Inclusive Education

Assignment 2
Catherine Spear

#110171363
Introduction
The Australian Curriculum and Reporting Authority (ACARA, 2018) states that students with a disability
are entitled to the same rights as every other student. Disabled students should receive the same
educational and training as students without a disability ‘on the same basis’ (ACARA, 2018). ‘On the
same basis’ translates to disabled students having different opportunities and experiences to other
students but are still exposed to the same equitable opportunities and outcomes as other students.
This is done by using reasonable adjustments to learning inside and out of the classroom. A reasonable
adjustment is a measure taken to assist a student with a disability to participate alongside their
classmates with learning (ACARA, 2018). Hyde and Carpenter (2013) state that every student with a
hearing impairment can learn, however it is up to the teacher to accommodate their learning and
focus on student strengths, needs and diversify their personal approach to teaching.

Discussion
Definition and General Information

APD is a disability that effects the way words are processed and understood. The ‘disorder’ part of
APD means there is something affecting the processing or interpretation of information (NIDCD,
2006). Children with APD do not recognise subtle sounds between words. For example, the request
“Tell me how a chair and a couch are alike” is received by a child with APD as “tell me how a couch
and a chair are alike”. It can even be interpreted as “Tell me how a cow and a hair are alike”. Typically,
children with APD will struggle in environments that are noisy or when the child is interpreting
complex information (NIDCD, 2006). DeRoches (2017) defines APD as a language based disorder that
affects spoken and written language, thus affecting a persons learning process. People with APD often
find speech too fast, fragmented, and confusing. Its common that people with APD will process the
beginning and end of speech or a paragraph but will loose what’s mentioned throughout the middle.
Its also common for phonemes and speech sounds to be jumbled. As teachers, it is important to be
aware of any disabilities students in your class may have. This research is critical to alter teaching and
environmental styles accordingly to make it an inclusive environment for the student, but to
effectively enable learning as fast as possible.

Generally, the specific medical cause of APD is unknown (NIDCD, 2006). Medical professions believe
that APD is linked to illness, premature birth or low birthweight, head injury or genes (SPELD, 2018).
Often, APD can be associated with symptoms like dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, autism, specific
language impairment, pervasive developmental disorder or developmental delay (NIDCD, 2006).
People with APD don’t have any physical hearing loss to be determined by scale, as the disorder is
related to the processing of sounds rather than the receiving of sounds.
Morlet (2014) mentions these five problem areas for children with APD;

- Struggle to pay attention when there is a noisy surrounding,

- Difficulty remembering information such as directions, lists or materials,
- Difficulty discriminating between different sounds in different words,
- Auditory attention problems (the child not staying focused on instruction for long enough)
- Auditory cohesion problems (understanding more complex forms of text; drawing inferences
from conversations, understanding riddles and spoken maths problems).

SPELD (2018) suggests that other common signs of APD include short attention span, poor spelling,
reading and comprehending, behavioural problems, social difficulties and delayed language
development.

An American research organisation (ASLHA, 2017) gathered the following statistics relating to persons
diagnosed with APD;

- 2-7% of school aged children have APD

- Male to female ratio of 2:1
- 50% of children with dyslexia also have APD
- Most APD tests require a child to be at least 7 or 8 year old, so most children aren’t diagnosed
until older (Morlet, 2014).

Implications and modifications in the classroom and in general.

Some common implications children with APD face are;(Nixon, 2015). Making friends; APD often
makes it hard for children to understand conversations at the same rate as their peers, this leads too
a habit of not participating. Classroom humiliation; often students with APD will need a few seconds
longer than their peers to process information and questions before answering. To an unempathetic
classroom, this can lead to humiliation. Maths; sequencing is a learned skill and it is commonly delayed
in children with APD. Often in maths, APD students spend so much energy interpreting information
little time is left to analyse and manipulate it. Learning to read and reading comprehension; arguably
the biggest implication for children with APD as the disorder directly effects phonemic awareness,
which delays the students development in reading ability and eventually reading comprehension.
Often, children will develop their own system for learning to read (memorising what words look like
rather than using sound). Homework stress; as mentioned, children with APD struggle with memory
and text comprehension. These points in conjunction with the additional energy APD students have
to put into their learning can make homework a very difficult event (Nixon, 2015). Hyde and Carpenter
(2013) suggest that students who have any general form of hearing impairment become more
dependant on caregivers and teachers to provide the same opportunities to them as their peers.

