Case Profile & Current Organization Structure
About: This is a project that examines a student with special needs. This website serves as a system that allows various IEP Teams, over time, to track and address the most relevant needs of the student. (note: The student's real name is kept hidden, but replaced with the name "John")
Student: "John"
Disability: Other Health Impairment (OHI).
John's other health impairment (OHI) impairs his visual motor abilities, which impacts his progress and involvement in the general educational curriculum.
- Birthday: 02/01/2010
- Grade: 5
- Strengths: Math, Sports (running), Computers and holding conversations.
- Weaknesses: Reading fluency (below grade level). 'Gets lost' with distance education
- Needs: Socio-emotional support (i.e, coping and mindfulness), providing student choice, adult guidance (i.e., online), turning in work (on time or at all), self-advocacy and management skills, gross/fine motor development, attention/sensory modulation development, and vocational/post-secondary support.
- School District: Fontana USD
- Website: fusd.net
- Address: 9680 Citrus Ave. Fontana, CA
- Contact: (909) 357-5000
Organization Structure:
Fontana USD is a growing district that is improving its special education emphasis. Approximately 4,600 students are ranging in age from 3 to 22 being served under this district. The IEP teams make decisions for placement and services; students are placed in the least restrictive environment (full-inclusion). SAI services are supplied by an RSP (resource specialist provider/special education teacher).
Instructional supplies specific to students' curricular needs are provided to the staff (i.e., Laptops, Microsoft Teams, and Digital applications for assessments (iReady and Lexia)). Each school site has a Student Intervention Team made up of general educators. They collaborate to develop interventions that will assist students who are needing educational and behavioral support.
For professional growth and support: general education and special education teachers attend site staff meetings and participate in site/district staff development.
Each school site has a Special Education Review Team (SERT) that collaborates to supply special needs students' services.
Project Questions:
How did you discover how to help your student? What was that discovery process?
I discovered how to help my student with the interaction that I had through online-distance learning. The discovery process is limited while online, but it was done through 1) Rapport: I got to know John through talks during lesson breaks, and I would explicitly ask him about his academic and socio-emotional needs. 2) I discovered his needs by observing his interaction online (i.e., I notice that he would 'wander' into a video class time that was not designated for 5th graders) and by communicating with his mother by phone/text.
How long did it take?
Discovering John's needs was a process that continues through online interaction, and through several months.
How well does your student self-advocate and communicate?
John does not self-advocate as often as I would hope, but he has been getting better and better at interacting with my peers and me online. There are times. However, he clearly shuts down and does not want to interact online and even hides under a cap and covers his mouth with a mask while indoors with no-one around him.
What is your organization system now? Evaluate its effectiveness.
The organizational structure is summarized above in its section- but essentially, it is a very standard special needs system. However, the school district aligns with inclusion after existing as an RSP teacher at two schools under the district. The full inclusion model wherein the general education and special education teachers work in a cooperative team-effort/co-teaching are in an infantile state. Some general education teachers are confused and utterly resistant to full inclusion teaching models.
Roadblocks
There are several roadblocks (situations which may prevent transitional success) discovered with John.
Socio-Emotional & Interactions
Socio-Emotional
John tends to be very distracted by what is happening all around him (his environment), and makes any excuse not to do work. Example, he turned off Microsoft Teams video chat while taking a state-wide assessment and did not do any work. When prompted- John claimed he was working but an at-home service provider said that he was not working and his computer was operational the entire time.
Interaction
He will refuse to do his work even when offered adult assistance. He will argue with adults who are trying to assist him.
Self-Advocacy & Self-Management
Self-Advocacy
John has problems with saying how he thinks and feels at times. He needs to learn skills on how to speak up for things they believe in (such as with an IEP goal etc), and take responsiblity for their own actions/life (and not tell untruths such as turning off a video camera/walking away from work).
Self-Management
John has stress related problems which affects his academics and interactions with others. He also has time-management roadblocks such as appearing late on Microsoft Teams video chat sessions and/or appearing in a chat session of a different class. Finally, he needs skills in turning in his homework on time/or at all.
Gross/Fine Motor Skills
John's gross/fine motor development is constantly improving but he is receiving OT services. Mother reports that he struggles with gross motor issues and motor planning at home. She reported that his legibility has improved this year overall, but that he still has difficulty with letter formation, letter and word spacing on a page, and baseline placement. She reported that he has difficulty near point and far point copying sentences and requires constant prompting to copy sentences.
Behavior
Classroom-Behavior
John's classroom behavior at times affect his academics. He will, at times, make disruptive behaviors such as blowing on an empty water bottle, tapping pencils and making verbal noises despite being asked repeatedly to stop. At other times, he is on task and will do what is asked of him. He is inconsistent in his behaviors and the effort that he will make on a given day.
Online-Classroom Behavior
John's participation online is affected by his behavior. John will occasionally turn off his Microsoft Teams (video chat) camera during the lessons and it may take several re-directs to get him back on the video chat. John will occasionally interrupt the teacher by talking over the team and/or not follow instructions. John will also wander around to other video-team chats (i.e., walk into a 3rd grade video channel and distrupt the class with goofy sounds and comments).
IEP Support
Parent Involvement
Parent does not seem invested with the IEP- it is hard to gain support, she tends to be unavailable for feedback and misses her IEP meetings which affects John's academic and IEP goal progress.
Student Involvement
Student does not understand what his IEP goals are, and his motivation for his goals is low as a result of this. John is intrigued about the IEP process. I get the sense he wants to be involved in his IEP, but does not know how.
Vocational
John needs to start and complete a task from beginning to completion. John wants to be a basketball player but his fine/gross motor skills are roadblocks.
