Assessment Task 1: Discussion Paper Lara Perera S00138514

EDAC 225: Family Studies & Disabilities

Assessment Task 1: Discussion Paper [ Film or Family Case Study ]

(A) The Individual with a disability.

Brayden David is an 8 year old boy who was diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder
throughout his childhood by an audiologist. His parents are recently divorced as of their own personal
reasons; he has one older sister Delani who is aged 11. Both children are shared between the two
parents on a weekly basis.

Auditory Processing Disorder (APD), also known as Central Auditory Processing disorder (CAPD),
is a complex problem which is up to this day affecting more the 5% of school-aged children. It
basically means that children arent able to process the information they hear in the same way others
do as their ears and brain dont entirely coordinate with one another (Kids Health, 2013).
Individuals with APD often display poor concentration span, are easily distracted and may have
difficulty following instructions (Heine, 2004, pg. 9).
In Braydens situation he is unable to recognize the subtle differences between sounds in words, even
when the sounds are loud and clear enough to be heard.

Brayden was diagnosed with APD when he was in prep at age of 6 however he was not born with the
disorder it was acquired over time. Throughout kindergarten teachers started to notice small
developmental delays, this was at the age of 3, they noticed that he was falling behind and couldnt
keep up with certain set tasks. The impacts throughout Braydens time at primary school are much
different as he has been displaying the following behaviours which at times can become quite
disruptive to his learning and the learning of others. Brayden has difficulty with planning,
organising his thoughts, starting tasks, fine motor skills, phonological skills, sitting still for a period
time and taking turns as it always has to be immediate attention.

Brayden is still able to show outstanding social skills, as he has plenty of friends and an outgoing
personality which is one of his key strengths. Brayden loves outdoor activities his interests are playing
outdoor sports, riding his bike and especially dismantling and rebuilding objects. Regardless of
Braydens impairment he is just like any other individual who is capable of many things in life and
with constant positive reinforcement from his family and friends he is capable to achieve almost
anything. Positive reinforcement is crucial and should take the form of verbal or tangible
reinforcement. Verbal reinforcement includes telling the child for example, good listening, well
done or good try, (Heine, 2004).

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Assessment Task 1: Discussion Paper Lara Perera S00138514

(B) The Family of an individual with a disability.

Brayden was diagnosed with APD at the age of 6 this was after undergoing testing, this was a very
hard time for both parents as the father, Dirk didnt know how to deal with it at first nor accept the
fact that his son could have a listening impairment. However the mother, Vanessa was much more
understanding and started to pick up on the symptoms a lot earlier. At the age of 3 Brayden had
symptoms that were common such as being distracted by loud sudden noises, especially throughout
kinder when the environment was too noisy he tends to always be unsettled.

Both Parents started to notice that Brayden would not respond when being called. In saying this
dynamics at home had to be changed to suit the needs of Brayden. When dealing with a child that has
a disability it is important that theyre treated just as equally to their siblings. In Braydens case the
family will have to deal with certain challenges such as becoming effective communicators, learning
to be more patient and calm when being around the child.

Braydens home style environment has changed to suit his needs, however this is not a bad thing as
theyre still able to do their daily tasks as a family, even though he is shared between his parents on a
weekly basis both go through set routines with him. For Brayden this might be difficult as changing
houses on weekly basis takes time to adjust into the different environments, this could cause Brayden
to feel stressed and uneasy at times.
There are a range of strategies that have to be applied at home to ease some of the problem behaviours
associated with APD. These strategies might include things like, maintaining a peaceful, organised life
style, encouraging good eating and sleeping habits and assigning regular and realistic chores around
the house.
Braydens parents have accepted that his symptoms and behaviours are not within his control. What
is within the childs control is recognizing the problems associated with APD and applying the
strategies recommended both at home and school (Kids Health, 2013).
Braydens older sister Delani, is a tremendous support as she watches over him and encourages him to
do activities around the house it is important that this relationship is maintained between the siblings
as Brayden does not want to feel excluded from his family and seen any different.

Children with APD will need time after school to relax, play and participate in activities that are not
frustrating and challenging. This is a good time for families to come together as they can get involved
with certain activities that are fun such as getting involved in sports, learning a musical instrument,
taking up dance, or trying any other nonschool activities (Hamaguchi, 2010).

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Assessment Task 1: Discussion Paper Lara Perera S00138514

(C) - Partnerships between families, teachers, and the wider community.

There are many different types of support that Brayden could take up on which will help him
through his disorder. Brayden will benefit from many intervention programs at school such as;
Small group intervention, Individual learning support, Reading recovery and Individual behaviour
support.

