ST+LINDA

Before I begin my review, I wanted to stat that I have never had a child with hearing loss. One of my parents used to teach sign language to children in the Pre-school age many years ago. She has a daughter who is in our younger toddler program. Many of the parents friends or their children suffer from hearing loss. She wanted her daughter to be able to be bilingual. (English and American Sign Language). One of the things that I had noticed with the little girl is that because of the frequency that the mother uses ASL in her everyday language with her, she was not speaking at the level she should. Some of her words were sounding like a child who is deff. When the little girl attended our school in late September, her mother expressed the importance of ASL in her everyday use. We had a teacher who knew ASL. She is the one who noticed that her speech was not where it should be. We talked to the mom about the use of ASL. She stopped doing it so much and forcing her daughter to speak instead of sign. Now, she is coming along nicely. We do not use ASL with her at school anymore and there is a drastic improvement. The mom is shocked at how much better her speach has become. With all this being said, this is what sparked my interest in learining about hearing loss.
 * //__ Disability Review: Hearing Loss in Children __//**
 * Prevalence**

The amount of children with hearing loss in the United States has grown tremendously in the last thirty years or so. In 1971, for example, children age three years and above that suffered hearing loss was 13.2 million children. It has steadily increased. As mentioned on the web site I was reading (http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/disorders/children.htm), an independent researcher estimated that 28.6 million Americans had some form of an auditory disorder in 2000.

Children who have hearing loss will have problems with being able to learn vocabulary, grammar, expressions as well as other aspects of verbal communication.

The number of children who had disabilities from ages 6-21 who were apart of IDEA in the 2000-2001 school year in the United States was 5,775,722. Out of all these children only about 1.2 % actually received services.

There were studies that have shown that there is a variance in the prevalence of newborns with congenital hearing loss in the United States. Most of these children have hearing loss at birth and are usually identifiable by the newborn and infant hearing screenings that they do. Sometimes however, this may not become evident until later in childhood.


 * Definition**

In our text book, __Exceptional Lives__, they give a definition of hearing loss as used by IDEA as a hearing impairment that is so severe that the student is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing (with or without amplification) and the student’s educational performance is adversely affected.


 * Characteristics**

It is mentioned in our text book that hearing loss impairs the development of spoken language. In most cases, the intelligence of the child isn’t an issue. It is usually the academic problems that involve speaking, reading and writing that are the issue.


 * Education/Treatment**

There are many different ways of handling a child with hearing loss. There is more then one type of hearing loss so the severity in one child may defer from the next child. Some of the devices out there for hearing loss may be something that many people are familiar with. There are options such as Hearing Aids, Digital Hearing Aids (considered state of the art), Cell Phones, other Assistive Technologies, and Cochlear Implants etc. There are other things that can be done in the class room to differentiate the lessons. For example, Sign Language may be incorporated into the classroom by the Teacher or an Aid. The child may have IEP assistance as well. The child may have to be “pulled out” of class for a portion of the day. We all know now, that all children are entitled to the Least Restricted Environment possible. The school may also have smart boards or power points to help the child as well.


 * Prognosis/Long term options**

There are different types of hearing loss so everyone and their prognosis may be different. Some times there are head traumas, facial or skull abnormalities, and family history of either late or delayed hereditary hearing loss. Or one of the most frequent forms of hearing loss, Otitis media with effusion (fluid in the middle ear).

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =Chapter 10=

Think of some of the children you have encountered that you suspect of having a disability. Pick two particular children and answer the following questions:

· Identify and define the characteristics of students. · Explain why you suspected or knew of the disabilitiy · Describe any supports and additional help that this child needed · Describe successful instructional practices for students with this student (eating, drinking independently, reading etc... = = = = = = I have had a student in the past that I had concern over. I have mentioned him in the past class that I have had with you. This boy is a hair twirler with thumb sucking. He is an outgoing child. He seems to be a well adjusted child. What was happening during school hours were some of the following. When I was reading a story, he would suck thumb and twirl hair. It seemed to be an unconcious habit. It seemed that in most cases, it was happening at idle times. (sitting listening to story, listening to someone talk, etc).
 * Child one**

I think of is as a disability because it started to get out of control. It started to take over. At times it would interfere with his daily life in the classroom. As an example, when working on a project, that involved several parts,(cutting, glue, matching etc), he would spend so much time sucking thumb and or twirling hair that he became the last one done, or didn't get to finish.