For students who suffer from hearing loss in general, Hyde and Carpenter (2013) suggest some basic
principles to follow. These include all students with hearing impairments have the right to be educated
in regular classrooms, their education will be best fulfilled as a full time student at a constant school,
the major responsibilities for students with hearing impairments will lie with their regular teacher
rather than specialist teachers, regular teachers need to collaborate closely not only with the parent
of the child but also with specialists and therapists that work with the student in question (Westwood,
2003), and most importantly, the students involvement in school academic and social events need to
monitored and modified according to the child’s unique disability.

Hyde and Carpenter (2013) divide up their modifications into two categories; teaching modifications
and environmental accommodations. The following lists will draw from this and suggest a range of
modifications that can be used to enhance the learning experience of students with APD. Many
modifications were repeated across, the citations will demonstrate this.

Modifications/ accommodations to the environment

- Managing noise
o Background noise. It’s important to consider the subtle noises in your class that will
be a distraction to your student with APD. Noises like fans, loud projectors or air
conditioners can be troublesome (Hyde and Carpenter, 2013), (Westwood, 2003),
(Morlet, 2014)
o External noise from surrounding classrooms or even the surrounding community
(busy roads or noisy neighbouring classrooms) can increase discomfort and cause
stress (Hyde and Carpenter, 2013).
o Consider the amount of students in a room, the more students the more noisy the
room will tend to be (Hyde and Carpenter, 2013)
o Implementing a ‘school noise policy’ could be an effective way to manage noise within
the class, but also for the acoustic conditions of the classroom to be assessed (Hyde
and Carpenter, 2013).
- Teaching voice. It is important for the voice of the teacher to be heard clearly over chatter of
students for comfortable listening (Hyde and Carpenter, 2013), (Burnip 1994), (Morlet, 20014)
- Seat the student where they can see the teacher, board and classmates easily (Westwood,
2003), Morlet (2014) adds to this by suggesting having their back facing to the window.
 - Burnip (1994) mentions that whole class or large group activities can provide students with
abundant and explicit language experiences in which they can develop an awareness of
spoken language.

Modifications/ accommodations the teaching style

- Simply to work and instruct physically close to the child. This proximity enhances the volume
of the teachers voice to the student without having to shout (Hyde and Carpenter, 2013)
- Getting the class’s attention and waiting for quiet before giving instruction to minimalize
interference (Hyde and Carpenter, 2013), (Westwood, 2003)
o Westwood (2003) goes onto suggest even getting the child’s attention before the rest
of the class
- When giving instruction, ensure you are facing the class and not walking away from them wen
giving instruction (Westwood, 2003)
- Using visual aids as much as possible as they are easier to process (Hyde and Carpenter, 2013)
and (Westwood, 2003)
- If required by the student, become familiar with whatever implant or microphone system they
are using so be best aware how it will impact their learning (Hyde and Carpenter, 2013). The
student wont always tell you If a battery is running low (Westwood, 2003).
- Develop alternative techniques to communicate with the student while outdoors, this could
be giving them an assigned partner, using visuals to get student attention, moving outdoor
activities to enclosed spaces, ect (Morlet, 2014)
- Communicate with all students loudly, clearly, and not too fast. Be ready to rephrase and
repeat instructions patiently (Hyde and Carpenter, 2013) Don’t be afrsid to use new
terminology but teach it thoroughly (Westwood, 2003).
o (2003) even suggests to write any new terminology on the board, and ensure all
students (including APD ones) repeat and understand the terms
- Regularly check the child’s comprehension of tasks without attracting undue attention.
Alongside this, it is also important to build a relationship with the child that encourages
questions and familiarity (Hyde and Carpenter, 2013) and (Westwood, 2003)

Management Strategies

- When managing group work, make sure there is a routine in place that will allow chance for
all group members to have a say and listen (Hyde and Carpenter, 2013).
- Rotate the roll of ‘note taker’ between all students of the class, this role will include scribing
the important learning information from each lesson for future review by any student who
 needs it in class or online. Not only will this be subtly useful for APD children, but also children
who are absent from class or are struggling to grasp a concept (Hyde and Carpenter, 2013),
(Morlet, 2014)
- Be attentitive and make sure the student has a partner for assignments and team work
(Westwood, 2003)
- Morlet (2014) suggests to ensure the child is looking at you while you are speaking
- Ask the child to repeat instructions back to you and continuously to themselves until the task
is completed (Morlet 2014)
- Organisation like writing reminders, notes and directions can be helpful (Morlet, 2014)

Resources for families and educators

Many resources are available for parents and educators of students with APD, the following resources
have been hand picked for their ease of use and wealth of information.

