Triage

Explore

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players explore lay-out of the board to help them think of strategies for saving the most People Pawns in disasters.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Parents should encourage children to explore the whole board to locate the various sites where people are located close to disaster sites. Draw their attention to the proximity of their Pawns to Impact Levels to help them think more carefully about their move.
Also, Triage provides a safe environment to discuss what to do in case of emergencies and to talk about empathy, compassion and other emotions that a child might imagine if people were truly in danger or hurt.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Playing Triage helps children develop spatial reasoning skills, directionality, situational analysis, risk assessment and perspective changing.
Remind children to look at the board carefully during play, making sure to identify where their Pawns and Vehicles are located, the status of the Pawns, and the proximity of the Pawns to different Impact Levels. This will discourage impulsive actions.

Determine

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players have the determine the level of disaster and the potential loss of life. They also need to determine what direction to take various Vehicles to save the most life

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Parents can explain various strategies, so that children can add to their thinking in making a decision. For example, "This site has two men down, if the level goes up, I will lose them both."

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Triage involves examining the board and creating mental models of the consequences of moving Vehicles to pick up Pawns. When first learning to play, players will think about consequences of the immediate move. As they become more proficient, children will think about multiple moves ahead in order to evaluate which Pawns to pursue and which may need to be abandoned.
Educators can explain various strategies, so that children can add to their thinking in making a decision. For example, "This site has two men down, if the level goes up, I will lose them both."

Compare

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players compare sites to determine the status of the Pawn near each one. They compare levels of disaster and what is likely to happen under different circumstances, i.e. if the die is thrown for a given site. If more than one vehicle is near the rescue site, which Vehicle can take the amount of Pawns at the site and move how many spots.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Parents can help children take into consideration the different variables by pointing out their options. For example, "The bus holds 4 people, but it only goes two spaces. Will that take them out of danger?"

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Comparing in Triage helps children learn situational analysis because they need to consider and compare the consequences of a play based on location and status of Pawns relative to the Impact Zones. Educators can help children take into consideration the different variables by pointing out their options. For example, "The bus holds 4 people, but it only goes two spaces. Will that take them out danger?"
Further, Triage helps develop spatial reasoning, risk/reward analysis and directionality.

Remember

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players need to remember the sequence of play, the meaning of the various disaster levels, and the rules for injury levels.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Asking children the meaning of various symbols, colors and threat levels is a way to get children to verbalize the rules. Verbalization is a good technique for reinforcing memory.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Asking children the meaning of various symbols, colors and threat levels is a way to get children to verbalize the rules. Verbalization is a good technique for reinforcing memory.

Predict

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players need to survey the board to make predication about where vehicles need to go to save the most People Pawns, taking into consideration whether they think they can reach those Pawns before the Impact Level rises too high.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Adults can remind children to think about what could happen next so children will plan accordingly.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Chidren can improve their prediction by considering directionality (what path can a vehicle take), distance (how far is vehicle from a Pawn), status of Pawn (standing or on side) and the Impact Level near each Pawn. This requires observation, risk/reward assessment and making mental models.

Plan

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players need to plan their moves and envision what will happen next so they can set up their Vehicles to move in the best directions.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
To be successful in Triage requires thinking about consequences beyond a player's immediate move. This type of long-term, sequential thinking is important beyond the game for activities such as building forts, making art, successfully completing schoolwork on time and launching a new business from a lemonade stand to a company later on in life.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Planning is an important skill for developing strategic thinking, persistence and reaching a goal. Encourage the children to discuss the goal throughout the game and how they might move their Vehicles to reach the goal.
Additionally, to be successful in Triage requires thinking about consequences beyond a player's immediate move. This type of long-term, sequential thinking is important beyond the game for activities such as building forts, making art, successfully completing schoolwork on time and launching a new business from a lemonade stand to a company later on in life.

Practice

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Each turn is practice for learning strategy.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Parents can engage children in conversation about their choices in order to help children understand different risks and benefits in their strategy.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
As a strategy game, Triage has several implicit levels of mastery. Therefore, the more children play the more capable they will be in developing and executing increasingly sophisticated strategies. Also, as they become proficient, they will be able to teach others. Teaching others demonstrates mastery, the final stage of learning, and is wonderful for building self-esteem, confidence and intrinsic motivation.

Solve

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Each successful removal of People Pawns from the board prevents the loss of a "life."

