School-Age Individualized Education Program (IEP) - Case Study Example

School-Age Individualized Education Program (IEP) Stephanie Winham Birth: 03.07. 2000 Age: 10 years old Disability ification: Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Current Instructional Grade/Grade Equivalent: fourth Present Levels of Educational Performance (PLEP): Reading While Stephanie performs well on short reading comprehension tasks, she finds it hard to concentrate on longer texts. In silent reading time she often distracts other children as she is very noisy and talkative. Thus, she has difficulties with post-reading comprehension questions, such as identifying the author’s main idea and purpose or locating information to support opinions, predictions, and conclusions. In post-reading discussion, Stephanie often changes the topic and she gets irritated if the teacher and other children don’t follow her. Due to her lack of attention to the text, she has difficulties with the questions that require reflection on the material read: determining the problem of the story, discovering its solution, and considering alternative solutions, or discussing the characters’ actions and motives. Mathematics Following the introduction of more complex mathematics problems, such as addition and subtraction of common fractions and decimals, long division, and the extension of mathematical operations to larger numbers, Stephanie’s performance has significantly worsened. As 26 percent of ADHD students (Lougy, DeRuvo & Rosenthal, 2009), Stephanie has a math disability due to weaknesses in her working memory and poor executive functioning. The latter one impedes Stephanie from performing correctly activities that require identifying the step-by-step process necessary to solve mathematical problems. Furthermore, due to her problems with spatial organization, Stephanie has difficulties in solving complex problems on a small piece of paper. When faced with a great number of mathematical tasks that require the step-by-step process on the paper, complex mathematical operations, and neatness for accuracy, she feels unmotivated and refuses to do the task. Moreover, she finds it hard to pay attention to a complex task and, thus, she rarely completes mathematical problems. Due to her frequent failures, Stephanie feels anxious about Mathematics and develops a negative attitude towards this subject. Written expression Stephanie, as many children with ADHD, has poor writing skills as due to her poor executive functioning she finds it hard to organize her thoughts in a sequential manner (Lougy, DeRuvo, & Rosenthal, 2007). Thus, her compositions often lack cohesion and coherence. When given a sheet of paper, she starts writing without listening to the teacher’s instruction to the end, which results in frequent mistakes in her work. Due to her lack of attention, Stephanie misunderstands the instruction and does not stick to the topic. As she writes down her ideas before thinking them through, she needs to erase and rewrite her lines several times, which leaves her work messy and illegible. Moreover, Stephanie’s difficulties with organizing her work in time do not allow her to finish her compositions on time. As she often stops writing to sharpen her pencil, go for another sheet of paper, or talk to her classmates, she distracts herself from the task. All these factors result in a poor writing performance. Classroom behavior Stephanie is a strong average student, but she is often distracted and inattentive to the teacher’s instruction. When the teacher explains how to perform the tasks, she frequently interrupts the teacher or talks with other children. She seems not to listen when being directly spoken to and she impulsively calls out the answers to the questions that have not been finished. Her lack of attention to the instruction and the details of the activity as well as careless work lead to several mistakes in her exercises and, consequently, to poor academic results. As many children with ADHD, Stephanie finds it hard to concentrate on a complex task and does not finish activities which require a longer span of attention (Henderson, Special Education Programs (U.S.), American Institutes for Research, 2004). Thus, she performs best on short-term, kinesthetic projects, which can be finished in the classroom under the teacher’s supervision. In contrast, she has difficulties with long-term, multidisciplinary projects, which require systematic, independent work. When working on an exam that contains several tasks, Stephanie has difficulties organizing her tasks within an allotted time frame and shifts from one unfinished activity to another. Such attitude is typical of children with ADHD, who often have problems with organizing their activities (Henderson, Special Education Programs (U.S.), 2003). Thus, she Stephanie does not always do homework, she loses school assignments and, due to her problems with spatial organization and motor skills, her workbooks entries are messy and illegible. Communication abilities Stephanie is a lively and sociable girl, who enjoys interaction with other children. She loves playing with her classmates at recess and makes new friends easily, but she finds it hard to keep them. Due to her impulsive nature and difficulties in controlling her emotions she gets angry easily. When playing, she does not wait for her turn and she often interrupts the game in the middle, coming up with an idea of another activity. If other children ask her to wait for her turn or do not agree to change the game, she yells at and kicks them. Stephanie also gets easily distracted with games played by another children and leaves her activities as soon