I spoke to his parents several times. At first they didn't see it as a problem. At home it was during idle times, watching tv, listening to a bedtime story etc. Then when projects started to come home incomplete, I think the mom started to understand.

As a result of mom realizing how out of control it had become, she crocheted a "thumb buster". It was a cover to protect the thumb that wrapped around the wrist. It actually made him more responsible as a result. He needed to take it off when washing hands, eating snack, and doing projects. It had slowed down the thumb sucking and the hair twirling decreased also. There isn't any IEP or anything like it but it was something I saw as a need to fix or help make life easier for him. No instructions were necessary for helping him with other students.

In the same class as the above student, I had a girl who had an IEP for speech. She was a girl that was adopted from Guatamala. She was adopted at around age two and wasn't really spoken too. She came from an over crowded orphanage where very minimal care was given. In addition, English was not spoken to her. Her adopted mom doesn't speak Spanish. There were other developmental delays she had, however I did not know her then. She now has a speech delay.
 * Child two**

Her lack of ability to complete a full sentence clearly was my first clue. I know her mother very well, she has adopted two other children throughout the years. Her mother spoke to me before her daughter started in my classroom. Told me what I needed to know to work with her daughter.

This child had a speech therapist come once a week to pull her out of classroom one on one to work with her. I, along with her mom fought for additional time with the therapist. I wanted the therapist to work with her in the classroom to help her with social skills. After the therapist took my suggestion, he increased his time with her. I was involved at the IEP meeting where this took place. To this day, she has made great strides. She is still not where she should be but is comming along nicely. She is now in Pre-Kindergarten. She has grown in many good ways. = = = = = = The children in class have always liked her. In the past, because she lacked social skills, she would use her hands on children (grab toys, push child etc) to get the reaction. She would just walk over to a group and parallel play. Now she is asking children to play with her. The other children in class have no special instructions other then to be her friend. That is one thing she has shined with. Her group of friends that are close friends, has increased.

= = = = = = = = =11/14/09 CHAPTER 9= Activity 1 Carlyn Click on the link below to watch the video //Mental Retardation//. After watching the video, answer the following questions. [|Mental Retardation]. What are Carlyn's strengths and weaknesses? I think that the love her family shows her is a big strength. Her two brothers really like her and interact with her. They do a lot of physical things with her. Her one brother Parker says that she is his most favorite person. I also believe that being in the classroom setting she is in, is helping her learn. Carlyn's teacher said that she is learning from the other children. I think that sometimes it is best to learn from peers. Carlyn's weaknesses is clearly her eating and drinking habits. Her parents went from feeding Carlyn two ounces every hour I believe it was around the clock. When she started the preschool, she was only taking a sip or two and maybe one bite of a cracker. Now Carlyn is drinking and eating more. she is drinking more then five swallows and eating an entire cracker and raises her hand for more. When Carlyn first arrived at school, she was just an observer. She would not get work with her peers. Now she is right in the middle of working with all the children. She plays cars with the boys and works with dolls with the girls. She is also working on her fine motor skills and categorizing objects.

What areas are Carlyn's teachers working on with her? They are working on her eating and drinking habits. She has increased the intake of liquid from one sip to half a glass and from one bite of cracker to eating an entire cracker with asking for more. She is also working on her fine motor skills and categorizing. She is even learning to talk more. Not actual words but the sounds. For instance, Carlyn is now saying "ba-ba" and "ta-ta" sounds.

