An adaptation works when the learner still gets a real opportunity to practise the chosen goal. An easier setup, a different interest or another response route can help. Some changes also change what the task can show: record that clearly.
| If this is getting in the way | Try this | What to keep clear |
|---|---|---|
| Too many instructions at once | Show one step, offer a choice, then pause. Keep the next step covered until needed. | Preserve the source information needed for that step. Record any extra explanation during a check. |
| Little interest in the story | Let the child choose a library, toy workshop, space station, pretend shop, sport or entirely different setting. | A new setting needs a matching source/key where facts matter. Do not reuse the old answer for new data. |
| Handling or texture is unwelcome | Point, use gaze/AAC/sign, or direct an adult to place familiar broad pieces. Draw a dry version where the pack offers it. | Child choices and adult physical making are separate. A drawing is actual art; a proposed print is still unmade. |
| A busy or noisy space | Use a quieter station, a visual cue, a familiar quiet source or the pack's complete no-sound route. | A silent music plan does not show hearing or playing. Select another actual accessible opportunity for those goals. |
| The page is hard to see or read | Use the exact linear alternative, large labelled shapes, neutral read-aloud, or an individually reviewed tactile version. | Keep every relevant spatial/source relation. Attribute an adult's description instead of claiming direct visual access. |
| Writing is slowing the idea down | Use dictation, symbols, drawing, sign, AAC or a scribe. | Adult scribing can preserve the child's idea; it does not establish independent handwriting, spelling or decoding. |
| More than one language would help | Use a locally reviewed language version or a trusted interpreter, alongside the source. Record the language and support used. | Browser translation is a candidate, not a verified curriculum translation. Technical meanings and answer criteria need review. First Nations language requires the relevant language authority. |
| The child finishes quickly | Ask for a new useful version, a different reader, or an explanation of one choice. | Use different practice data; keep held fresh sources unseen until the check. Extra work is optional. |
| The child needs more time | Stop at a useful point and offer another short sitting. Keep what was actually shown. | Unfinished is not yet observed, not an automatic wrong answer. Record later help separately. |
| No printer, prop or screen | Use the pack's paper-equivalent/linear route, draw broad outlines or give exact spoken directions. | Check the route preserves the goal. A paper device plan does not show actual hardware/software use. |
These are flexible choices, not fixed visual/auditory/kinaesthetic learner categories or a checklist assigned by neurotype. Ask what helps this learner with this task, and change it when needed.
Three useful next moves
If the source and answer have become mixed: point back to the actual object, picture, words or record. Ask one source question using a different practice example. A missing value stays missing.
If an adult has taken over the choice: offer two possibilities and “your own”, repeat the child's instruction, and pause before acting. Keep the adult's contribution visible in the private note.
If the idea is already clear: give it another useful job. Can a willing reader follow the message? Can the child choose another way to express the same art idea? Actual response is useful feedback; no recipient is required for ordinary private practice.
For a fresh check
Use the source and neutral prompts from that resource. Keep worked answers and similar practice models away until the first response is captured. Read-aloud, access support and a later short sitting can be recorded without pretending independence. After the first response, use the separate teacher guidance to choose one next step. Do not make the score depend on public speech, neatness, speed or willingness to disclose personal information unless the actual target legitimately requires the specific skill.
What these tools draw on
The worked examples use the exact goals and boundaries in Digital Technologies W9–10 and Visual Arts W23–24. These are proposed practical adaptations, not trial findings or a claim that one route covers every curriculum goal. Follow the selected source and local programme when evaluating a learner's actual work.