GDEAF 2004 Tuesday, July 20, 2004 Melody Stoner, PhD Student Georgia State University

Writing IEPs that Work for Students who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing

and Exhibit Multiple Disabilities

GDEAF 2004Tuesday, July 20, 2004

Melody Stoner, PhD StudentGeorgia State University

Who Am I? (Part 1 of 2)

Teacher of high school students at AASDSpecial needsLanguage delayedFunctional curriculumVocational objectives

Doctoral student at Georgia State University in Special Education

Concentration in language development of students who are deaf/hard of hearing

Former secondary English teacher in general education setting

Who Am I? (Part 2 of 2)Mother of a beautiful two year old daughter

Who Are You?

Why is this information important to you?

As a teacher of the deaf, you will teach students who have additional disabilities“Softer” disabilities (i.e., learning disabilities) tend to remain unidentified in our population, while more obvious disabilities (i.e., cerebral palsy) are identified and managedAdditional disorders have a synergistic effect

Disabilities work together to compound effects of individual disabilities

Gallaudet Research InstituteRegional and National Summary, 2002-2003

Students who are D/HH with identified additional disabilities

South N South % Nation N Nation %

Total N 13972 100.0 40282 100.0

No report 834 6.0 3670 9.1

Total known 13138 100.0 36612 100.0

D/HH only 7998 60.9 22173 60.6

Low vision 398 3.0 1015 2.8

Legally blind 233 1.8 576 1.6

LD 889 6.8 3752 10.2

MR 1137 8.7 3411 9.3

ADD 859 6.5 2404 6.6

ED 221 1.7 672 1.8

CP 463 3.5 1211 3.3

Other 2088 15.9 4632 12.7

GRI Summary of the South RegionStudents who are D/HH

with identified additional disabilities

61

3 27 8 7

2 4

16

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

D/HH only

Low vision

Legally blind

LD

MR

ADD

ED

CP

Other


Functional assessment of students who are D/HH (Part 1 of 3)


Total N 13972 100.0 40282 100.0

No report 856 6.1 2443 6.1

Total known

13116 100.0 37839 100.0

No functional limitations

3416 26.0 11480 30.3

1 or more functional limitations

9700 74.0 26359 69.7




Vision 1708 13.0 4758 12.6

Thinking/

Reasoning

4594 35.0 13119 34.7

Maintaining attention

5080 38.7 14543 38.4

Expressive communication

7714 58.8 19875 52.5

Receptive communication

7751 59.1 20141 53.2




Social interaction/Classroombehavior

3917 29.9 11528 30.5

Use of hands, arms, and legs

1580 12.0 4671 12.3

Balance 1348 10.3 3894 10.3

Overall physical health

1454 11.1 4256 11.2

GRI Summary of the South RegionFunctional assessment of

students who are D/HH

13

3539

59 59

30

12 10 11

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Vision

Think/Reason

Maint attn

Exp comm

Recep comm

Soc/Behav

Use of limbs

Balance

Health

What do all those numbers and charts mean?

Recall why this is important to you…

Your students most likely have other disabilities, perhaps unidentified

A functional assessment of your students will provide more information than a label will

Consider the following statistics… (Part 1 of 6)

3% and 1.8% identified as low-vision or blind

13% difficulty with vision

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Low vision

Blind

Visiondifficulty

Statistics, continued(Part 2 of 6)

8.7% identified as having MR35% difficulty with thinking/reasoning

58.8% difficulty with expressive communication

59.1% difficulty with receptive communication

29.9% difficulty with social interaction/classroom behavior

38.7% difficulty with maintaining attention

0

20

40

60 MR

Think/reason

EC

RC

S/B

Attn


3.5% identified as having CP12% identified as having difficulty with hands, arms, or legs10.3% identified as having difficulty with balance

0

5

10

15

CP

Use limbs

Balance


6.8% identified as having LD35% difficulty with thinking/reasoning58.8% difficulty with expressive communication59.1% difficulty with receptive communication38.7% difficulty with maintaining attention29.9% difficulty with social interaction/classroom behavior

0

20

40

60 LD

Think/reason

EC

RC

Attn

S/B


6.5% identified as having ADD38.7% difficulty maintaining attention29.9% difficulty social interaction/classroom behavior

0

10

20

30

40

ADD

Attn

S/B


1.7% identified as having ED29.9% difficulty with social interaction/classroom behavior35% difficulty with thinking/reasoning58.8% difficulty expressive communication59.1% difficulty receptive communication

0

20

40

60 ED

S/B

Think/reason

EC

RC

What do you think?