The book There’s No Such Thing As A Silly Question published by the Women’s and Children Hospital
Foundation (2008) takes parents through every step of the general journey of having a child suffering
from any form of disability. From pre diagnosis to pharmacies, hospitals, working with schools and
communities.

South Australian services the South Australian Speech and Hearing Centre (SASHC, 2018) offers
audiology and speech pathology services in the same building, this is perfect as APD crosses the line
between speaking and hearing. The team at SASHC specialise in diagnosing APD and working with
individuals uniquely and effectively to maximise outcomes. Another South Australian location working
with APD is Littl e Ears (2018). Little Ears are a similar service to SASHC in the sense that they have the
ability to diagnose and then treat the child with APD accordingly.

Morlet (2014) suggested the use of software and computer programs for students with hearing
impairments. The software Fast ForWord has been advertised by Gemm learning (2018) as being one
of the most popular software programs in the world to treat APD. The software is used by over two
million students in over 40 countries and has been developed taking information from over 240
research studies. The software appears to be a series of activities that exercise foundational language
and cognitive skills (working memory, phonological processing, attention and sequencing). The
exercises are worked through individual to each students pace. Eventually students will be completing
exercises that work on reading skills such as fluency, decoding, vocabulary and comprehension.

A number of support groups for APD exist within the facebook community. An advantage of this is it
gives caregivers of children with APD a chance to interact with each other in an informal way, giving
them chance to share concerns, successes and stories of their children. Screenshot of the group in
appendix 1 (Facebook, 2018).

Use of NEP and students who suffer from APD

The Department for Education (2018) states that students can be given support through a NEP if they
have any disability or special needs. APD falls into the disability and special needs category of a sensory
disability. Hyde and Carpenter (2013) mention that NEPs for students with hearing impairment should
be cohesive and demonstrate a collaboration between professionals (teaching and medical). It is
essential that the unique needs of the student are being recognised and often, the goal setting of an
NEP can be done in collaboration with the student.

Scenario
The student of focus suffering from APD is year 4 female, Suzie. Suzie is part of a class size of 25 at a
school rich with indoor and outdoor facilities. Suzie is a hard worker who’s goal Is to be able to operate
academically at the same level as her peers. Suzie comes from a supportive household and parents
who have encouraged her into numerous sessions with speech pathologists and audiologists. It has
been recommended for her to wear a head set linked to a microphone the tea.cher wears. This was
useful to her in younger years but lately she has become self conscious of this Her parents had her
disability diagnosed early which has allowed for lots of progress to be made in terms of speech
development and phonic awareness (Hyde and Carpenter, 2013). Suzie is a quiet, gentle member of
the classroom.

Her typical classroom strategy is to fly under the radar; keep a low profile to avoid being noticed by
her peers as less academic. Suzie doesn’t misbehave as so, however she is resistant to contribute in
class and often if left unattended doesn’t complete tasks. Suzie is part of a small group of all female
friends, however occasionally these girls can grow tired of Suzie’s reserved nature and leave her out.
Suzie is reluctant to reach out and make other friends in her class.

The following information has been adapted from a series of confidential APD assessment reports
undertaken at Learning Keys, Adelaide. Due to its confidentiality it has not been included in the
reference list. Suzie’s APD is unique to her in the following areas

Index Description Range (relative to age

group)
Verbal Absorbing and recalling information in words Average
Comprehension and reasoning using language
Perceptual Processing Visual information and seeing High Average
Reasoning patterns
Working Memory Short term memory and attention Below Expected
 Processing Speed Speed when processing visual information on High Average
routine tasks

Reading/ Writing Description Range

Skill
Word Reading Phonological awareness tasks, reading from a High average
list of increasingly difficult words
Pseudoword Using phonetic knowledge and rules of reading Average
decoding to successfully decode increasingly difficult
nonsense words
Reading Accuracy Well above average
Reading High average
comprehension
Reading rate High average
Spelling Average
Written expression average

