“What Do I Want to Do?”
Three Evidence-Informed Strategies to Increase Children's Choice-Making Opportunities.
What did you eat for breakfast today? Did someone instruct you regarding what you must eat? Did they put a plate in front of you and tell you there was no other choice? We take these simple choice-making opportunities for granted. Yet for some children there are few, if any, opportunities to make choices throughout their day.
This is especially true for many children with disabilities. From the moment they wake up in the morning, they are dressed in clothes chosen by their parent, served food, handed their backpack pre-loaded with lunch and books, and dressed in their coat. Often, these same children are assisted with every daily task, without any chance to contribute their own ideas about how they wish to eat, dress, or engage in activities.
It’s understandable that parents and educators are dealing with time constraints that make it challenging to wait for a child who takes longer than expected to get ready. But this lack of choice making is a problem! When a child chooses what to eat, what to wear, and what they want to play, they learn many important life lessons about empowerment, self-reliance, and confidence.
First, let’s define the term. Choice making is defined as a right, privilege, or opportunity in which an individual freely selects or decides what he or she wants (Cote Sparks & Cote, 2012). Choice making provides many benefits to children and those who care for them. Studies have shown that increased choice-making opportunities improve motivation, engagement, and perseverance (Wehmeyer & Zhao, 2020).
A 2018 USC study demonstrated that children who were given the opportunity to choose their homework assignment from two options did better on the assignment, scored higher on tests, and reported greater perceived competence than those who were not given a choice (Patall & Hooper, 2018).
Without the opportunity to choose, elementary-age children often experience difficulties in developing these skills (Stang et al., 2009). Some of the barriers that impede the development of choice-making skills include poor self-awareness, learned helplessness, low self-esteem, self-deprecation, and lack of recognition of personal strengths or weaknesses. For many students with mild to moderate disabilities, the development of choice-making skills and the ability to evaluate the outcome of the choice are not innate.
Giving children the opportunity to make choices enables them to develop skills of demonstrating control and responsibility within their environment (Cannella et al., 2005). Incorporating choice making into the daily activities of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities has been associated with a higher level of task engagement and a lower level of problem behavior (Wehmeyer et al., 2007). When providing children with opportunities to choose instructional activities, partners, and schedules, children should be allowed to choose among several options based on their preferences (Vanderbilt University, 2013).
1. Provide activity options.
If child isn’t sure what to select, give them two or three activity options and allow them to make a choice based on their preferences. A Choice Board created by the child, with support from the educator or therapist, can help a child pick from two or three meaningful options. As child becomes more proficient with making choices, they can be given more options to choose from. For example, in the playground a child could select from several activities (e.g., playing ball, jumping rope, or playing on climbing equipment).
2. Provide options for demonstrating mastery.
Allow the child to choose how they will demonstrate mastery of a specific topic (such as writing). For example, a list of choices could include a written report, poster presentation, or collage with captions. When appropriate, give the child choices about how they will carry out particular learning tasks, such as where/when they complete their afternoon assignment or with whom they work.
3. Model the choice-making process
Demonstrating how you make choices can help a child better understand how to make choices on their own. For example, a teacher could model how she chooses what to eat for lunch given select cafeteria options by thinking out loud and then have a child make their own choice.
Takeaway: Increase Choice Making Opportunities!
By providing children with choice-making opportunities, we can give them a better chance at a successful, satisfying life!
References
Cannella, H. I., O’Reilly, M. F., & Lancioni, G. E. (2005). Choice and preference assessment research with people with severe to profound developmental disabilities: A review of the literature. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 26, 1-15.
Patall, E.A., & Hooper, S.Y. (2018). The role of choice in understanding adolescent autonomy and academic functioning. In B. Soenens, M. Vansteenkiste, & S. Van Petegem (Eds.), Autonomy in adolescent development: Toward conceptual clarity, 145-167. Routledge.
Stang, K. K., Carter, E. W., Lane, K. L., & Pierson, M. R. (2009). Perspectives of general and special educators on fostering self-determination in elementary and middle schools. The Journal of Special Education, 43(2), 94–106. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022466907313452
Vanderbilt University (2013). Promoting self-determination among students with disabilities. Retrieved from https://vkc.mc.vanderbilt.edu/assets/files/resources/psiSelfdetermination.pdf
Wehmeyer, M. L., Agran, M., Hughes, C., Martin, J. E., Mithaug, D. E., & Palmer, S. B. (2007). Promoting self-determination in students with developmental disabilities. Guilford Press.
Wehmeyer, M.L., & Zhao, Y. (2020) Teaching students to become self-determined learners. Alexandria, VA: ASCD Books. https://lccn.loc.gov/2019039566
