When you are developing a modified program for a student with intellectual disabilities, the school- based team and individual teachers need to keep a fundamental guiding principle in mind: What skills are most important for the student to develop to enhance the quality of life now and in the future? Because this question is so fundamental, it is key to involve the parents as much as possible in answering it.

Teachers need to set high, but attainable, goals so that students can learn the skills they need to successfully meet the demands of adulthood. These demands can be articulated in various ways, but they include these general categories:

• Meaningful participation in activities in the community.
• Development of skills for personal relationships.
• Achievement of self management and decision making.
• Maintenance of personal safety and health.
• Development of skills for independent living.

The McGill Action Planning System, sometimes called a Multi Action Planning System, developed by Marsha Forest and Judith Snow uses a family and student focused approach to deciding what to teach to students with special needs. It suggests a two-stepped planning process with the student, parents and friends playing key roles.

Another useful source for making such decisions is COACH, Choosing Options and Accommodations for Children: A Guide to Planning Inclusive Education. This program can be used to help guide the involvement of parents and teachers in setting functional goals for modifying curriculum. It uses these categories as organizers: 1. Cross Environmental-Communication, Socialization, Personal Management, Leisure/Recreation, Applied Academics and 2. Environment Specific-Home, School, Community and Vocational.

Gateway Provincial Resource Program has created a fundamental skills curriculum which can be used as a source of ideas for developing individualized goals and objectives which respond to the need for students to learn functional skills. They divide their curriculum into Functional Academics, Self-help and Life Skills and Community Training. Gateway's address is listed Resource Guide References on page 83 of this guide.