Are these your students?

They are mine…

They exhibit difficulties in these areas without always being identified

What can you do?

Observe, collect data, write a great PLOP, and meet their needs with a well-thought out, comprehensive IEP

Case Studies2003-2004 School Year

Antonio Alanis(Permission granted to use real names of all students)

16 year old Hispanic maleAttended school in Mexico without servicesMoved to the U.S. three years ago

Began school in a self-contained classroom for students who were deaf within a large metro-area public school

Moved to the Atlanta area two years agoBegan attending AASD at age 14

Placed in special needs classroom

Limited English and ASL skillsPrimarily used gestures and home-based signs

Antonio, continued

Spanish spoken in the homeCommunicates with parents and siblings in the home and peers in community via gesture and limited writingAdditional challenge faced by Antonio

Suspected MIDResult of limited language input in formative years or is this a true estimate of Antonio’s ability?

Placed in language-delayed classroom for 2004-2005 school year

Emphasis on concept development and language/communication skills

What is the functional impact of Antonio’s challenges in the classroom? (Part 1 of 3) (Suspected MoID)

Easily distracted and needs structure in instruction and activity

Needs cues for relevant informationHas a limited concept of “theme”

Needs instruction in organization of new information within a thematic structure

Easily forgets new informationNeeds repetition and organizational structure

Difficulty generalizingNeeds multiple repetitions of new information in various settings


Poor question comprehension/responseNeeds cue to attend to question and type of response required

Difficulty taking turnsNeeds cue to wait for other’s acknowledgement before speaking

Difficulty admitting role of participation in argument with peer

Needs assistance reviewing issue and effects of his actions

Uncomfortable communicating with unfamiliar others in community

Needs assistance advocating for self


Unfamiliar with community services (i.e., grocery store, hospital)

Needs multiple CBI trips with prior instruction and follow-up to clarify “theme” of specified community service

Authoritative in classroom, but follower in community

Needs specific support moving from being a follower to being a leader with teacher removing supports as he develops

Little sense of self-direction for future and limited concept of what he “could be

Needs vocational instruction with community trips to investigate options

Sheama Atteya

17 year old Yemeni femaleAttended schools in Kansas and Colorado

School for the deaf Self-contained classroom for the deaf within a larger public school

Moved to Atlanta area around five years agoBegan attending AASD


Native language in the home is Yemeni

Sheama, continued

Communicates with mother using some signs and English printCommunicates with siblings and father using gesturesAdditional challenges faced by Sheama

Low-VisionMoIDHeart disorder

Placed in special needs classroom for 2004-2005 school year

Emphasis on vocational training and language/concept expansion

What is the functional impact of Sheama’s challenges in the classroom? (Part 1 of 6) (Low-Vision)

Difficulty determining depth and distanceDifficulty scanning and matching

Needs direct physical hand-over-hand instructionNeeds instruction in types of designs and colors that match and don’t clash as well as what fits and doesn’t fit

Limited spontaneous learning from immediate visual environment

Needs to be physically cued that something in the environment is important to her

Limited direct eye contact and seemingly uncontrollable eye movements

Appears not to be paying attention nor care if communication partner is attending to her

Needs instruction in critical nature of eye contact in effective communication within functional communication curriculum

What is the functional impact of Sheama’s challenges in the classroom? (Part 2 of 6) (Low-Vision, continued)

Easily tired and needs low lights on difficult daysNeeds frequent breaks when doing text-intensive workNeeds reminders to make written work neaterNeeds to be seated close to the board

Needs a minimum of visual distractions Doesn’t always see others, so assumes they can’t see her

Needs to be reminded that others are present and can see her actions/words

Doesn’t always follow group conversations; conversation may be quick and she misses critical information

