LE4-8 -- Research Article

 Task One

Research a LD journal article of interest to you. Create a two-page presentation of your choice or create a two-page brochure for guardians / parents.

Include the reference source.

Fernández-Alcántara, M., Correa-Delgado, C., Muñoz, Á., Salvatierra, M. T., Fuentes-Hélices, T., & Laynez-Rubio, C. (2017). Parenting a Child with a Learning Disability: A Qualitative Approach. International Journal of Disability, Development, and Education, 64(5), 526–543. https://doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2017.1296938

A brief summary.

This is a qualitative study that describes experiences associated with parenting children who have been diagnosed with learning disabilities. The study looks at parents of children who have diagnoses that include learning disabilities, ADHD, and Asperger syndrome that cause the children to have difficulty at school. The themes that came about as a result of this study are: emotions of parents, diagnosis and cause, daily experiences, social relationships, and worries about the future. The adults studied were from a varied demographic in terms of gender, highest academic level, living arrangements, and employment. The children in question were approximately 7-14 years of age.

Implications.

According to the article, the diagnosis of a learning disability can impact the family, creating emotional responses that can impact the relationship between the parents and the child.

Important to know: 

-Parents of children with ADHD have been found to worry about medication because of it's usefulness but also because of the side effects. 

-Mothers of children with dyslexia (reading disability) tend to have anxiety. Parents of children with LDs worry about school performance, their child's behaviour, and what the future holds for their child.

-Children with Asperger syndrome are looped in with children with non-verbal LDs in this study (and in the DSM-V). Parents of these children worry about their child's future/adulthood as well as their social-emotional development.

Findings:

emotions of parents 

-reports of sadness and frustration
-many perceived themselves as bad parents because of the frustration they've felt in trying to help their child
-guilt, helplessness for not knowing how to cope or help the child
-blame themselves for not knowing how to manage child's behaviour
-trouble establishing emotional bond with the child

diagnosis and cause

-some parents feel less stressed out if they realize that the disability is a neuro-cognitive impairment that has nothing to do with parenting
-some parents have trouble accepting that the LD can't be overcome with hard work and willpower

daily experiences

1. at home
-ADHD is a constant battle (e.g., when doing homework or experiencing changes in routine)
-desperation when trying to get the child to do daily things, such as take a shower or get to school on time
-medication helps, but parents feel guilt about side effects

2. relations with teachers
-parents perceive teachers to be an obstacle if the teacher does not understand and adapt to the LD
-parents worry about the treatment their children are receiving at school -- some do not want their child to get special treatment

3. positive aspects of the child
-parents are proud of the efforts of their children to overcome their LD
-parents highlight the positive aspects of their children's character
-parents are appreciative of their child's talents

social relationships

-worry that their children are loners at school
-worry about conflicts with other children
-worry about trouble understanding other kids' point of view or feelings 
-worry about emotions of shame and low self-esteem
-worry about bullying

worries about the future

-worry about academic performance and transition to high school
-worry about what happens when the child goes off their medications
-worries about dependence on the medication, addiction
-worries about issues of social isolation

Translation to the classroom.

As an educator working in a self-contained LD classroom, it is important to me to be able to understand the home life side of the child, which includes how their parents approach life with an LD. Especially in cases where the LD diagnosis is new, I want to understand what the concerns might be so I can try to foster a partnership with the parents that is founded on understanding and trust. The complexity that comes with multiple diagnoses, such as LD and ADHD, could be even more of a struggle for parents, and I want to be able to help by discussing strategies that we can use at school and at home. 
 

Seek feedback from your presentation, ie., Exit Card, Three Wishes, etc.

LE4-6 - Advocacy and Student Voice

 

Barrier	Strategies / Supports
Goal Setting	Provide sample goals. Set small goals with student input. Have the student monitor each small goal. Student conferences to review goals.
Self-awareness	Conference with the student about strengths and struggles. Recognize successes.
Approaching teachers to discuss needs	Provide direct instruction on how to self-advocate. Model/Role play/practice scenarios. Regular checks for understanding. Post steps on how to ask for help in the classroom (for all students to use).
Fear of being different	Develop a signal for student to quietly ask for help. Preferential seating close to those the student is comfortable asking for help.
Student voice	Regular conferences for direct instruction on how to self-advocate. Practice assertive body language. Practice assertive language to use when advocating for self.

 

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LE4-5 - Transition Plans

 

Specific Goal: Successful transition from Grade 8 to Grade 9
Actions Required:	Name of Person(s) Responsible for Actions:	Timelines:
ie., Review IPRC for Sandy and pathway discussion for Grade 9.	High school student services, principal, school team, and parents.	November
Organize an observation for staff at the receiving school to observe Sandy in school and become familiar with her programming.	High school student services (SERT), elementary classroom teacher.	May-June
Organize a visit for Sandy to see her new school environment and meet some staff.	High school student services (SERT, guidance), receiving principal. elementary school team (SERT), parents.	Late August-September
Organize a transition meeting with the team at the receiving school to share strategies that have worked for Sandy regarding her anxiety and her struggles with reading as well as how she is using her assistive technology.	High school student services (SERT, guidance), receiving principal, elementary school team (SERT, principal), parents.	June

LE4-4 - Alternative Learning Expectations

Subject / Course / Alternative Program: When Sandy is asked to decode in a Guided reading group she begins to both distract and spread negative rumors about other students in her reading group.
Current Level of Achievement: (Describes starting point for plan development) Letter Grade / Mark: Curriculum Grade Level:	Current Level of Achievement for Alternative Program: Behaviours connected to her anxiety are leading to avoidance of reading and distraction strategies.
Annual Program Goal(s): A goal statement describes what a student can reasonably be expected to accomplish by the end of the school year in a particular subject, course or alternative program. ie., Before reading and after reading a passage, Sandy will demonstrate one positive comment and or gesture about each peer. When working with a guided reading group, Sandy will be able to recognize what is triggering her anxious feelings and engage in growth mindset self-talk to work toward more positive participation.