Project Questions:
How did you discover those roadblocks?
The roadblocks were discovered through my online interactions with John. I would ask explicitly what his needs are, use a standard student interest survey (See the survey here) or gather information from his mother or general education teacher. After that, I referred to the class textbooks or referred to online web sites (such as IRIS modules).
What are the short-term roadblocks they will need to overcome?
Gross/fine motor skills- these are goals which can be overcome rather quickly; IEP support goals.
What are the long-term roadblocks they will need to overcome?
Behavior- Managing and improving behavior will exist for his entire life; Self-advocacy & Management ; Vocational- Completing tasks is a major hurdle that he needs to accomplish and it may be for his entire life.
Bridges
There are several bridges for each of the roadblocks discovered with John.
Socio-Emotional & Interactions
Socio-Emotional
- Use 'circle of courage.' Bauer & Shea (2012) points out that the circle of courage focuses on reclaiming the spirit by developing therapeutic classroom environments. This will be non-competitive and socially connected learning environment where students can work as contributing team members.
- Nurture a culture of kindness
- Provide mindfulness breathing techniques to use as a coping mechanism.
- Use story time for teachable moments.
- Celebrate individual talents and skills.
Interaction
- Work with a peer-helper
- Give them positive new words to use with others.
- Teach John how to work in a group.
- Assign John as a team captain so that he can develop his own peer team.
Self-Advocacy & Self-Management
Self-Advocacy
- Set up a meeting with the Center for Independent Living at Fontana USD to help determine/manage self-Advocacy skills (offers mentoring programs and support groups)
- Talk with peers about what his strengths and weaknesses could be.
- Take over a section of the IEP to manage and report to the IEP meeting
- Express Yourself Clearly.
- Gather Support.
- Take the lead in classroom discussions.
- Be Firm and Persistent.
- Participate in Regional Centers and Department of Rehabilitation
Self-Management
- Provide the student with a daily check-in list that helps prioritize the things he needs to do.
- Use a check list to submit assignments on time.
- Email the teacher and/or use the chat forum to ask questions/concerns.
- John uses or refers to a signalling device (bell, digital clock) to transition from one activity to the other in the classroom.
Gross/Fine Motor Skills
- Have John participate with assignments that use pencil skills (scribbling, colouring, drawing, writing) and scissors skills (cutting).
- Work on letter formation by "building" letters with a color-cided ketter building activity and a Fundanoodle letter kit
- Practice self-care including. dressing – tying shoelaces, doling up sandals, zips, buttons, belts.
- Participate in Martial Arts and/or basketball classes/teams.
- Participate with Department of Rehabilitation
Behavior
Classroom-Behavior
- Teacher and John develop positive rapport.
- Teacher develops, promotes and practices (weekly) the social norm-rules of the classroom.
- Teacher provides specific/explicit positive praise to desired behavior outcomes.
- Teacher uses a token board while conducting activities and/or practicing social norm exercises in which tokens are awarded for appropriate behavior.
- Teacher offers support and belief in John.
- Teacher models ideal behavior
- Let John help establish guideline.
Online-Classroom Behavior
All of the above plus:
- Teacher verbally acknowledges when John enters the classroom on time (and the right class).
- Teacher allows John to be the online helper for the week when he promotes desired behavior.
- John uses the "raise-hand icon" on Microsoft Teams and the teacher says aloud "Good job raising your hand!"
IEP Support
Parent Involvement
- School district offers parent conferencing options to help the parent invest in the IEP process.
- School district offers IEP goal monitoring and parent rights courses.
- Parent designates a go-to person for any IEP questions/concerns.
Student Involvement (Student-Centered Transition Planning):
- John has reoccurring conferences with the special education teacher on the progress of his goals.
- IEP Team gives John an equal voice during the meeting/he participates in the meeting.
- John uses assessment information to develop his own goals.
- John takes over a portion of the IEP (develops leadership skills), and reports its findings in the IEP team meeting.
Vocational
- Setup a meeting with a vocational rehabilitation couciler to help John pin-point on opportunities for postsecondary education; provides workplace readiness training; conducts interest inventories to Interagency Collaboration.
- John participates in a student-career/interest survey.
- John partiicpates in a transition assessment matrix: SEE THIS LIST
- Participate with Department of Rehabilitation
- John inquires at the Community College Vocational Program in his region.
- John requests for tours at Community College Programs in his region.
Project Questions:
What interventions work with your student?
So far, the interventions which work well with my student are developing positive rapport, use story time for teachable moments, celebrate individual talents and skills, providing lessons which promote expressing oneself clearly and take lead in classroom discussions and using immediate positive reinforcement techniques (i.e., Token board, praises).
Outcomes
There are several short-term and long-term outcomes to support John's achievement.
Short-Term Outcomes
Class Participation
Participation will increase in the classroom (shows up to most of the meetings, be visually present and provide feedback).
Gross/Fine Motor Skills
Letter formation, letter and word spacing will improve; Using the computer to develop sentences.
Long-Term Outcomes
IEP Support
John will take on a more leadership role in the IEP process which will also help boost his self-advocacy and management skills.
Self-Advocacy/Self-Management
Being capable of expressing himself clearly, asking for help as needed, be firm and persistent, and to know where to go for support from regional centers and independent living.
Behavior
Know how to behave properly in-front of others (i.e., positive interaction with adults, do what is asked of him/following instructions, refrain from outbursts and using negative wording). Academics will improve and he will be able to properly integrate himself into a conversation with adults/peers.
References:
Bauer, A. M., & Shea, T. M. (2012). Behavior management: a pratical approach for educators (10 ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education.