Case study for Introduction to Exceptionalities and Paper

Name: Christina Martin Case study-emphasis on strengths-complete case study problem solving document, assessment collection, and plans for appropriate intervention on a student you have been working with this semester. Write a 1-2 page reaction and reflection on the process. Sharing presentation and discussion will be part of final. Problem solving document and rubric on Bb-course documents. 200 points

Case Studies Problem Solving to Help Build Resilience Name of student: Zachary

A. Students Strengths (be as specific as possible)

1. Zachary can memorize anything presented to him easily and quickly.

2. Zachary can recall information, images and memories with little trying.

3. Zachary has such a good long term memory that if he read something a year ago or longer he can recall it verbatim.

4. Zachary is a perfectionist and when he attempts something he tried very hard to complete it perfectly.

5. Zachary is brutally honest and will not know how to lie or be hateful. 6. The students in the class look up to him because he is so knowledgeable about things they enjoy, such as sharks or dinosaurs.

B. Areas of concern/risk/need (be as specific as possible) Zachary has Autism. Zachary has an issue with using pencils; the sound of the pencil writing on the paper triggers an emotional reaction. Zachary has a hard time staying on task with the class because he would rather be drawing with markers. Zacharys memory is a good thing but it also hinders his interaction with other children because he doesnt let them respond. Zachary will have meltdowns if he doesnt know an answer or if he isnt agreed with and the teacher goes ahead. If he refuses to do his work consequences are a trigger to a meltdown. Zachary doesnt enjoy reading in partners and tried everything to avoid this situation. Zacharys social skills are lacking and he doesnt have conversations with other students.

C. Realistic encouragement and positive feedback that could be offered to this youngster: Encouraging peer interaction is the best encouragement. His classmates offer Zachary positive feedback if he is on task and working well with the class. This class was the most supportive I have seen towards their peers with Autism. When partner reading Zacharys partners were so patient and after he read they praised him and the teacher acknowledge his participation.

D. What problem areas in their life might this student be able to have some control over? It is hard for a child to have control over many problem areas but I think some problem areas he may have control over are how he reacts to certain triggers. He can learn alternative behaviors besides having a meltdown; he can take a walk, ask for a break, and doodle on his paper.

E. What might be some realistic expectations/goals we could help this child explore that could negate some of the problems they are experiencing? I think a realistic goal would be to realize his own triggers and learn to avoid them or learn to cope with them without having a bad response to the situation. 1. When Zachary feels overwhelmed he will ask the teacher if he could take a walk to the water fountain to take a break from his surroundings 4 out of 5 times over the next 6 weeks. 2. If Zachery is having a hard time wanting to read with a partner he may ask the partner to go first as long as he takes the next turn.

F. How might this young person be able to make genuine contributions to their classroom/school, home, and/or community that could foster meaningful involvement and responsibility? The teacher gave the students quarterly projects that the students can chose. They were allowed to pick any topic that interested them and they had to do a presentation to the class. Zachary was very confident in his knowledge when speaking to the class and was able to answer all questions. He was very comfortable in this situation and I think allowing him to share his wealth of knowledge he will make great contributions to

his classroom and be a more active part of society because he will be able to speak in front of groups of people.

G. Caring Adults available: Zachary had a lot of caring adults around him. His mother was very involved in school and it was said that Zachary was never more comfortable in school than he was this year. They were moving but his mother was leaving him in this school because she knew he was thriving and was accepted by his peers and was becoming an outgoing little boy. He had his special education teacher, his classroom teacher, and his para.

H. How do caring adults understand student situation? The caring adults are learning his triggers and try to refocus him if they see that he is starting to shut down, they know removing him from the situation or the environment will calm him and he can regain composure to rejoin the classroom.

I. MTSS-Multi-Tiered System of Supports: What school personnel, groups, organizations, programs may be beneficial for this student? Programs such as teacher collaboration would be beneficial for Zachary. The classroom teacher should relay information to the special education teacher to pinpoint not just that he is in need of assistance but what assistance can be used to help him achieve his goals. Having Zachary do social stories with his classmates will help him learn how to communicate with his teachers about what is bothering him.

J. What community organizations/groups could be of benefit to this student? Through the school- I think being a part of Student Council and all the activities that they participate in will allow Zachary to come out of his shyness. He would be able to experience conversations about the school store, special activities and he could focus his energy on something positive that he can look forward to doing.

Through home- His mother can work on preparing Zachary to learn what may trigger his anxiety and encourage him to think about his reactions before they get out of control. She can do this online as well with some programs that he can relate to, or watching videos of certain scenarios that he can watch in order to know how to handle certain situations.