Needs to be cued as to who is speaking and to attend to that personTeacher also needs to summarize conversations for her

What is the functional impact of Sheama’s challenges in the classroom? (Part 3 of 6) (MoID)

Difficulty generalizingNeeds multiple practice opportunities in a variety of settings

Simple concepts must be taught with multiple opportunities for practice

May need physical hand-over-hand instruction, gradually reducing to gentle touches to guide

Poor mental and physical organization, seems to miss half of information presented

Needs structured environment as well as instruction in how to structure new conceptsNeeds lots of repetition in short chunksNeeds to be cued as to what is critical in the messageNeeds to be cued as to who is speaking and to attend to that person, and a cue for the next speaker

What is the functional impact of Sheama’s challenges in the classroom? (Part 4 of 6) (MoID, continued)

Limited understanding of importance of personal hygiene

Needs a structured system for personal hygieneNeeds instruction in taking the point of view of another person

Little concept of the wholeNeeds instruction in thematic constructionsNeeds instruction in how to organize new information into the overall themeNeeds instruction as to ways different themes can be interrelated

Has difficulty carrying on a conversation of more than two or three exchanges as well as limited understanding of turn taking and basic conversational etiquette

Needs more instruction in “topic” and relevant vocabulary for various topicsNeeds instruction in higher order thinking skills

What is the functional impact of Sheama’s challenges in the classroom? (Part 5 of 6) (MoID, continued)

Poor question comprehension/responseNeeds cue to attend to question and type of

response required Uncomfortable communicating with unfamiliar others in community

Needs assistance advocating for self

Little sense of self-direction for future and limited concept of what he “could be


What is the functional impact of Sheama’s challenges in the classroom? (Part 6 of 6) (Heart Disorder)

Chest pain may cause fearTeacher needs to reassure

Consult with physician to determine what degree of chest pain is life threatening May manifest self as indigestion

Collaborate with nurse to determine how to treat various episodes

May become light-headed and faintCollaborate with nurse to determine best response

Becomes tired easilyHave built-in break times

May malingerNeed to consult with nurse to determine when pain is real and seriousAlways treat an event as real; with experience, you will learn the characteristics of a real event

Eric McGruder

15 year old African-American maleBegan school in Macon, GA with interpreterTransferred to AASD three or four years ago


English language used at home

Eric, continued

Communicates with parents and siblings in the home and peers in community via some English signs and limited writingAdditional challenge faced by Eric

MID



What is the functional impact of Eric’s challenges in the classroom? (Part 1 of 2) (MoID)

Has a limited concept of “theme”Needs instruction in organization of new information within a thematic structure



Redirect attentionNeeds to be cued as to what is relevant

What is the functional impact of Eric’s challenges in the classroom? (Part 2 of 2) (MoID, continued)


Uncomfortable communicating with unfamiliar others in community

Needs assistance advocating for selfLittle sense of self-direction for future and limited concept of what he “could be


John Albert Smith

18 year old white male

Began attending AASD at age 3

English language used at home

Communicates with parents and siblings in the home and peers in community via gestures and some English-based signs

John Albert, continued

Additional challenges faced by John Albert:

MoIDCerebral palsySeizures



What is the functional impact of John Albert’s challenges in the classroom? (Part 1 of 4) (MoID)

Has a limited concept of “theme”Needs instruction in organization of new information within a thematic structure



Difficulty maintaining attention and rehearsing new information

Needs to be cued as to what is relevantPoor mental and physical organization, seems to miss half of information presented

Needs structured environment as well as instruction in how to structure new conceptsNeeds lots of repetition in short chunksNeeds to be cued as to what is critical in the messageNeeds to be cued as to who is speaking and to attend to that person, and a cue for the next speaker

What is the functional impact of John Albert’s challenges in the classroom? (Part 2 of 4) (MoID, continued)

Little concept of the wholeNeeds instruction in thematic constructionsNeeds instruction in how to organize new information into the overall themeNeeds instruction as to ways different themes can be interrelated

Has difficulty carrying on a conversation of more than two or three exchanges as well as limited understanding of turn taking and basic conversational etiquette

