Molly
and Ian have worked hard over the last several years to support and help
Thomas, and now 16 years of age, Thomas is doing well in high school. He
currently attends the local public high school and is mostly in a
self-contained class for children with Autism. The only mainstream class he has
is PE, and this has proven to be the most difficult time of the day but still
relatively manageable.
Middle
school, however, was another story. Thomas had managed to develop some friendly
relationships with other children, although his limitations meant that, rather
than coming to understand social cues in an intuitive manner, he had to very
specifically be taught and coached as to what to say with friends and when. He
entered middle school having had some positive experiences with two other kids
at the Mathews Center, but Molly and Ian had to stop sending him there as the
cost became prohibitive. It was shortly after ending with the Mathews Center
that Thomas entered middle school. The first year went OK, but there were
little signs that Thomas might have a rough time in middle school: even though
the 5th grade team at the elementary school had prepared teachers
and administrators for Thomas and his specific needs, a new assistant principal
had not been prepared for him and was not as understanding of Thomas’
disability as others in the school system had been. Thomas became frustrated at
one point in the middle of his sixth grade year and ran out of his classroom.
When he did, he was unable to avoid running into another student who was in the
hallway at the time. The student fell and bumped her head. The assistant
principal, who was in charge of discipline at the school, felt like Thomas’
behavior was intentional. Most everyone else involved, particularly the
classroom teacher, knew Thomas and felt differently. Although Molly and Ian had
been seeing a small change in Thomas’ behavior at home, they knew that he was
not the kind of child who would intentionally hurt a peer. Still, the assistant
principal held firm and suspended Thomas for 10 days.
A
manifestation determination was held, and, after a heated discussion, it was
decided that Thomas’ behavior was a result of his disability. After 10 days,
Thomas was able to return to school, but his attitude was quite different. This
was the beginning of ongoing behavioral difficulties at the school that were a
marked shift for Thomas in his experience of school. Finally, toward the end of
his eighth grade year, the psychiatrist tried another type of medication which
seemed to be effective for Thomas, and he was more able to manage himself
throughout the school day. It wasn’t until moving to the high school, however,
that Thomas finally felt safe and comfortable again in a school.
Now
at age 16, Thomas is doing well on his IEP goals and is on track to graduate
with an IEP diploma.
*
Using Brofenbrenner’s ecological systems model, with what influences did Thomas
have to contend in middle school?
* In
your group’s opinion, what circumstances led to Molly and Ian’s resilience in
the face of the challenges Thomas has presented as a child with ASD? Describe
the factors that likely led to such resilience – be sure to consider what you
can ascertain of Molly and Ian’s general level of functioning including what
you perceive to be their overall psychological well-being.
* From
the standpoint of the school and the IEP, what is transition? Describe at least 3 transition goals for Thomas. When
would the IEP team have started to consider and include these?
*
What is a manifestation determination meeting?
Why does it occur? What are the possible ramifications of the meeting?
*
What domain of development was likely a factor in Thomas’ differing experience
in 7th and 8th grade? In other words, what was going on
for Thomas that perhaps led to a change in the effectiveness of his medication?
*
What happens when Thomas turns 18? For which services will he still be
eligible? What kind of public assistance can he receive? How will he support
himself? Be sure to look into SSI and disability – is he eligible when he turns
18? Is he eligible now, at 16?
1. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems model takes a deep look at any relationship that person has that has formed due to the environment around them. For example. Thomas’ environment is his family home, the Matthew Center and the middle school he was attending. There are many layers that have had an affect on Thomas and caused him to behave in his various ways. Thoms’ own biology and brain composition is partially responsible for his behavior. We realized that many layers of Thomas’ personality affected the different layers in his environment. Bronfenbrenner structured the environment starting with the microsystem working through the mesosystem to the exosytem and finally the outermost layer being the chronosystem. Thomas’ microsystem includes both of his parents, the Matthew Center where he made two close friends, and his middle school. Thomas’ parents have been working very hard to be a strong support for him, as well as the psychiatrist they took him to see. In Thomas’ mesosystem, the accidental incidence in the classroom and hallway with another student has torn the connection between Thomas and his positive school experience. His principal was not fully understanding Thomas’ specific needs and behavioral limitation to make an adequate decision regarding his consequence. In regards to Thomas’s exosystem, his principal who was not properly informed of the Thomas’s needs affected his exosystem. Additionally, the Matthew center and his community outreaches have indirectly positively affected Thomas’ development. Matthews, chronosystem is changing rapidly at this moment of his life. He is experiencing many physiological changes which can be effecting his body and his emotions. Thomas’ parents are responsible for helping Thomas to carry out his daily functions along with this teachers. Now that he is entering high school his body should begin to adapt and his mood to stabilize, but we seem to think that the next year could be unpredictable.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Thomas is mostly in a self-contained class for children with Autism may be a factor leading to Molly and Ian’s resilience. It must be comforting to them to know that their son is not mainstreamed into a “normal” classroom (except for PE), and has the assistance that is needed directly in his classroom. The fact that his behavior (bumping in the girl in the hallway) is a result of his disability and not intentional shows that he is a harmless individual with no intentions of hurting others. The medication that was prescribed by Thomas’s psychiatrist that was beneficial for him probably had to relieve stress from Molly and Ian. This medication worked for him and allowed him to successfully manage the school day. The fact that Thomas himself feels comfortable in school provides relief for Molly and Ian as well. They do not have to worry about Thomas feeling insecure while in school. The fact that they are in a support group is beneficial for the parents as well to help recognize but also relieve their stress as well as understand what is going on.
ReplyDeleteHowever, there are many other factors that would make us as parents worried (and they did not worry Molly and Ian). It’s great that the couple is resilient, however, it is only normal for a parent to be concerned for their child, even when everything is perfectly OK. Parents always worry, regardless. The fact that they are resilient when Thomas had so much going on in and out of school, is alarming. Molly and Ian are both working longer hours to gain more income to help pay for expenses, but this means neither of them are with Thomas. As parents, our group would be concerned for Thomas and having neither parent with him. He needs support both inside of school as well as at home. He would remain in the Matthews Center until 6PM, meaning his parents would only spend a couple hours a day with him. When Thomas was 7 years old, his parents had not even taken him to see a psychiatrist. Intervention is most helpful at a younger age, and Thomas should have been seeing as many people possible to help him with his disorder. The fact that Molly and Ian work longer may contribute to them being busy and having their mind on other things, and not Thomas.
(2.)
Delete3. Transition is discussed for students with disabilities who are in middle and high school in order to begin thinking about their lives and possible job opportunities after their time in the school setting ends. Students with disabilities, their families, as well as school personnel, therapists, etc work together to develop goals, and life skills, in both the school and community settings that will enable the students to be able to achieve their goals in the future(VDOE, “Transition Services for Students with Disabilities,” 2011). Above all, transitions aim for “the goal of preparing students with disabilities to access the supports and services they need to become as independent as possible,” after their high school education is complete. Transitions goals must be individualized to the meet the needs of the student who is preparing to transition in the near future; what works for one student may not work for someone else. Transition from high school may lead students to “training, employment, independent living, and community participation based on the student's preferences, interests, and abilities,”(VDOE, “Transition Services for Students with Disabilities, 2011).
ReplyDeleteThomas’s IEP team should have started and considered making transition goals for Thomas beginning in middle school. The earlier Thomas, his parents, and his multidisciplinary team begin to plan for his future transition into his adult life after high school, the better. Unfortunately, Thomas had a fairly negative middle school experience, and his assistant principal in middle school may not have had many positive, or helpful, transition goal suggestions for him because she was not understanding of his disability from the beginning.
Transition Goals For Thomas:
1) Thomas will take turns working with different peers, (one or two people at a time), in his general education P.E. class and this will give him practice in interacting with people his own age, in an environment that has a variety of activities for him to try. Perhaps, in the future, Thomas can work at a gym, YMCA, etc and show people how to use equipment, teach some games etc. Overall, this will help Thomas gain confidence in his social skills and hopefully develop some friendships as well.
2) A long-term goal is to get Thomas off of his medication, once his behavior is under manageable control. He is doing well in high school after a rough few years in middle school. Therefore, Thomas can talk to a psychologist about what his worries are about his future, and then he can work to plan constructive ways to deal with and perhaps overcome some of his struggles. Thomas could work with an Applied Behavior Analysis Therapist to help him gain more independence and confidence in his social skills in his daily life.