Math’s skill Description Range

Numerical Ability to perform numerical operations and Below expected
operations calculations
Math’s reasoning Ability to understand processes involved with Below expected.
solving mathematical problems. Mathematical
reasoning skills

From this data we can draw that Suzie’s strengths lie in reading and working with visual information.
However her weaknesses lie in her mathematical skills and her working memory. Because of this,
theoretically an NEP focusing on setting unique goals for Suzie’s learning in the area of mathematics
and some elements of social skill building will be advised. Alongside this, lots of work surrounding
the assistance of building on her memory retention strategies.
Lesson plan
Australian (Australian
Sports Sports(2007)
Commission Commission, 2007)
Netball Lesson
Objective
Introduction to throwing, catching and moving
Time 60 minutes
Area
Outdoor area similar in size to a netball court
Equipment »
Cones, netballs, bibs
Part 1 (20 minutes)
Form a group
Players move around in random directions avoiding
body contact with other players. As they enter
different zones they must jump, hop or leap within
that zone. You call a number and players form groups
of that size. Skill Focus Improves running and
footwork movement, space awareness
Shuttle ball
A cooperative game. A ball is thrown to a catcher. The
thrower runs to take the place of the catcher while
the catcher runs to join players at the thrower’s line.
Skill Focus Aids basic passing and catching with
accuracy PLUS… » Players change the type of pass
when you call ‘CHANGE!’ (e.g. chest pass, one-handed
lob pass, bounce pass, shoulder pass)
Underarm return relay
Players run to a point, return and on the way back,
pick up a ball and throw a pass to the team-mate next
in line. This pattern continues. Skill Focus Aids passing
and catching and being able to pass to a target, PLUS…
» Introduce different passes
INCLUSIVE MODIFICATIONS
Lesson designed to be part of a netball unit,
assessment will be looking for application of prior
learning.
Prior to lesson
Send students with written list of equipment to gather
and put in the gym hall.
Familiarise students in advance to lesson what letters
on bibs mean and where they can go, the different
types of passes.
Discuss with students ways to behave and signals to
listen for inside of a gym. Write these on the board,
have class repeat aloud to you. Possibly write down
themselves.
Move activity to indoor gym to limit background noise.
If possible hook microphone up to gym speakers so
whole class can hear amplified teacher instruction
(headset + sport wont go well). Turn off fans and open
and form of door or window facing away from school
yard or roads.
During Lesson
Ensure total silence before giving instruction every
time. Use of visual computer print outs for what each
action in each section entails.
Make it competitive, students will be forced to grab
whatever student is closest to them regardless of
friendship. Use the final, randomised groups (of 4
members) in this game to structure the next two
games.
Start with a slowed down version of this game and a
demonstration of different chest passes. Practice use of
name calling when ball is passed. Re demonstrate to
the class once one group has mastered the technique
rotate groups you use for this demonstration.
When ‘change’ is called, have students freeze where
they are until next type of pass is specified.
Encourage Suzie to observe her team mates if she Is
unsure.
Once again, demonstrate with a group and call groups
back in once one team has the technique. Teacher role;
offer encouragement and assistance to groups.
Part 2 (30 minutes)
Interceptor
Two players pass a ball to one another. An
opponent between the two players attempts to
intercept the ball. Skill Focus Shows how to pass
while being defended PLUS… » Players must use a
different type of pass each time. » The player with
the ball cannot move.
Keep the ball
Two teams of 3 are distributed over the playing
area. The team with the ball aims to make 5 passes
between team-mates without the ball being
intercepted. Skill Focus Practises passing under
pressure PLUS… » The player with the ball cannot
move. » Change the type of pass allowed. » After
playing the game for a set period of time, introduce
targets for bonus points. » After the 5th pass,
players may shoot for the target.
Part 3
Provide positive examples of feedback to the group
Gather up the equipment and store it properly.
Pairing of players. Groups in 4 will split into pairs.
Allow for a short drink/ brain break before
continuing.
Demonstrate strategies to the class of how to
intercept a ball. This time, try and use Suzie’s group
to demonstrate (if they haven’t done so). This will
give her a direct opportunity to be talked through a
complex task before performing it. As usual, get
the class to repeat instructions to you.
Pause activity and all noises to introduce task
extensions. Work in close proximity to students not
yet at the extension.
Have pairs pair up with the two other pairs closest
to them. This can look like pairs linking arms (xx),
finding another pair and linking (xxxx) and finally a
third pair and linking with them (xxxxxx). Once all
three pairs are linked, instruct students to split
group in half to make two teams of three. Wait
until all groups are settled before continuing.
Activities demonstrated to a silent group.
Instructions repeated by students to ensure
comprehension.
Ensure that groups are rotating the role of
intercepting the passes.
‘Store it properly’ and ‘gather up equipment’
require previous discussion. Have students to
collect equipment in groups and put it away before
walking back to class. Waiting for silence before
giving instruction, send one group at a time. This
will sound like
“The quietest group that gets to leave next
is………Suzie, Kevin, and Sandra; please collect all of
the cones and take them back to the sports shed”.
Other students can collect all balls, bibs, ect.
After Class
Assign class time for the class note taker to record
what they learnt in todays netball lesson. This is a
big task so make sure to structure what
information is wanted from student; (types of
passes and roles in game). Upload sheet to class
website and make available to students in hard
form if needed.
References
(ASLHA) American Speech Language Hearing Association. (2017). Central Auditory Processing
Disorder: Incidence and Prevalence. [online] Available at:
https://www.asha.org/PRPSpecificTopic.aspx?folderid=8589943561&section=Incidence_and_Prevale
nce [Accessed 28 Oct. 2018].

