Lesson 7: Low Incidence Disabilities/ Assessments

This week, along with reading the chapter I recorded the lectures and listened to them as I reviewed my notes. This was really helpful because I not only saw where I misunderstood what I read or what I was taught, but I’m better able to teach others about what I’ve learned. While the readings were on low incidence disabilities, we talked about assessments (informal and formal, norm-referenced, criterion-referenced, and authentic assessment) as well as the purpose, reliability, validity and a little bit about the kinds given throughout the year (diagnostic, ongoing, and final).

What I would change is instead of glancing over the questions presented in the readings or absently listening to them during class, I’d write them down and find other resources to answer them.

It should be fairly easy to apply this material because most of my college courses uses these types of assessments. It gives more meaning behind quizzes, tests/exams, journals and group work than just the teacher requiring a lot of busy work. 

Assessing Need and Planning Instruction

I honestly didn’t put a lot of effort into learning the material this week. The reading was eternal and my body just kind of gave up (I got a cold) leaving me with little to no motivation to do much. I’m realizing it would be more helpful to have real life examples of assessments and planning guides so I can put the readings to use. What I did find interesting in the reading was classroom set up and how we can manipulate it to meet the needs of the students. However, as of now, it’s really meaningless and I don’t feel prepared at all.  

Planning an activity and lesson for the class was really helpful this week because it got me to think of the material in a different way. I had to think about not only the topic and what was important, but how my classmates learn and how I can teach effectively. 

"Because I have a Voice"

The topic of learning for this week was Collaboration, so we discussed Individual Education Plans (IEP’s) as well as learning disabilities and language impairments. We talked about our stuttering and learning disability simulations and the “so what” of each. As always, reading the book is highly ineffective as a learning tool because I just get bored and overwhelmed with information. If I could somehow get the text read to me, I think it would be easier. I think if I also generate real-world applications or students that this information would help, I would be better able to remember what I read. I think by also asking more involved questions in class and explaining concepts to my peers I’ll be able to remember and apply what I’ve learned.

I found it especially helpful that our professor is finally giving us real experiences and strategies she’s used to help her clients. One interesting strategy she shared is how to fix a communication break down. Asking “what” doesn’t show where the breakdown happened (where the confusion or misunderstanding is), rather we should ask “show me.” The latter question pinpoints exactly where the misunderstanding happened and leads to less frustration between whomever is speaking. It was also helpful to know the signs of speech and learning impairments (ex: students who wander) and how to ensure they understand the directions (get their eyes, use multiple cues, and send emails to parents). With these strategies I feel more confident to apply them to my classroom and EI practice.

So what? When we learn about these disabilities we better understand the communication break down and we can understand that regardless, they still have a voice. 

Bonus: With the speech and language impairment presentation I wanted to know more about when certain sounds should be achieved by what age. So I went to Pinterest and found this handy chart from a speech therapy blog. Yay!  

Visual Impairment Simulation

This simulation involved 4 masks and 4 hours of visual impairment. I had to wear each mask for an hour while doing my normal activities. 

Mask 1: Glaucoma

    "Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve, which is vital to good vision. This damage is often cause by and abnormally high pressure in your eye" (mayoclinic.org). It's the most common cause of blindness and usually comes without warning. 

     I found myself using one eye or the other to look at things, so I turned my head a lot. I was handed a sign up during class but I couldn't see it because it wasn't directly in front of me and I had to turn my entire body to see what was going on because my peripheral was shot. Trying to learn in class was difficult because I couldn't see the power-point presentation or what was written on the board. As I was walking across campus to my next class the benefit was that I couldn't see the stares of confusion from my peers, but I also couldn't see if anyone was in front of me. I depended a lot on my hearing and moving my head to perceive if anyone was around me.

Mask 2: Loss of an Eye

     After the first hour I was already annoyed that I couldn't see anything, but at least with this mask I had one good eye to see out of. I did notice that while taking notes I couldn't see where I was writing (as the description describes; my depth perception was off). Learning with only one eye wasn't too horrible but I can't imagine trying to run around or play the piano with one eye. It would be an adjustment (an understatement, I know). 