as she finds ones she likes better. However, as other children do not let her join an activity that has already started, such as organized ball games, she is often left alone and frustrated. Due to her violent and impulsive behaviors, other children find it hard to spend a longer time with her, they do not invite her to parties and to participate in recess games or group activities in the classroom. As Stephanie often kicks and pushes other children, she is often castigated by recess monitors. Thus, a recess becomes a hard time for her, other children and the staff. Stephanie likes talking and sharing her thoughts with other children, but cannot listen to others and take turns in the conversation. When somebody talks about a topic that interests her, she tends to interrupt them and talk, without asking for permission. If other children want to finish what they have begun to say, Stephanie gets angry and yells at her interlocutors. Thus, other children do not let her join their conversations, which makes her upset and miserable. Learning style Stephanie is a kinesthetic learner: she learns best by physically doing something, rather than reading or hearing about it. Thus, she enjoys all activities that involve making things: painting, drawing, coloring, model making, sewing, and all other kinds of arts & crafts tasks. She willingly takes parts in hands-on experiments, role-playing, and scavenger hunts. She performs best on short, kinesthetic projects that involve a short span of attention and are supervised by the teacher. Stephanie also enjoys tasks that involve doing several activities simultaneously: memorizing facts while rope jumping, walking while listening or reciting, or listening to audio books when working on arts & crafts projects. She also likes learning materials that provide multisensory stimulation, as educative CD-ROMs, videos, or internet-based activities, which include attractive design, music, and interaction. Measurable annual goals ANNUAL GOAL: Stephanie will be able to do Mathematics operations involving long division and to present step-by-step process for solving Mathematics problems. Objective 1: Stephanie will be able to do long division. the condition for learning The teacher will provide Stephanie will graph paper to help her organize columns when dividing and, thus, have more space to solve problems. She will perform fewer tasks than her classmates (Lougy et al., 2009). the learning behavior Stephanie will do long division on her own. the proficiency Stephanie will be able to do long division at a level judged as satisfactory by her teacher. Objective 2: Stephanie will be able to present step-by-step process for solving Maths problems. the condition for learning Stephanie will use graph paper to have more space and will have to present just one step-by-step process, being allowed to write just the answers for the rest (Lougy et al., 2009). the learning behavior Stephanie will present a step-by-step process in a neat and organized way. the proficiency Stephanie will present correctly a step-by-step process for one mathematical problem. ANNUAL GOAL Stephanie will be able to do post-reading comprehension activities, including the recognition of the author’s main idea, determine the problem of the story and discover solution. Objective 1: Given fourth grade reading material, Stephanie will be able to recognize the author’s main idea. the condition for learning Stephanie will be able to pause reading each five lines and talk with her teacher on issues unrelated to the text. She will listen to audio books and do crafts projects at the same time (Henderson et al., 2004). the learning behavior Stephanie will read the text without disrupting herself and interrupting other children. the proficiency Stephanie will be able to solve comprehension exercises and recognize the author’s main idea. Objective 2: Given fourth grade reading material, Stephanie will be able to determine the problem of the story and discover solution. the condition for learning When reading, Stephanie will make storyboards that illustrate the main sequences of the story. She will be paired with another student, who is strong reader; both of them take turns reading orally and listening to each other (Henderson et al., 2004). the learning behavior Stephanie will read the text, making pauses for illustrating the main sequences of the story. the proficiency Given fourth grade reading material, Stephanie will be able to determine accurately the problem of the story and discover solution. ANNUAL GOAL Stephanie will learn to wait for her turn when playing games and talking with other children. Objective for learning Stephanie will wait for her turn when playing with other children at recess. the condition for learning When playing at recess, Stephanie will receive from monitors red cards each time she behaves inappropriately and green cards each time she respects other children’s turns. While 3 red cards forbid her to play at recess during one day, three green cards allow her to take care of the class pet. learning behavior Stephanie will wait for her turn without pushing and kicking other children. the proficiency Stephanie will participate in various games and activities, waiting for her turn. Objective for learning Stephanie will participate in classroom discussions and conversations without interrupting others. The condition for learning When other child is speaking and Stephanie comes up with an idea, she should mentally count to five to calm down and wait patiently for her turn in conversation. In a classroom discussion, the teacher should give Stephanie a sign with his/her hand each time she interrupts somebody. Learning behavior Stephanie will participate in conversations, waiting patiently for her turn. The proficiency Stephanie will learn to manage her behavior to participate in discussions and conversations without interrupting others. Observation checklist for the recess monitor : Stephanie waits for her turn in games and activities. Fill in: always/often/occasionally/sometimes/rarely/never. 