The Carolina Curriculum for Infants and Toddlers with Special Needs (CCITSN)

The Carolina Curriculum for Infants and Toddlers with Special Needs (CCITSN) is designed for the assessment and teaching of children with mild to severe special needs from birth to 36 months' developmental age.

The volume first takes users step-by-step through the assessment process — from setting up to scoring and charting assessment results — with a sample Assessment Log (available separately in packages of 10).

The curriculum itself is divided into 24 logical teaching sequences covering five developmental domains: cognition, communication, social adaptation, fine motor, and gross motor. Once the initial assessment is complete, professionals select curricular items that correspond to each child's special needs.

Each curricular item follows the same format: title, objective, materials needed, teaching procedures, routine integration strategies, and sensorimotor adaptations. The uncomplicated format and jargon-free language make CCITSN easy to use and easy to share with families.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Guiding Learning: Principles and Suggestions

Environmental Factors Influencing Learning, Development, and Emergent Literacy

Using the Curriculum

Assessment Log

Developmental Progress Chart

Personal-Social

• Sequence 1 Self-Regulation & Responsibility
• Sequence 2 Interpersonal Skills
• Sequence 3 Self-Concept
• Sequence 4-I Self-Help: Eating
• Sequence 4-II Self-Help: Dressing
• Sequence 4-III Self-Help: Grooming
• Sequence 4-IV Self-Help: Toileting

Cognition

• Sequence 5 Attention & Memory: Visual/Spatial
• Sequence 6-I Visual Perception: Blocks & Puzzles
• Sequence 6-II Visual Perception: Matching & Sorting
• Sequence 7 Functional Use of Objects & Symbolic Play
• Sequence 8 Problem Solving/Reasoning
• Sequence 9 Number Concepts

Cognition/Communication

• Sequence 10 Concepts/Vocabulary: Receptive
• Sequence 11 Concepts/Vocabulary: Expressive
• Sequence 12 Attention & Memory: Auditory

Communication

• Sequence 13 Verbal Comprehension
• Sequence 14 Conversation Skills
• Sequence 15 Grammatical Structure
• Sequence 16 Imitation: Vocal

Fine Motor

• Sequence 17 Imitation: Motor
• Sequence 18 Grasp & Manipulation
• Sequence 19 Bilateral Skills
• Sequence 20 Tool Use
• Sequence 21 Visual-Motor Skills

Gross Motor

• Sequence 22-I Upright: Posture & Locomotion
• Sequence 22-II Upright: Balance
• Sequence 22-III Upright: Ball Play
• Sequence 22-IV Upright: Outdoor Play
• Sequence 23 Prone (On Stomach)
• Sequence 24 Supine (On Back)

Appendix A: Selected Impairments and Their Effects on Development

Appendix B: Play and Children with Motor Impairments

Appendix C: Object Boards as Aids for Teaching Children with Severe Motor Impairments

Appendix D: Motor Milestones in Infant Development

Appendix E: Resources and Recommended Readings