Mask 3: Lens Problem

     This one wasn't too hard because I'm already used to an astigmatism with my right eye. I was more frustrated with the extent of the blurriness and that I was wearing contacts already and I still had the same problem. Horror of all horrors I had to turn up the brightness on my phone to text (1st world problems), but it made doing homework on my computer more tedious because I couldn't make out some of the words. I eventually had to enlarge the print and turn on more lights so I could see what I was doing. 

Mask 4: Macular Degeneration

     There are 2 types of MD: Dry and Wet. Dry Macular Degeneration is when the center of the retina (tissue in the back of your eyeball) is breaking down. This is what usually happens. Wet Macular Degeneration is when the blood vessels near the retina leak (mayoclinic.org).
     This was more difficult than I thought it would be. I kept looking around the center blocks to see things, and then I'd remember I'm supposed to keep my eyes on them and rely on my side vision, which was difficult. I was doing laundry and homework at this time. Laundry wasn't too difficult but homework seemed near impossible. I was able to get through the last hour knowing I could come back and actually get started on my readings, but if this was my life then I'd probably have everything read to me.

Final Thoughts
     The biggest bother about this simulation was the mask itself. I STRONGLY HATE LOATHE things on my face. I usually have my hair pulled back and if I do wear my glasses the only part that's touching is the bridge of my nose. I was always adjusting the mask so it wasn't touching my face as much, or that it would be touching other areas because it was literally driving me MAD. However, regarding what I was supposed to learn was that visual impairments take up more time and energy than I thought they would. I thought the biggest hassle would be to wear corrective lenses but most of the time that's probably not even possible. At this time I'm not sure how I would make accommodations/modifications to my classroom to include students with these types of visual impairments.

Week 4: Further Study of Court Cases

This week we talked about the “so what” of special education. If we don’t know the “so what” then there’s no point nor purpose for attempting to educate the child. IEP’s would be pointless, collaboration would be a waste of time, and setting goals would just absorb effort without meaningful results. The hardest part about the material for the week is memorizing all the different court cases and their result and effect on special education. I understand the basic principles, but the specifics are harder to pin down.

I guess I would spend more time with flash cards/memory activities (like the ones we do in class) to help organize it all. The matching activities really help because it’s more tactile than reading out of the textbook or online articles (and yes, reading the actual court cases does nothing for my learning… the official jargon was a really good sleep aid though).

 

After further study I’ll be better able to use this information in my early intervention practice, especially the part about what I can tell parents. It’s important for me to collaborate with parents because I won’t (more than likely) be tied to a school system that restricts what I can say. I can suggest further therapy or activities and not be obligated to provide such services. I will be the front line of defense to helping these kids get a better start on their education and development. 

Questions: 

1. Does inadequate access to education require intervention, or just more time? 

2. If the child is boarder-line and ineligible to receive services, then what?

Learning Disability Simulation

"Disability Application Day – Learning Disability (Oral expression challenge due to processing deficit)
Your assignment is to do two of the following activities or something comparable. While carrying them out, you must not use any words with an l or an n. You can revise what you say or use different words, but can not use a word with an /l/ or /n/ letter in them. You must maintain the behavior through-out the task. (order a book/request help from a live person, ask for help at store ask for directions, order something at a restaurant)."

I didn't realize how hard it is to eliminate words that have "l" or "n" in them. The hardest part though wasn't trying to find other word, but the reactions of others. While in the grocery store I asked if the cashier could split my payment between two credit cards. I did a lot of gesturing and I relied heavily on their guesses of what I was saying. The cashier asked how much I wanted on each card and I told her I didn't know. The thing is, I did know, I just didn't know how to say it.

On my second attempt I ordered a mean at Costa Vida. When I couldn't think of alternate words or ways to communicate, I just skipped the letter. For example, I ordered a salad so I just didn't pronounce the "l." It was frustrating not being able to get across what I wanted.