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Parents can talk to children about alternative approaches and help them think about choices. It is important for parents to not create the approaches, but help the children come to their own conclusions. Parents can encourage both offensive and defensive game strategy.
Also, Triage provides a safe environment to discuss what to do in case of emergencies and to talk about empathy, compassion and other emotions that a child might imagine if people were truly in danger or hurt.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Triage involves uses of spatial reasoning, directionality and if/then problem solving. After children have mastered the rules and functions of the Vehicles, they learn new information constantly during game play. This information directly effects how children strategize an approach for placing moving Vehicles to save People Pawns, and ultimately solve the game.
Educators should encourage children to explore the whole board to locate the various sites where People Pawns are located close to disaster sites. Also encourage comparison of sites for determining cost and benefit of various moves.

Review

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players may review if encouraged. See Implications for Learning and Adult Support.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
At the end of the game, review what strategies worked or what could have been done differently.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
At the end of the game, review what strategies worked or what could have been done differently.

Demonstrate

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players may demonstrate if encouraged. See Implications for Learning and Adult Support.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Ask children to explain their strategy to others. Parents can do the same, helping children learn how others think strategically.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Ask children to explain their strategy to others. Educators can do the same, helping children learn how others think strategically.

Imagine

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
There is an element of imagination, as players envision saving actual people in vans, cars, and helicopters.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Engaging imagination makes the game more relevant, engaging and fun. It also helps develop empathy.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Engaging imagination makes the game more relevant, engaging and fun. It also helps develop empathy.

Create

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players may create stories if encouraged. See Implications for Learning and Adult Support.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Parents can participate in creative play, making up stories about the characters and what is happening to them during the game. This type of pretend play is a safe way for children to explore difficult situations and learn important life skills.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Educators can participate in creative play, making up stories about the characters and what is happening to them during the game. This type of pretend play is a safe way for children to explore difficult situations and learn important life skills.

Cognitive

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Start with six board tiles, the two tiles with airports and the tiles with disasters 1 through 4. Connect these six tiles together, but the airports cannot touch. Let each player pick a color and get six people of that color, placing each one on a dot of matching color. Each player picks one of his/her vehicles and places it anywhere on the board. Play the game according to standard rules. However, if a die lands on 5 or higher, nothing happens (just like rolling an 8 in normal rules.) Over time, as the child gains more skill and understanding, add more tiles, more characters, and more vehicles.

Communication

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Before playing the game, read the facts about disasters on the direction sheet. Discuss these facts and plan what you would do if a real disaster struck.
Use terminology relating to disasters, defining the various types of disasters pictured on the tiles. Ask if they know about any disasters that have happened. Teach children about calling 911. When would you call. When is it not appropriate to call 911?

Sensorimotor

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Not recommended for children with significant fine motor impairment.

Social Emotional/Behavioral

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Play the game collaboratively, with all players considering the strategies together. All colored tokens are saved jointly, i.e. no one color belongs to any player.
Discuss how children can help others. What are some everyday "disasters" or problems where they might be able to provide assistance to a friend?

Vision

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Not appropriate for children with moderate to significant vision impairments.

Hearing

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
No modification required.

Autism Special Considerations

Appears to ignore other's communication and/or has difficulty giving eye contact to a communication partner

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? Yes

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Look at the puzzle instead of each other, if doing the puzzle as a team.

Has difficulty understanding complex verbal directions

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? No

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? No

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Triage is not an appropriate game for children who have difficulty understanding complex directions.

Uses vocabulary inaccurately or demonstrates echolalia (repeating another's speech)

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? Yes

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Respond to immediate echolalia (repeating what was just said) by rephrasing the child's response into a correct format, so the child can hear and repeat that phrase. For example, assume you are playing with a child named Andy and you say, "Your turn," and Andy repeats, "Your turn." You can say, "It's Andy's turn. You say, my turn." This allows the child to hear and repeat the correct response. Eventually, the child will pick up the pattern of response.

Delayed echolalia (repetition of previously heard comments) may have a hidden meaning or association. Look for connection in the phrase used to the current situation. For example, the child says, "After these messages we'll be right back!" Think what the repeated phrase is associated with for the child. Try to interpret what is meant and rephrase it for the child. For example, you might respond by saying, "It sounds like you want a break for a few minutes. Is that what you mean? You can tell me, 'I need a break.'"

Gets stuck repeating a verbal topic or physical actions and/or has difficulty attending to others' actions or topic.

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? No

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification?

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Children need to pay attention to other player's intentions and actions, as there are both offensive and defensive components to play. For this reason, Triage is not recommended for children with this concern.

Has difficulty producing speech/communication

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? Yes

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Use augmentative communication, such as picture cards. For example, a picture of person pointing to another person means "your turn."