1) Does Stephanie ask her children if she can participate in the game? 2) Does Stephanie yells at/pushes other children so that they finish their turn more quickly? How often? 3) Does Stephanie take her turn without permission? How often? 4) How does she react if other children do not allow her to take her turn? Is she aggressive? 5) Does Stephanie finish an activity in which she is not allowed to take turns without taking for others? 6) Other remarks: Parent report form: Stephanie’s proficiency when playing with other children at recess (to fill in by recess monitors) This month, Stephanie has participated in various games at recess, such as ………………………………………………………….. . She always/often/occasionally/rarely/never ask the children if she can participate in the game. She always/often/occasionally/rarely/never yells at other children so that they finish their turn more quickly and she always/often/occasionally/rarely/never takes her turn without permission. When other children refuse her to take her turn, she usually …………………………… After that, she usually continues to play/stops the game. The number of red cards: The number of green cards: Other remarks: The service delivery model with Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) rationale. While Stephanie is provided with supplementary aids and services to achieve her educational goals and objectives, she can participate in all activities with her non-disabled peers in a regular classroom. As she is a strong average student, she can benefit significantly when working in a regular classroom setting provided that she gets help with her attention problems. If the teacher provides Stephanie with assistive learning tools she needs and proposes learning techniques that help her to focus her attention on the task, Stephanie can obtain satisfactory academic results in a regular classroom. At the same time, when supervised to control her impulsive behavior, Stephanie does not disturb her classmates. Thus, her presence in the classroom does not affect the quality of instruction and learning environment for other students. Accommodations/modifications: related services, technology/assistive devices, standardized testing modifications. General instruction issues: A variety of stimulating audiovisual and assistive technology, such as computer and project screens, will be used in the classroom to help students center their attention on the projects (Henderson et al., 2004). Stephanie will be allowed more time to complete quizzes and tests and will be provided with informal methods of assignment, such as classroom observation as well as board games and funny quizzes concerning the material studied. Work for Stephanie will be divided into smaller units; for example, instead of 10 Mathematical problems on one page, she is presented just with 5; as she finishes them, the teacher gives her another sheet of paper with remaining 5 problems (Henderson et al., 2004). Stephanie will be informed at the beginning of a timed test, 10 and 5 minutes how much time she is left, and advised by the teacher which part of the work she should be working on in a specific time frame. Reading Audio books will be frequently used in the classroom. When working on reading comprehension activities, Stephanie will be paired with a student who is a strong reader; they will take turns to read aloud and listen to each other. After the class, Stephanie will assist with other children with reading disabilities in supplementary reading activities. When reading a text, Stephanie will be accompanied by the teacher assistant. She is allowed to make pauses each few lines and talk to the teacher assistant about the topics unrelated to the reading text. Mathematics: Stephanie will be provided with graph paper to have more space to work on her tasks. Stephanie will have to solve fewer Mathematics problems than her peers. Stephanie will be provided with concrete, real-life examples of word problems ((Henderson et al., 2004). Writing: Stephanie can practice neat handwriting with special paper containing vertical lines so that she can learn to space letters and words on a page. She will be able to complete her writing assignments after the class, in a one-to-one teacher-student setting, without being restricted by a time frame. Stephanie will be able to proofread her compositions before turning them in and will be provided with a list of items to check when proofreading. References: Henderson, K., Special Education Programs (U.S.) (2003). Identifying and Treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Resource for School and Home. Washington, D.C: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Office of Special Education Programs. Henderson, K., Special Education Programs (U.S.), American Institutes for Research. (2004). Teaching Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Instructional Strategies and Practices. Washington, D.C. : U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Office of Special Education Programs. Lougy, R., Deruvo, S., & Rosenthal, D. (2007). Teaching young children with ADHD: successful strategies and practical interventions. London: SAGE Ltd. Lougy, R., DeRuvo, S., & Rosenthal, D. (2009). The school counselor’s guide to ADHD: what to know and do to help your students. London: SAGE Ltd. Read More