How MOVE  works

• The six steps of the MOVE Programme

1. Assessment

2. Goal setting

3. Task analysis

4. Measuring the prompts

5. Reducing the prompts

6. Teaching the skills

• Sitting

• Movement in sitting

• Standing

• Transition from sitting to standing

• Walk forward

• Walk on uneven ground

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Goal setting is probably the most important step. The key element is that MOVE is an individualised plan, and so every child on the programme will be working towards different goals.

The goal must have a purpose and should be decided upon by the person who has the disabilities and their family.  In this way, the goal is meaningful, the child is motivated to learn and the family to help them learn.  

Current goals of children and their families on the MOVE programme include:

• Sit on a conventional chair to eat his lunch

• Walk forward in a walker for five feet

• Use switches to operate musical equipment

• Stand unassisted while his chair is removed so that he can get into a car

• Sit with good head control and participate in activities

• Use a public toilet

• Go out with her family without her wheelchair

• Walk independently so he can he play football with his dad and brothers

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Step three – task analysis

Task analysis prioritises the important skill areas that need to be addressed in order to achieve goals.

For example, being able to ride in a car will require the skills of sitting and moving in sitting.  These skills are broken down into Motor Milestones, which are the different skills need to complete an activity. It is these skills that the team will then work towards at every possible opportunity in daily life.

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The team measures the support that the person currently need in order to start learning the Motor Milestone skills necessary to achieve the goal.

The word “prompt” is used to describe the amount or type of assistance given to the student.  Prompts are used to teach new skills not to replace or substitute for skills that a person does not have. 

A prompt can be any physical support that is given to allow the student to achieve functional movement:

• A prompt can be equipment, furniture or another person

• It is moveable, adjustable and gives the minimum support for the shortest possible time. The overall aim is to give the student just enough support to allow him/her to accomplish the task

• Prompts are designed to be taken away!

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Step five – reducing the prompts

During this step, the team plans for the systematic reduction of support over time. The planned removal of support is the only way the student will learn to take more control of his own movement and achieve his goals. 

An appropriate prompt reduction plan is required for each of the student’s goals. 

• The objective is to achieve the goal, not necessarily to reduce the level of every prompt

• The amount of prompt may vary with the goal selected

• For the student to achieve function, it may be necessary to increase one prompt while reducing the other

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Step six – teaching the skills

Once the skills needed to achieve the goal have been identified, the team will draw up a plan which integrates these skills into every possible opportunity throughout the day. 

The child will then progress through the Steps of Learning until he/she is able to generalise the skills and use them in all environments. All work  must  ensure that the specific goal is being achieved.

• If a person learns slowly, then skills of utmost importance should be taught first

• If you have a big group of students, spend individual time with each one and ensure they are able to continue their activity whilst you are with another student

• If a student forgets quickly, then have many daily sessions

• When students have difficultly transferring skills, practice in a wide variety of environments

• For students who are more at risk from falling, ensure that sufficient prompts are used if you are not working directly with them

• If a student is in pain, something is wrong and needs to be immediately reviewed.  For instance, do not leave a student in a gait trainer if they are obviously unhappy – the last thing you want to do it put them off

• Give positive voice prompts e.g.  “Stand flat on your feet”, rather than “don’t stand on tip-toes”

• If we have high expectations then students will often do what we expect of them

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• The student is learning a brand new skill
• The student needs one to one support at this time
• All other demands of the student must be reduced to a minimum
• Full collaboration of the team is essential

The student understands the skill and is able to achieve it, with the aid of the necessary prompts, to a certain degree of fluency. 

This is where the new skills should be introduced into the education programme and practised functionally.  This stage sees the student gain strength and control, achieve the skills for a longer period of time and generalise these skills in different settings.

3. Maintenance

Once fluency is achieved, maintaining the skill is vital.  To do this the skill must be used at all appropriate times.

At this stage students can take previously learnt skills and apply them to new situations. 

Generalising can be difficult for many students. Being able to sit on a classroom chair does not necessarily mean a student can transfer the use of this skill and sit on a toilet. Therefore the wider the range of setting that is used the better e.g. school and health centres in the community. 

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