3) Thomas could visit local community/group homes, as well as local work programs and see what is of interest to him. Based on his interests, his multidisciplinary IEP can structure the rest of his high school years towards skills that will prepare him to live on his own and make him ready for an appropriate work environment.
4. If a child with disability commits an offense that violates the school code of conduct, which can result in an exclusion for longer than 10 school days. The IEP team must conduct a disability manifestation determination within 10 days of removal. Prior to conducting a manifestation determination meeting, the parents must be sent an invitation. The manifestation determination meeting is held with the parent and relevant members of the IEP team. The team reviews all information in the child's file, the IEP, teacher's observations, and any other information from the parent and the child.
ReplyDeleteThe IEP team must determine if the behavior was a manifestation of this child's disability and the conduct was caused by the child's disability. Manifestation Determination establishes whether you can use regular disciplinary interventions on the child or are instead required to address the misconduct primarily through the IEP Team process.
There are two questions that should be addressed at this meeting, first, was the misconduct “caused by, or had a direct and substantial relationship to, the child’s disability?” Second, was the misconduct “the direct result of the [school’s] failure to implement the IEP?” The answer must be no to each of those questions for the IEP team to conclude that the misconduct is not a manifestation of the child’s disability.
If the behavior is a manifestation of the student’s disability, the student must be returned to their current placement no later than the 11th day following their removal, unless the parent and IEP team agree otherwise. If the behavior is not a manifestation, the student may be disciplined, suspended, or expelled to the same extent as a student without a disability. However, the student with a disability must continue to receive a free, appropriate public education during any period of removal of more than ten school days.
If the behavior is determined to be a part of the disability, the IEP team makes an appropriate plan to address some or all of the following areas. Consistently implement the IEP as written, change the IEP as needed (e.g., adaptations, service, alternative consequences, etc.), complete additional evaluations to provide additional service, if needed, and/or conduct a Functional Behavior Assessment to develop more effective behavior intervention strategies.
5. Thomas was likely going through puberty and experiencing all of the changes that came with it. All of these biological changes can have an affect when it comes to different medications. A lot of Thomas’ behavior issues fall into the social/emotional development category and it is estimated that 6-10% of all children experience serious behavior issues like the ones that Thomas is experiencing. It is also likely that Thomas can assume an adaptation to certain medication that will make it no longer work for him. Although we believe that medicating a child is completely unhealthy (especially after viewing the videos from a couple of weeks ago), it seems necessary in cases like these and it is very important for the doctor or doctors to know what works best for the child and when/when not to change the medication he or she is on.
ReplyDelete6. According to a national survey and investigative journalism done by ABC, many children with Autism Spectrum Disorder are left hanging out to dry without support or health services after their high school years. Surprisingly, there has been little research on how children with ASDs cope when they reach young adulthood. Problems that could ensue after high school graduation focus highly on social interaction and the ability to acquire and maintain a job in the working world. There are many different corporations, such as the Martin’s chain of grocery stores, that pride themselves on hiring those with intellectual, learning, and physical disabilities. Although this is a great opportunity, the likelihood of making a sufficient living to be able to support oneself is limited--much like the limitedness of the opportunities in general.
ReplyDeleteLevine and Wagner (2005) state that only 30% of students that are receiving special education services in schools will leave high school with a diploma and only 4% of special education students enroll in a 4-year college 3-5 years after leaving high school. Nowadays, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act mandates that each special education student have transitional planning included in their Individualized Education Plan focusing on vocational training and school-to-work programming. However, Levine and Wagner also note that there is no specific standard by which to teach these kinds of strategies and these young adults vary widely in their success. Some of these training strategies include vocational education classes and opportunities to stay in high school until age 21--mandated by IDEA. Although there are some services out there for students like Thomas to use while transitioning in the “real world,” there are simply not enough of these services and not enough research done to test which of these services would benefit someone like Thomas the best. The Social Security Administration provides an opportunity for some monetary benefit by applying for disability services, but we believe that special education services are much more important than money in these types of situations.