Although communication is not required, players will want to explain their moves. For this reason, the game may be difficult for children with special needs to play.

Has difficulty sequencing multi-step actions and/or doing complex abstract tasks

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? No

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification?

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Triage has very complex directions and involves abstract tasks. It is not recommended for children with special needs.

Demonstrates difficulty initiating and maintaining social interactions

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? Yes

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Develop a social story to be read at the start of a game. A social story is a short booklet that illustrates how a child can use positive social skills. It includes two to five descriptive statements and a directive statement. For example: "When I watch others, I will know when it is my turn. Others like me when I take turns. I will watch what others do with their pieces and listen to what they say. Others like it when I talk about the game." Add photos or drawings of the child doing the actions described in the story.

Role play social situations and reinforce appropriate words and actions. For example, role play commenting on another player's turn. For instance, "You saved two people."

Use video feedback of positive social behaviors. Video of actual play enables children to see what they or others did. Appropriate actions and interactions can then be discussed.

Acts out or demonstrates avoidance behaviors when frustrated, overwhelmed, or needs more sensory input.

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? No

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Reduce extraneous noise or allow the child to wear head phones or ear plugs if loud sounds cause anxiety.

A weighted vest worn during the game may provide additional pressure input and thus reduce fidgeting due to sensory needs. Pressure can be calming when used for no more than 20 minutes at a time.

Practice a phrase to ask for help and role play situations in the game where it is needed.

Provide techniques for self-calming, such as holding a special toy.

Allow time for movement. For example, a child who needs to move frequently can be given an opportunity to 'celebrate' their turn by running around the table or jumping up and down 10 times.

Has short attention span for non-preferred activities

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? No

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification?

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Not recommended for children with a short attention span.

Needs sameness or consistent routines and/or has difficulty with transitions from one activity to another

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? Yes

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Play games at the same time every day, so the child anticipates the game routine.

Change the location of the game, so the child may play in different rooms, at the table, or on the floor. This will build tolerance for variation.

Prepare the child ahead time for the introduction of a new game. Talk about aspects that will be motivating for the child, and let them explore the parts of the game before setting out the whole game.

Provide a structure for placement of game pieces that can be the same each time the game is played. For example, have a specific location for where the board goes, the pieces, etc.Provide choices for how the child can be involved in set up or clean up. For example, you might ask, "Do you want to hand out the people or set up the board?"

Involve the child verbally and with actions for the transition to the game table or at the end of game play. For example, you might say, "Let's look at the pictures on the game box and guess what it is about."

Use an object cue. Let the child hold an object from the game or activity you want to introduce prior to the transition. For example, if you were intending to play Triage, you would hand the child a person from the game and say, "Look here is a person. What game does it go with?"

Has difficulty understanding others' feelings, intentions, and the reasons for others' actions.

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? No

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification?

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Triage is not recommended for children who have difficulty understanding others intentions and reasoning.

Extra Ways to Play the Game
Use the board, people and vehicle pieces for dramatic play around a disaster. The playing board can become a miniature setting for dramatization with the miniatures in the game.

Materials Needed
No extra materials are needed.

Developmental Benefits
This game variation will develop language and narrative skills important for literacy. Encourage children to be imaginative with their story.

Extra Ways to Play the Game
Pretend that a disaster is coming and what will happen when it arrives. Build a shelter out of blankets, a table, and pillows. Plan for food, warmth, and medical care. Children can construct the shelter and act out saving their adults and siblings or peers from an earthquake where the house was destroyed.

Materials Needed
Materials from around the house that can be used as props.

Developmental Benefits
This game variation will develop language and narrative skills important for literacy, and will help children connect imaginative play to potential real world situations. Role playing risky or dangerous situations can help children learn how to manage emotions, prepare for real-life activities and build confidence. Additionally, this will involve gross motor and fine motor skill development.

Extra Ways to Play the Game
Discuss what a "hero" is. Ask the child if there are ways they could be a mini hero around the house. Create "disasters" where the child(ren) can be a hero. For example, dramatize a a flood in the bathroom or a medical emergency in the living room. Plan what is needed and what the sequence of actions would be. What would people say and do? What is 911? When do you use it?

Materials Needed
Materials from around the house that can be used as props.

Developmental Benefits
This game variation will develop language and narrative skills important for literacy, and will help children connect imaginative play to potential real world situations. Role playing risky or dangerous situations can help children learn how to manage emotions, prepare for real-life activities and build confidence. Additionally, this will involve gross motor and fine motor skill development.