Australian Curriculum and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2018). Students with disability. [online]
Available at: https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/resources/student-diversity/students-with-
disability/ [Accessed 28 Oct. 2018].

Australian Sports Commission. (2007). Netball Companion Book 1st ed. [ebook], pp.10-15. Available
at: https://www.bna.org.au/images/stories/Annual_JUNIOR/Netball_Companion_Book.pdf [Accessed
23 Oct. 2018].

Burnip, L (1994), 'Hearing impairment, phonological awareness, and the acoustic environment of
the classroom', Australian journal of remedial education., vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 4-11.
Department for Education. (2018). Learning plans. [online] Available at:
https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/education-and-learning/curriculum-and-learning/learning-plans
[Accessed 29 Oct. 2018].

DeRoches (2017). Auditory Processing Disorder Simulation. [video] Available at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipI8hOGjVUs [Accessed 28 Oct. 2018].

Facebook. (2018). Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) Support Group. [online] Available at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1795949673965340/about/ [Accessed 28 Oct. 2018].

Gemm Learning. (2018). Fast ForWord Reading Program At Home. [online] Available at:
https://www.gemmlearning.com/programs/fast-forword/ [Accessed 28 Oct. 2018].

Hyde, M, Carpenter, L, & Conway, R 2013, Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement, Oxford
University Press, Sydney. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [4 November 2018].
Little Ears (Specialising in Paediatric Hearing in Adelaide)(2018). Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) -
Little Ears Audiology. [online] Available at: http://littleears.com.au/auditory-processing/ [Accessed 29
Nov. 2018].

Morlet, T. (2014). Auditory Processing Disorder. [online] Kidshealth.org. Available at:

https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/central-auditory.html [Accessed 28 Oct. 2018].

NIDCD. (2006). Auditory Processing Disorder in Children. [online] Available at:

http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/auditory.asp [Accessed 28 Oct. 2018].

Nixon, G. (2015). 9 Surprising Consequences of Auditory Processing Disorder. [online] Gemm

Learning. Available at: https://www.gemmlearning.com/blog/auditory-processing/9-consequences-of-
auditory-processing-disorder-in-children/ [Accessed 28 Oct. 2018].

SASHC. (2018). Auditory Processing Disorder. [online] SASHC. Available at:

http://www.sashc.com.au/auditory-processing-disorder-adelaide/ [Accessed 29 Nov. 2018].

SPELD . (2018). Auditory Processing Disorder. [online] Available at:

https://www.speld.org.au/auditory-processing-disorder [Accessed 28 Oct. 2018].

Westwood, PS (2003), 'Students with physical disabilities and sensory impairments',

Commonsense methods for children with special educational needs : strategies for the regular
classroom, RoutledgeFalmer, London, pp. 36-53
Women's & Children's Hospital Foundation. (2008). There's No Such Thing As A Silly Question: North
Adelaide
Appendix 1

Facebook, 2018