Needs more instruction in “topic” and relevant vocabulary for various topicsNeeds instruction in higher order thinking skills


What is the functional impact of John Albert’s challenges in the classroom? (Part 3 of 4) (Cerebral palsy)

Difficulty using left handNeeds assistance in communicating efficiently and effectively via writing and signing

Sometimes uses a communication board

Needs additional time to complete assignments, often work with a partner/group or less work requiring use of hand

Often tiredNeeds frequent scheduled breaks

What is the functional impact of John Albert’s challenges in the classroom? (Part 4 of 4) (Seizures)

When loses consciousness, will be exhausted and confusedBe ready to provide support and rest

If a lesser seizure, may seem to be daydreaming and will miss information

Need to pair with another student to rein back inMay need to guide student away from hazards in some seizuresNeed to know what types of seizures are possible so can document

Description of seizureTime of dayLength of seizure

Be aware of different protocols in place to address different types of seizures when they occur

Sometimes there is no treatment if there is no injury

How should you assess a student for the purpose of developing a good PLOP? (Part 1 of 2)

What are your ideas? What kind of information do you think you should gather on your students?How should you gather information on the student?

Multiple opportunitiesFormal and informal

Where should you gather information on the student?

Multiple locationsMultiple situations

How should you assess a student for the purpose of developing a good PLOP? (Part 2 of 2)

How should you record/present the information on the student?

VideotapesCD-RomsPicturesPhotocopies of written workBar graphs and line graphs for demonstrating improvement over timePortfolios to show an accumulation of workStandard testing material record keeping forms

Modify as necessary to fit your needs, but make note of this

Writing

Multiple samples in a variety of settingsFormal and informal classroom assignments and interactionsWith peers, parents, and larger community outside the classroomIf working, with co-workers on the job site

Multiple genres in a variety of settingsNarrativeExpositoryPersuasiveFunctional (i.e., completing forms)Topic given versus no topic givenPicture support versus no picture supportLots of guidance, some guidance, minimal guidance, or no guidance at all

Multiple raters

Reading

Word recognition in isolationGraded vocabulary listsFunctional vocabulary listsWord recognition in contextComprehension

Multiple texts, multiple genres, multiple testsFiction and non-fictionPicture support and no picture supportBackground knowledge versus no background knowledgePractice versus no practice

You will be able to provide a “grade level range” for your student, depending upon the context and text, rather than a static “grade level”

Listening

Multiple texts, multiple genres, multiple testsStudents are generally able to perform at a higher level in listening than in readingYou will be able to provide a “grade level range” for your student, depending upon the context and text, rather than a static “grade level”

Social/Emotional/Behavioral Skills

Observe in formal and informal interactions with a variety of partners and groupsDetermine where breakdowns in communication are and establish situations to support effective communicationDetermine what social skills are lacking and pick the most critical

They’re not all criticalSet up situations to teach formally, always look for the teachable moment, “people watch” and discuss, and model yourself

Mathematical Calculation and Reasoning

Multiple formal grade level assessmentsLots of assistanceSome assistanceMinimal assistanceNo assistance

Informal assessments of problem-solving strategiesProvide opportunities to use math reasoning in real-life situations independently and with assistance

Communicative CompetencyCollect data on multiple occasions in multiple situations with multiple communication partners

Consider if academic or casual Highest level of language will be seen “at play”

– You will be pleasantly surprised and amazed if you observe them with their friends at lunch

How many different ways do they attempt to get their message acrossAre they accessing all available optionsProvide opportunities to learn about all options that would be successful for the student

ASL to SEE continuumCommunication boardsDrawingGesturingWritingEye gaze/blinkHead nod

ASL Skill Competency

Will not be standardized Provides good information for the parent and teacher for future instruction

For example:Role shift

Negation

Pronominalization

Classifiers

Vocational SkillsOnly if age-appropriateEspecially if on functional curriculum, needs experience in a variety of job settings

Observe to determine weaknessesIt is rarely the job itself that presents a problemIt is more often the lack of communication, lack of initiative, and lack of social skills that cause an employee who is deaf to lose a job

Set up realistic problem-solving situationsCommunication with othersCollaboration/cooperation with othersSpeed and care with which work is completedWork ethicFollowing rules of the job siteFollowing directionsAsking for assistance in a timely manner of the right person

How do you write a PLOP with useful information in it?

