Students with Learning Disabilities/Difficulties
Scenario
Amy Part 2:
“(Teacher speaking to Amy) Oh no, you have Sam! Poor Sam! You know he has Aspergers don’t you? You do know how to handle children with this syndrome don’t you?... Sam’s mother has been to the school and informed the Principal that she and Sam’s father had separated over the summer holidays and that Sam was not dealing with this new domestic arrangement. Apparently it was an acrimonious separation and there was a court order in place and Sam’s mother had full custody”
Amy Part 4:
“Sam’s social skills were deteriorating and his obsessive behaviours increasing”
“(Teacher speaking to Amy) Oh no, you have Sam! Poor Sam! You know he has Aspergers don’t you? You do know how to handle children with this syndrome don’t you?... Sam’s mother has been to the school and informed the Principal that she and Sam’s father had separated over the summer holidays and that Sam was not dealing with this new domestic arrangement. Apparently it was an acrimonious separation and there was a court order in place and Sam’s mother had full custody”
Amy Part 4:
“Sam’s social skills were deteriorating and his obsessive behaviours increasing”
Addressing Sam’s Needs
Amy, like many teachers, experience difficulties in catering for a student or students with Aspergers or Autism. In addition to catering for the learning needs of ‘Sam’, Amy will need to also address the emotional and environmental factors that will be currently impacting Sam. Due to a Sam’s disrupted home environment, he is displaying an increase in obsessive behaviours, and deterioration in his social skills. To specifically address the social, learning and physiological needs of this child, there are a few solutions that will significantly assist Sam and his teacher, Amy.
Firstly, a disruptive and broken home would have significant impacts on any child or adult with or without a disability. This has significant consequences impacting the child’s ability to participate within the class and learn effectively. The first recommendation is to establish a good communication system with Sam’s mother, who has full custody. Good and clear communication will be able to provide the Amy with background knowledge and detail about the Sam’s emotional and behavioural state within their home environment, which has a strong likelihood of recurring within the classroom. Communication tools, such as a communication book, are a great method for the parent and teacher to make notes or write reflections about the day’s events and behaviours.
Secondly, due to the significant changes to the Sam’s routine, this will often become the antecedent to disruptive behaviour or class distraction. Children with ASDs, Aspergers, learning difficulties or behaviours benefit significantly from routines and visuals (McLaughlin & Wehman, 1992). As the teacher, Amy will need to set up a timetable resource for the class outlining the activities and subjects throughout the day, as well as an individual timetable specifically for Sam. From using resources such as Board Maker, teachers can make up a visual timetable clearly displaying the sequence of events, routines and possible changes.
The third recommendation to specifically address the behaviours leading from the Sam’s home circumstances, is to provide the child with a quiet space within the classroom and replacement behaviour to address his obsessive behaviours. Through a dedicated quiet space, Sam will have the opportunity to practice self-regulatory behaviours through the assistance of sensory aides and technological Apps such as Calm Counter. This opportunity to come down from a heightened emotional state will allow the child to return to his learning activities when he is ready (Anderson, Klassen, & Georgiou, 2007).
To teach and support the development of Sam’s social skills, Amy can create social stories individualised for Sam, outlining appropriate social interactions and behaviour within the various school environments. This can be supported the technological Apps such as: iCommunicate, which is a technological and interactive version of creating social stories; iBoundaries discusses the appropriate social boundaries and behaviours for a child and roles of different individuals; and Vola Friends assists children with Autism learn to identify social cues and emotions. In addition to developing Sam’s social skills within the classroom, the teacher should provide incentives and encourage participation in activities. It is recommended to pair Sam with a fellow student who has the temperament, patience and understanding to support Sam in a friend context.
Firstly, a disruptive and broken home would have significant impacts on any child or adult with or without a disability. This has significant consequences impacting the child’s ability to participate within the class and learn effectively. The first recommendation is to establish a good communication system with Sam’s mother, who has full custody. Good and clear communication will be able to provide the Amy with background knowledge and detail about the Sam’s emotional and behavioural state within their home environment, which has a strong likelihood of recurring within the classroom. Communication tools, such as a communication book, are a great method for the parent and teacher to make notes or write reflections about the day’s events and behaviours.
Secondly, due to the significant changes to the Sam’s routine, this will often become the antecedent to disruptive behaviour or class distraction. Children with ASDs, Aspergers, learning difficulties or behaviours benefit significantly from routines and visuals (McLaughlin & Wehman, 1992). As the teacher, Amy will need to set up a timetable resource for the class outlining the activities and subjects throughout the day, as well as an individual timetable specifically for Sam. From using resources such as Board Maker, teachers can make up a visual timetable clearly displaying the sequence of events, routines and possible changes.
The third recommendation to specifically address the behaviours leading from the Sam’s home circumstances, is to provide the child with a quiet space within the classroom and replacement behaviour to address his obsessive behaviours. Through a dedicated quiet space, Sam will have the opportunity to practice self-regulatory behaviours through the assistance of sensory aides and technological Apps such as Calm Counter. This opportunity to come down from a heightened emotional state will allow the child to return to his learning activities when he is ready (Anderson, Klassen, & Georgiou, 2007).
