapids Public Schools Outcome Data – TOP DOWN MOTOR MILESTONE TEST®:

Wellerwood Early Childhood Center/Ken-O Sha Preschool─Aggregate Data

                                                                        2007-2008                        2008-2009
Mean # of Motor Milestones Achieved
      Over a 6 month period                                   26                                      50

Supporting Research:  M.O.V.E. (Mobility Opportunities Via Education)®methodology has identified significant cogent variables that affect the learning process.  Repeated practice leads to short-term gains. However, adding challenges and problem-solving opportunities lead to retention and transfer of skills (Thompson, 2005).  The intervention approach is called a task-oriented approach (Shumway-Cook & Woollacott, 2001) that incorporates components from extant literature of motor control and motor learning theories (Bidabe, Barnes, & Whinnery, 2001; Darrah, Law, & Pollock, 2001).

Quantitative studies using multiple baseline single-subject designs have reported outcomes of up to 125 per cent increase in independent steps taken with a gait trainer over a 12 month period (Whinnery & Whinnery, 2007).

Board of Education:  This instructional methodology, used at Lincoln Developmental Center and Wellerwood Early Childhood Center, was presented to the Grand Rapids Public Schools Education Committee on September 5, 2006.

References:

Bidabe, D., Barnes, S., & Whinnery, K. (2001). MOVE: Raising Expectations for  
     Individuals with Severe Disabilities.  Physical Disabilities:  Education and Related 
     Services, 19, 31-48.

Darrah, J., Law, M., & Pollock, N. (2001). Family-Centered Functional Therapy: A Choice for Children with Motor Dysfunction. Infants & Young Children.  13(4), 79-87.

Whinnery, K., & Barnes, S. (2002).  Mobility Training Using the MOVE Curriculum.
      Council for Exceptional Children.  Jan/Feb.

Whinnery, K., & Whinnery, S. (2007).  MOVE: Systematic Programming for Early
       Motor Intervention.  Infants & Young Children.  20(2), 102-108.

Whinner, S., & Whinnery, K. (2004).  MOVE: Hope for People with Significant
       Movement Disorders. Exceptional Parent Magazine, www.eparent.com.