There should be a direct relationship between the PLOP and the objectives selected for the next year’s IEP.In other words, the PLOP and IEP should address the student’s weaknesses.What are the components of a good PLOP?

As age appropriateReadingWritingListeningMathSocial/emotionalCommunicationASLVocation

Here are some examples of well-written PLOPs.

Look at Antonio’s PLOP.What are his weaknesses?

Look at Sheama’s PLOP. What are her weaknesses?

Look at Eric’s PLOP. What are his weaknesses?

Look at John Albert’s PLOP.What are his weaknesses?

Hold on to the weaknesses you identified and we will see if the IEP addressed them later.

How do you write an IEP with useful information in it? (Part 1 of 5)

Where do you get your objectives?Georgia Performance Standards (GPS)Functional curriculaBoth

Depends on the needs of the studentHow do you clarify your objectives for next year’s teacher to teach what you intended?

Write all over the IEPCross out what you don’t want and add in what you wantCollaborate if you are in the same school, for you are the expert on that child


What are the areas in which you should have objectives?

CommunicationReadingWritingMathSocial/Emotional/BehavioralVocational

How many objectives are too many? Too few? Is there a “magic” number?


You have been with the students for a year and know what they are capable of learning in a school yearLook at the current year’s IEP

What type of concepts were covered How expansive were the concepts coveredHow did the student perform this yearWhat are the few critical things the student should learn

Carefully pick the most critical objectives in this manner


It is better to have too few objectives than too many

It is better for the student to have a good command of a few critical things than to drown in too many things

It is much easier to add more objectives to the IEP than it is to subtract the following school year


Now we’re ready to match up the students’ PLOPs with their IEPs.

Three of you will each take a student and determine if the weaknesses identified in the PLOPs were addressed in the IEP for the following school year.

You have two or three minutes and be ready to share.

How do you work off of the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS), formerly known as the QCC?

How does a team decide when a student is not a candidate for GPS?

Is student unable to attain average performance within GPS with allowable and feasible modifications provided by IDEA?

What documentation does the team use to make this decision?

Formal and informal testing resultsMultiple observations by multiple observers from various backgroundsStudent and parent interviewsInterviews with current and former teachers

Where do your objectives come from if the student is not following the GPS?

Functional curricula

Here are some examples of functional curricula:

Checklist of Adaptive Living Skills (CALS) transfers to objectives from Adaptive Living Curriculum

Examples being passed around now

Can get objective ideas from the Brigance Inventories

Examples being passed around now

Can use All My Life’s A Circle to teach social skills

See example being passed around now

What should happen during the IEP meeting?

What should you talk to the parents about?What are parental concerns for near and later future?What are parents willing to do at home to support life-long learning?What do parents need assistance with?What do parents reasonably want to see on the IEP?

What type of vocabulary level and language should you use with the parents?

Feel them out and listen to them, you will learn what is effective for each set of parents

Should you be clear about the true outlook for the student?

Yes, but provide positive options several years in advance of graduation date

What are your questions and comments?

Feel free to contact me at any time:

[email protected] (home)

[email protected] (work, August-May)

Please e-mail me with any questions, concerns, comments, suggestions, and successes!

Assignment? Yes, assignment.

Make one goal for the 2004-2005 school year based upon this workshop and support each other in achieving this goal by contacting and replying to each other at least once a month via e-mail. Copy me to each of these e-mails.

Reference

Gallaudet Research Institute. (December 2003). Regional and national summary report of data from the 2002-2003 annual survey of deaf and hard of hearing

children and youth. Washington, DC: GRI, Gallaudet University.

GDEAF 2004 Tuesday, July 20, 2004 Melody Stoner, PhD Student Georgia State University

Documents

Transcript of GDEAF 2004 Tuesday, July 20, 2004 Melody Stoner, PhD Student Georgia State University