This helped me to further realize that the brain of the child with disabilities can be completely equal or even more advanced than his typically developing peers, but because it takes him longer to process it or figure out how to communicate he can be viewed as less intelligent. A child with disabilities isn't less, he just needs another second to process. It's important to remember this because it can ease frustrations when trying to teach my students.

Orthopedic Disability Simulation

Today's simulation was "orthopedic disability," aka "spend 2.5 hours in a wheelchair and barely get an idea of how hard it is to be confined to one."  We had 9 things we had to do during our allotted time period and try not to ask for help and NOT use the explanation that this was for a class. Overall it was difficult in some areas and not noticeable in others.

Task 1: Using an Elevator
      This was probably one of the easier tasks, except that it's hard to turn around in some elevators so you end up backing out to get off. One semi-annoyance was that because I'm so used to going up stairs, it was odd to have to find an elevator. It was fine by myself but when my roommate met up with me to study, I had to redirect her to the elevator so we could change locations.

Task 2: Using a Handicap button
     The main problem with using a handicap button is that the doors aren't open long enough and the door that opens isn't wide enough to fit a chair through. However, it's WAY easier to use than a standard door. Another thing I noticed is that when leaving a building, the handicap door always went against the flow of traffic.

Task 3: Going Down a Hill
     I didn't think going down-hill would bring up any problems but I VERY soon realized that the friction between the wheel-bars/grips and my hands can make for a very painful experience. I instinctively stuck out my foot to stop myself when a nice young man offered, nay insisted, on helping me down the hill. We talked about how he'd had knee surgery and couldn't walk for 6 weeks. He was the only one who didn't ask me why I was in a chair.

Task 4: Drinking Fountain
     Getting a drink wasn't terribly hard, and I only got a little dribble of water on my pants. It was about this time that I realized I can't multi-task. I had also filled up my water bottle and instead of walking away and screwing on the lid, I had to sit there and screw the lid on or risk getting water everywhere by putting the open bottle on my lap and wheeling away.

Task 5: Ask for Assistance
     There wasn't really ever a need to ask for help. Everyone seemed so willing to pick things up for me, open doors, and push me along. The only thing I had asked for was people to move out of the way when I was trying to get in line for food.

Task 6: Regular Door
     I didn't realize how difficult doors can be! Going into the bathroom I tried to swing the door open really far and hoped I could make it. Mid-way through the back swing, I wasn't even close to being through the door and this girl came to my aid. She said her friend was in a wheelchair and knew how hard it could be to open a standard door. Going out was a bit easier. I just charged the door and pulled my self out of the bathroom. I bet I looked like something else...

Task 7: Handicapped Bathroom Stall
**WARNING: Possibly uncomfortable topic**
     One word describes this task: IMPOSSIBLE. First, the handicap stall wasn't big enough to get my chair in there, let along maneuver it around to get me to the toilet. After staring at the thing for a few minutes, I still had no idea how I was going to make this work. How would I transfer myself from my chair to the toilet? If I managed to transfer, how would I maneuver my clothes? I "successfully" got on and "everything" but getting off was another story. So I'll admit, I cheated. I stood up to re-situate myself  then transferred back onto my chair.
     Initially I thought I'd be able to straddle the toilet, but that would've been fully clothed. So I came home and looked up some handicap toilets but the only modification I found was more handle bars. This still requires a lot of upper-body strength. There needed to be an option that allowed me to slide onto the toilet and allow me to get my pants off. I eventually found this more handicap friendly toilets (excuse the language in the article, I'm just showing an example of a potentially helpful toilet) but how much would something like this cost? It seems like money causes a lot of problems with the solution shouldn't really be that expensive.