To teach and support the development of Sam’s social skills, Amy can create social stories individualised for Sam, outlining appropriate social interactions and behaviour within the various school environments. This can be supported the technological Apps such as: iCommunicate, which is a technological and interactive version of creating social stories; iBoundaries discusses the appropriate social boundaries and behaviours for a child and roles of different individuals; and Vola Friends assists children with Autism learn to identify social cues and emotions. In addition to developing Sam’s social skills within the classroom, the teacher should provide incentives and encourage participation in activities. It is recommended to pair Sam with a fellow student who has the temperament, patience and understanding to support Sam in a friend context.
Catering for the learning need within the classroom
The role of all the teachers is to create a learning environment where all students are welcomed as a valued member, contributor, and accepted as part of the class. To accommodate students, teachers need to adjust their pedagogical style by tailoring the type of instruction to meet the cognitive, physical and social demands of learning to the current ability level of each student and their daily performance. This is achieved by differentiating material, levels of instructional support to meet individual requirements constructed from the work samples and observational data of the student (Dempsey & Arthur-Kelly, 2007). Teachers need to consider the learning approach necessary, look to implement an Individual Education Plan and if necessary a Functional Behavioural Assessment.
Learning Approach
Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Aspergers have learning and social requirements, in which need to be strongly considered and catered for by the classroom teacher. As stated by Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect) (2011), due to the nature of ASDs, a ‘one size fits all approach’ is not suitable or realistic in catering and addressing the individual needs of the child. Aspect recommends within the Aspect Comprehensive Approach for Education (ACAE) document, teachers’ pedagogical beliefs should aim to develop: student’s ability to participate in education and the wider community, maximize the individual learning capacity and adaptive functioning; as well as developing students’ self-regulatory abilities, behaviours and independence (Aspect, 2011). Learning takes place within multifaceted environments, including the school, home and community. It is important to consider the environments and circumstances that would impact on students’ ability to learn to their full potential and may act as an antecedent for further behaviour. Communication between family members and caretakers is vital to providing the teacher with the full knowledge to truly understand and relate to students’ behaviour and emotions on a daily basis.
Implementing Individual Education Plan
Where appropriate, teachers who teach students with learning difficulties or disabilities should look to implement an Individualised Education Plan (IEP) into their programming, to effectively address the multifaceted needs of the student. IEPs are a multidisciplinary, team established plan required for each child who undertakes a special education within Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (Ruble, McGrew, Dalrymple & Jung, 2010). The IEP is an individualised educational map for children with disabilities. Ruble et al. (2010) state that the IEP is required to include the following components: the child’s current ability level; realistic and measurable annual goals; how the child’s progress with be measured and monitored; special education, services and aids provided; individual program adjustments; the degree of integration and participation in nondisabled settings; and lastly the individual accommodations essential to measuring academic achievement and functional performance on assessments (Ruble et al. 2010).
The IEPs are used to identify up to four areas of academic, social, behavioural and self-help, which a child with a disability needs to improve within. Achievable goals are made annually and are designed to meet not only the needs of the child and their family but also address the educational needs of the child. Through setting these goals within the curriculum, it significantly assists the student to become more independent and capable, and developing the skills to function within many contexts (Ruble, et al. 2010).
The IEPs are used to identify up to four areas of academic, social, behavioural and self-help, which a child with a disability needs to improve within. Achievable goals are made annually and are designed to meet not only the needs of the child and their family but also address the educational needs of the child. Through setting these goals within the curriculum, it significantly assists the student to become more independent and capable, and developing the skills to function within many contexts (Ruble, et al. 2010).
Functional Behavioural Assessment
IDEA Amendments of 1997 states that when a child’s behaviour impedes their learning and or the learning of others, or are consequently suspended for an extended period, then their IEP must attend to the problematic behaviour productively through conducting a Functional Behavioural Assessment (FBA) (Drasgow & Yell, 2001). The teachers and team conducting the IEP must respond to the problematic behaviour through incorporating strategies such as positive behaviour interventions and support in attempt to address behaviour. Implementing a FBA into a child’s IEP is a multifaceted process, which searches for explanations regarding the purpose of that child’s behaviour (Drasgow & Yell, 2001). Drasgow and Yell (2001) further state that the FBA is a process of gathering information regarding the factors that reliably predict and maintain problematic behaviour and establishing intervention plans. These behavioural factors may refer to setting, antecedent and consequences of the behaviour (Drasgow & Yell, 2001). The FBA essentially aims to understand the behaviour’s cause and purpose to find an effective solution to improve or eliminate the behaviour.
How does this relate to the National Professional Standards for Teachers?
Professional Knowledge
Standard 1: Know students and how they learn
Focus: Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students
Graduate 1.1.1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students and how these may affect learning
Focus: Understand how students learn
Graduate 1.2.1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of research into how students learn and the implications for teaching
Focus: Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities
Graduate 1.5.1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of strategies for differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities
Focus: Strategies to support full participation of students with disability
Graduate 1.6.1 Demonstrate broad knowledge and understanding of legislative requirements and teaching strategies that support participation and learning of students with disability
Focus: Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students
Graduate 1.1.1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students and how these may affect learning
Focus: Understand how students learn
Graduate 1.2.1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of research into how students learn and the implications for teaching
Focus: Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities
Graduate 1.5.1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of strategies for differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities
Focus: Strategies to support full participation of students with disability
Graduate 1.6.1 Demonstrate broad knowledge and understanding of legislative requirements and teaching strategies that support participation and learning of students with disability