What progress has Carlyn made, and what is her prognosis for the future? As mentioned earlier, she has made great strides in her eating and drinking. She is also making sounds, She is walking better, She is working on her fine motor skills as well as categorizing. In the future, She will complete two more years where she is now and the teacher hopes that when it is time for Kindergarten, she will be in a classroom setting that is the least restrictive environment. A full inclusive classroom. Where she can learn from her peers and excel.

= Activity 3 =

Beyond School Success
Click on the links below to watch the videos //Beyond School: Rachel and Jael//. After watching the video, answer the following questions. [|Beyond School: Rachel] [|Jael] What are areas of success for both women? One of the things that I feel are successful for both woman is that they are becoming as independent as much as they can. I like that Jael has taken a job that can help her with her speech issues. That public speaking is hard for her so she put herself in a position that will help her with her IEP. Rachel's success I believe, is her ability to reach her dream. She always wanted to be a secretary. That is the job that she is doing now and as a big part of that success is Rachel's ability to ride the bus to and from home. She along with the help of her mother manages her banking on line. She readily admits that spending money is a weak point for her and she is trying to fix that. So I think that knowing those weaknesses, Rachel has made it a success for herself. Rachel also volunteers. I find that very commendable. I find that it is amazing that a person who has a disability can find the time to volunteer their time when a person without a disability cannot find the time to put forth an effort.

What similar issues or weaknesses do the women have? Rachel says that her biggest weakness is money. She has a difficult time going over her twenty dollar limit sometimes. But she manages her money online. Her mom will help her but she is pretty independent. Jael also has difficulty with money skills. She has difficulty ordering in public and getting correct change etc.

What do the women say about their teachers and what they need from teachers? One of the things that Jael mentioned, was how important it was to listen. Teachers need to listen and know the full scope of things. For example, the home life. Jael mentioned that as teachers, we need to know about their home life as well as the school life. Both women liked their teachers, Rachel had more of a bond with her teacher it felt like then Jael.

= Activity 4 =

Star
Click on the link below to watch the video //Who is Star?// After watching the video, answer the following questions. [|Who is Star?] What are Star's communication skills? Star using American Sign Language and speech to communicate.

What are Star's other needs in the classroom? How do the teachers address them? Star needs to have someone who using ASL in their communication. She needs to have plenty of space to move around. She needs plenty of room for gross motor skills. Star also needs visuals. Pictures of objects. Star likes to refer to the ASL alphabet. Star loves to sing so anythign that the teacher can put into song would be great. The teacher address these needs in the classroom by communicating with Star in ASL and using her words. She uses visuals in the classroom, and she also tries to put what ever she can into a song to help Star. They teacher also makes sure that there is plenty of space for Star.

What are Star's strengths? How do the teachers address them? Star has some great strengths. She is very attentive, she communicates with ASL and is increasing her speech. She loves to learn and to sing. She loves gross motor activities. The teacher helps by doing several things. One of the things is that the teacher tries to put as much to a song as she can because that helps Star. The teacher makes sure that there are plenty of things for Star to do that has gross motor activities. She encourages Star to use her voice more then using her ASL.

=11/7/09 CHAPTER 8=

Activity 1 The goofy child.

Jake has a variety of behaviors that seem to indicate he has AD/HD. What behaviors does Jake exhibit that would be considered hyperactive-impulsive? When Jake enters the room, he goes to his desk, bumps the desk, puts feet up on the rack of another students seat. He also slams the desk shut and he talk aloud to self. Jumps out of seat when getting crayons.

Which of Jake's behaviors seem to be the inattentive type?When Jake talks aloud, it is as if he is the only one in room. He also lacks organization. When he was done inside the desk, he slammed it shut causing a disturbance with crayons spilling onto floor as well as the loud noise.

What are Jake's strengths? Jake gets along with the other students. Jake can read very well and he also excells in math.