Task 8 & 9: Going Up a Hill/ Help with a Tough Spot
     I'm a wuss, so going up the babiest of all baby hills was difficult. I had my roommate with me, mostly for moral support. I was determined to make it up that stupid slight incline even if it killed me. Once I reach the plateau of that and the daddy hill another kind young man pushed me the rest of the way to the top. I felt uncomfortable about him pushing at first but by this point I was too tired to care. (*side note: he eventually asked my roommate on a date. More to come of that? No idea. :P )

Not-So-Final-Thoughts
-Students at BYU-Idaho seem willing to help with EVERYTHING (seriously. I dropped my water bottle and as soon as it hit the ground a young man was offering to help). I really shouldn't have been annoyed because he was kind, but I didn't even have the chance to try for myself. This was a common theme of this experience.
-a young woman thought she recognized me because one of her friends was in a wheel chair... I'm still confused
-Where do I put my phone? How do I better access my backpack? (silly, but those were some questions I had)
-NOTHING IS WIDE ENOUGH FOR WHEELCHAIRS!!! Not line-dividers at restaurants (I literally moved all the poles to make the lane wider), doorways, bathroom stalls, aisles in stores...
-One of the most shocking was how often I was asked "what happened?" It it just me or is that kind of rude? What if I was born without use of my legs, was in an accident or even had advanced MS? Most of the time I just laughed it off and said nothing much or I eventually told them it was for my class. What was there intention behind this question?

Week 3: Special Education Procedures and Services

This week was a little less overwhelming than last week. I think it’s because I’m getting a better idea of what’s expected and the general idea of the class. I’m getting more comfortable with the terminology and the purpose/goals of Special Education services. We talked about the 6 Principles of IDEA, related services, responses to intervention and laws derived from court rulings. I thought it was interesting that some simple interventions like moving the student’s seat, making tests easier, simplifying directions and actually observing the student can make interventions that can prevent special education services. How simple is that?!

Aside from reading the material and attending class I didn’t do much more to learn the material. I’m having a hard time applying what I’m learning to my day-to-day interactions so it’s hard to metabolize the information and make it meaningful. Because of this I don’t feel entirely comfortable to apply this learning. I might remember and apply some of it, but at this point I don’t know what.

One activity that was especially helpful was the matching activity we did in class on Wednesday. We got an envelope with strips of paper with terms and definitions and with our multidisciplinary team (MDT) we had to put them together. This was helpful because it organized the material and showed the gaps in my understanding.

On Friday we had a presentation on Developmental Delay, which is basically a broad name for a variety of disabilities. I found this label would be helpful especially because it’s used up to age 9, when the child’s disability might not be clear enough for a specific label. The only problem is that after age 9 in order to still receive services, the child needs to receive a specific label. This can cause contention with the parents and educators because the label often had an attached stigma and parents fear that the label with negate everything else the child is. It was helpful to hear this from my peers because they’re learning it at the same time I am, so their explanations seem more in-line with how my brain is also processing the information.

Questions: How do we separate labels (for service eligibility), from the stigma of those labels? 

Stuttering Simulation

"Disability Application Day – Fluency Disorder (stuttering)
Stuttering is primarily speech that is disrupted by rate, rhythm or smoothness. Disruptions in speech occur in all speakers and may increase when someone is nervous or talking about content they are less familiar with. However, when unusual disruptions occur or when common disruptions occur frequently or for prolonged periods of time, these dysfluencies are perceived as abnormal. 99-97% fluent speech is perceived as normal and any thing more disruptive than 97% is often perceived as stuttering."

I had the opportunity to attempt this fluency disorder simulation. I had to ask for help, order at a restaurant, ask for directions or ask questions while checking out at a grocery store. I went to a grocery store and talked to the cashier and then asked for directions to a restaurant while in the parking lot.

I was super uncomfortable for a few different reasons. First, I didn't know how to make my stutter sound genuine. Secondly, I didn't like everyone staring. Well, it seemed like everyone was staring and judging. The third and biggest reason is a very good friend of mine talks with a stutter and I felt like I was mocking him. I hated it. I have a lot of respect for him and I felt like pretending I had a stutter would be degrading somehow.

I realized that while I was trying to get my words out, people would try and anticipate what I was going to say and say it for me. They wouldn't let me talk. I felt like what I really wanted to say was unimportant and they just wanted to get it over with. My roommates were easier to work with because they know me and they know my friend who stutters. I realized that I still try and anticipate what he's trying to say, or clarify what he's saying and how rude that is. It also made me realize that having a fluency disorder doesn't mean a lack of cognitive ability, it just.... is.