Glen Dunlap and Lise Fox discuss that it universally understands that the family context is the
dominant influence in the formation of a childs behavioural repertoire, and that parents, as part of
family systems, can both aggravate and lighten occurrences of challenging behaviour (Dunlap &
Fox, 2007). The reading recovery programme is a researched-based intervention with the main
foals of accelerating literacy learning and reducing reading and writing failure difficulties
(Curriculum Support, 2013). This programme will assist Brayden with his reading and
hopefully making him much more confident to read out a loud.

Braydens school teacher can make specific moderations during class time by gaining his
attention prior to speaking to him this would be the first step in ensuring active involvement in the
listening process. Not only Brayden but all students should be given the opportunity to have
regularly planned listening breaks, or periods of time during which listening is kept to a
minimum to avoid auditory fatigue (Bellis, 2003). Having additional support at school with the
area of literacy would be very beneficial for Brayden whenever this is possible. One to-one
teaching or small group work would assist Brayden to learn at his own pace. Brayden should be
given the opportunity to choose what books he likes to read so that he will enjoy them for
example; About bikes or cars, he should practise reading every night before bed time at home.

When Brayden is at home he should be encouraged to do some reading and writing to help him
with his speech development , he should always be spoken to slowly by using simple and short
sentences. If Brayden doesnt understand certain things his parents should encourage him to
repeat himself so he feels confident in doing so (Additude Mag, 2013).

It is important to have strong partnerships with teachers and families as they both work closely
together to assist the individual with his special needs. It is said that partnerships have been
established as positive influence on the education of childrens learning (Ludicke &
Kortman, 2012).

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Assessment Task 1: Discussion Paper Lara Perera S00138514

(D) Applications to professional values.

Families are considered systems because theyre made up of interrelated elements or objectives, they
exhibit coherent behaviours, they have regular interactions, and they are interdependent on one
another (Morgaine, 2001). In Braydens situation his parents are recently divorced however both
parents are adjusting to how they should deal with the APD in the best way possible. Both parents are
working together to find out what is best for their son, by interacting and going to regular information
sessions together. The more resources a family has available, or the more strengths a family system
can claim, the more effectively a family will be able to manage and cope with the challenges
presented by a childs challenging behaviours (Dunlap & Fox, 2007).

There are many values that might affect the partnerships between the families that have a child with a
disability as a professional early child hood teacher I wish to look out for what is best for my students
and to treat Brayden just as equally to the rest of his classmates, I would want to develop a stable
partnership with his parents so that they know to trust and respect all the decisions I make for his best
interests. By working collaboratively with both parents, such a relationship is characterised by
mutual understanding and respect, and the comfort and trust that come with a shared investment in a
common goal (Dunlap & Fox, 2007).
It is recommended that professionals work with families, as closely as possible; this is so we can look
for the best intervention programmes that are reasonable within family contexts and are successful in
promoting enhanced quality of life for the child and family alike.

From my professional experience at placement I have developed an understanding for children who
have a range of different disabilities. I have worked with these children one on one assisting them
with daily activities such as reading, writing and even outdoor activities. By working with children
who have disabilities it has shaped me as better educator to know how much we should appreciate
what we have around us, it is so important that as teachers we are good role models to our students as
they look up to us as primary care givers.

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Assessment Task 1: Discussion Paper Lara Perera S00138514

References

Additude Mag. (2013). Is it an auditory processing disorder (APD) or ADHD?.

Retrieved from http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/731-2.html

Bellis, T. J. (2003). Assessment and management of central auditory processing disorders is

the educational setting from science to practise. (2nd ed.). New York: Delmar,
Cengage Learning.

Curriculum Support. (2013). Reading recovery: A researched-based early intervention

program. Retrieved from
http://www.curriculumsuport.education.nsw.gov.au/earlyyears/reading-recovery/

Dunlap, G., & Fox, L. (2007). Parentprofessional partnerships: A valuable context for
addressing challenging behaviours. International Journal of Disability, Development
and Education, 54(3), 273-285. doi: 10.1080/10349120701488723

Hamaguchi, P. M. (2010). Childhood speech, language & listening problems: What

every parent should know. (3rd ed.). New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.

Heine, C. (2004). Listening now! an intervention program for children and adolescents with
(central) auditory processing disorder. Western Australia: Unicom Education.

Kids Health. (2013). Auditory processing disorder. Retrieved from

http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/ears/central_auditory.html

Ludicke, P., & Kortman, W. (n.d.). Tensions in home-school partnerships : the different

perspective of teachers and parents of students with learning barriers.

(2012). Australasian Journal of Special Education, 36(2), 155-171. doi:

10.1017/jse.2012.13

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Assessment Task 1: Discussion Paper Lara Perera S00138514

Morgaine, C. (2001). Family Systems Theory. Retrieved from

http://web.pdx.edu/~cbcm/CFS410U/FamilySystemsTheory.pdf

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