Activity 2

Eric's Behavior
Click on the link below to watch the video //ADHD//. After watching the video, answer the following questions. [|ADHD]

What behaviors did Eric exhibit during his psychological evaluation?Eric was extremely difficult to get him to complete a task. He said he wasn't going to perform, he jumped up from the table and was extremely active throughout the session. He was also conflicted about the situation at home. His parents were no longer together and he lacked self esteem( "nobody likes me" and that he is no good).

What possible biological influences on Eric's behavior does Dr. Goldsmith discuss? Dr. Goldsmith mentioned that there were definite chemical or neurological disturbances.

What environmental influences on Eric's behavior does Dr. Goldsmith discuss? The parents seperation, the acting out in classroom, hitting, biting, and that he feels that no one likes him. and that he is no good. He also discusses what they are trying to do. They are trying to build his self esteem, giving him positive feedback and and recognizing his strengths and playing up to them.

Activity 3

Types of AD/HD
Click on the link below to read the case study //Encouraging Appropriate Behavior//. After reading the case study, answer the following questions. Encouraging Appropriate Behavior

What behaviors does Sam exhibit? Which type of AD/HD do these behaviors probably indicate? Sam does not finish his work, he is constantly off task. When assignments are done, they are done w/ many errors and he is overlooking information. Sam does a lot of drawing or doodling, he daydreams or talks to friends. He is not sluggish or over looked. His problems seem to occur during independent activities. I would say that Sam is more the inattentive type.

What behaviors does Heather exhibit? Which type of AD/HD do these behaviors probably indicate? Heather is very disruptive. She calls out instead of raising hand, speaks over other children. Talks to children during independent study time. Heather is the hyperactive impulsive type.

What behaviors does Patrick exhibit? Which type of AD/HD do these behaviors probably indicate? Patrick likes to participate in class plays and skits, likes to tell stories, be the center of attention. The other students say he "doesn't stop talking." He also argues w/ another student on a regular basis. He name calls, teases, calls out etc. I would say that he is the hyperactive impulsive type.

= =

= = =10/31/09 CHAPTER 7=

WORK ON DISABLITY PROJECT

=10/24/09=

MIDTERM

=10/16/09= Chapter 6 activity #1 Linda Lusher

Who are the members of George's support system at home and at school?

George has his mother Linda, father Philip, and older brother Roy as his support system at home. At school, he has his first grade teacher and resource person. He is also in several programs at school w/ other people as well. He is in a chewing and swallowing program and therapy with two different people as well.

How do you think George's family has helped him to be a successful communicator? You can tell from the video that everyone in that family is close and really works with George. His older brother Roy really seams to know him very well. George’s parents, I believe are proactive in his life. If I remember from video, the parents forced the IEP to reevaluate George when school started because he met all previous goal before school even started.

How do the school personnel support George and his family? They keep in very close contact with family. They send reports, talk daily etc. to guarantee the success of George.

=CHAPTER 5=

___ I was fortunate enough to go to the parent IEP meeting. I discovered one thing. In order to help your child with a disability, you must have a strong back bone and good knowledge base. I had the pleasure of talking with two very nice women who were from a school district out side of Bristol. Their children had two different problems. Yet their stories were the same. They had to fight for their child. It is a battle that is being hopefully won with their blood, sweat, and tears. They have gone through many battles, jumped through many a hoop, but they are doing it to make their child successful in any way they can.

It is important for school districts to hold these parent IEP meetings because, as a whole, we all come from different backgrounds,locations, and different life experiences. Some of of us are educated, while others are not. It gives the parents an equal opportunity to get help. Learn how to help their child. Learn what their rights are, and what they need to know in order to improve their child's quality of life.

The laws keep changing. As parents with children of disability, they need to be on top of their game so to speak. To know what their rights are and to be able to be bold enough to stand up and fight for the rights and prvileges of their child. It is a battle worth winning. Posted Oct 16, 2009 8:56 pm - [|[delete]