In the community- His mother can bring him to the local library and allow him to read aloud to get used to doing it in the classroom. The library usually has incentives if a child reads so many books they may get a t-shirt, Zachary may get the incentives if he reads with his mother or a partner.

K. Recommended supports/interventions: 1. Zachary will be pulled from the classroom to the special education room to work on his social interactions. 2. He will also work on his communications skills. 3. Zachary will be taught social stories and learn how to be in the situation himself and be taught the proper response to certain situations through acting it out. L. How will student responsiveness be monitored? Zacharys responsiveness will be monitored by observation. The teachers will be able to tell if his behaviors are improving by just watching and seeing his reaction to certain stimuli. I will also use a portfolio to keep track of his daily behaviors so that I can look back and see if there is improvement.

M. Other thoughts/comments: Zachary is such a smart child with so much potential, once he overcomes his social anxiety he will be a great success in life.

Reflection Paper is attached to this case study on next page.

Christina Martin- Reflection on Case Study When I first stepped into Mrs. Henrys classroom to observe Zachary I would not have been able to point out which child he was. As I looked around there was a child named Jaxon who was clearly Autistic, he was outspoken and angry and did not want to be told what to do. His para was following him around trying to get him to focus. As I looked around more carefully I noticed a little boy quiet as can be in a teachers rolling chair. He was sitting with the rest of his table and he was doing his Math page almost undetectable. I continued to watch him and noticed he was using a pen instead of a pencil like the rest of the children. I was curious to see why he was using a pen so I asked the teacher if he was allowed to use pens and she said that he was because the noise of the pencil on the paper triggers his anxiety. This was a real aha moment for me because I never realized that something as simple as the pencil writing on paper could trigger a negative reaction from a child. There is so much I need to learn about Autism and I think observing Zachary made me realize children with Autism have so many different characteristics, and in order to help them you need to know them on a personal level. The students around him didnt seem to mind that he was using a pen or sitting in a different chair and he went on with his work being included in the class. I also asked about him sitting in the teachers chair and the teacher said it helped him to stay seated. She told me when Zachary is in a regular school chair he fidgets and wiggles around because he is uncomfortable and she allows him to sit in the teacher chair if he is doing his work so he can focus on the work and not the chair. These are simple things that were implemented for Zachary so that he could focus less on what causes him to be anxious and focus more on academics. That same day the class was doing presentations that the teacher assigned at the beginning of the year for them to do every few weeks. One child went up and did a

demonstration of Karate and the class all did some moves with him. The child had a chart and pictures and the class enjoyed it. Next came Zachary, he had nothing written down but seemed confident as can be. I thought it was strange he had nothing written down and thought he was not prepared to present to the class but boy was I incorrect. Zachary told every known fact about dinosaurs, he knew everything by heart. The teacher allowed him to do his presentation without anything written because she knew writing it down would stress him out and having him just speak to the class was more comfortable for him. The class asked many questions and he answered them all, never hesitating. His class was in awe of him and they cheered him on. It was quite a sight. The teacher was so impressed but it was hard to get the presentation to end. Zachary would go on and on with all the facts and material he memorized for this presentation. I have found so many similar ideas in my observations that were in the textbook and it made me understand why certain procedures and instructions were done. After Zacharys presentation he was pulled to the special education room where ironically the teacher was trying to get the children to have conversations with each other. There was Zachary and Jaxon and a few other children. Her main focus at this time was to get Zachary to have eye contact with his peers and allow them a chance to talk. Zachary had a tendency to go off on tangents and not allow the other children to speak, or if they spoke he didnt really listen. The teacher had a paper with pictures on it and the child got a sticker if they had eye contact and was asking the other a question and then replying to the question. This was very difficult for Zachary and he had a hard time sharing the conversation. The other students were so patient and the teacher told me it was a work in progress. Observing Zachary made me realize that even the little things may be too much for a child with Autism. As a teacher I need to learn to focus on the strengths of the child and not on

the weaknesses because they can be corrected. I think so many teachers are so inflexible and it causes more turmoil for the classroom and the student, when in reality it doesnt take much to make a peaceful learning environment that is comfortable for all students to learn as did Zacharys classroom teacher. She made exceptions for him and the rest of the class understood why and that was so important. I think Zachary will be a successful member of society because his teachers know what he needs to work on and he is so accepted by his peers. He will make a good presenter or teacher in the future and I cannot see how he impacts the world around him.