Learning Expectations (Knowledge and/or skills to be assessed by reporting period, including Grade level.)	Teaching Strategies (List only those that are different for this student and specific to the learning expectations for the subject/course/alternative program.)	Assessment Methods (For expectations for each reporting period.)
i.e., Demonstrate a positive comment and or action toward a peer.	Use a T-chart to illustrate positive comments and or actions. Role play actions-comments. Model. Explicit Teaching through think aloud. Reduce guided group membership initially (Sandy and one other student.) Provide positive and descriptive feedback.	Checklist, anecdotal notes.
Develop an awareness of how it feels in her body when she is anxious and notice what causes her to feel anxious.	Visual for understanding the difference between feeling calm and feeling anxious. Explore strategies for calming anxious feelings when they arise (e.g., breathing, etc.). Explicit teaching, modeling, and practice using related language. Positive feedback when proficiency is demonstrated.	Conference. Anecdotal notes/behaviour log.
Focus on growth mindset self-talk to help in developing self-esteem and confidence when asked to read.	Provide alternative language to "I can't read" such as "I'm going to give this a try." Avoid putting her on the spot -- give her a warning that she will be asked to read so she can prepare. Perhaps allow her to pre-read.  Start with small, simple readings to build confidence. Use growth mindset language to encourage and provide feedback.	Demonstration of reading skill. Notes describing progress over time.

LE4-3 - Modified Learning Expectations

 

Subject / Course / Alternative Program: Language (Reading)
Current Level of Achievement: (Describes starting point for plan development) Letter Grade / Mark: 70% Curriculum Grade Level: 5	Current Level of Achievement for Alternative Program:
Annual Program Goal(s): A goal statement describes what a student can reasonably be expected to accomplish by the end of the school year in a particular subject, course or alternative program. ie., Sandy will receive a DRA Developmental Reading Assessment Score of at least 60 (Grade 6) by the end of June. Sandy will work toward completing expectations in the grade 6 Reading curriculum, which are modified in number and complexity. Her focus will be on using her assistive technology to read texts and to demonstrate her understanding of texts using a variety of comprehension strategies.

Learning Expectations (Knowledge and/or skills to be assessed by reporting period, including Grade level.)	Teaching Strategies (List only those that are different for this student and specific to the learning expectations for the subject/course/alternative program.)	Assessment Methods (For expectations for each reporting period.)
i.e., Read a variety of text at the Grade 6-7 levels.	Guided reading. Repeated reading. Books on tape. Use e-text.	DRA. Running records.
Sandy will demonstrate an understanding of teacher selected texts by summarizing important ideas and explaining how the details support the main ideas.	Guided and shared reading with modeling of thought process. Graphic organizer, such as 5Ws. Assistive technology - text-to-speech. Repetition.	Conference with teacher. Guided reading anecdotal notes.
Sandy will make personal and text connections to other texts and events of the world.	Guided instruction. Sentence starters/prompts for making connections.	Check-ins and exit passes. Anecdotal notes.

LE4-2 - Accommodations

Student Profile: Sarah

Sarah is in Grade 7 and has struggled with both written expression and number sequencing. She was identified as an exceptional student in Grade 4 (Communication – Learning Disability / Withdrawal Support). A psycho-educational assessment indicated that her cognitive functioning was in the solidly average range. The following academic areas illustrated a discrepancy when compared to her cognitive ability.

-Written Expression

-Number Sense Numeration (Sequencing Numbers)

The discrepancy was associated with executive functioning and visual spatial processing difficulties.

Instructional Accommodations

-Assistive Technology (speech-to-text, word prediction)

-Graphic organizers

-Manipulatives

-Concrete hands-on materials


Environmental Accommodations

-Proximity to teacher

-Alternate work space

-Use of headphones

-Reduction of distractions

Assessment Accommodations

-Use of assistive technology

-Extra response time

-Oral responses

-Reduction in number of tasks to complete

LE4-1 - IEP Contents

IEP Contents	What I know so far…	What I might need to know…	What resonated after I viewed the presentation...
Assessment Data	Two types of assessment data used to inform the IEP:  1. Clinical: psych ed assessments, OT reports, speech language assessments, medical diagnoses (e.g., ADHD), audiologist report, etc. 2. Educational: current reading level, assessments done by SERT (WFAS, Key Math, etc.).	Did I miss any key assessments that are important for kids with LD?	These assessments document why there is a need for the IEP, which is a great way of looking at it. This is the first place I look when I first access an IEP because it helps me to situate myself within the strengths and needs of the student.
Strengths / Needs	Strengths and needs within academics,  learning skills, and social skills that inform the IEP. Strengths can be used with in modified programming, for example, to determine how the student will show what they know. Needs inform the accommodations and modification that are documented for the student.	Is there anything specific to kids with LDs that I missed?	I like how slide 9 of the PPT talks about the reasons why we create IEPs:  Knowing your students Knowing where they are at in their learning Knowing where they need to go in their learning Knowing how to get them to where they need to go in their learning
Accommodations	Three types of accommodations are put in place to ensure the student has what they need regarding:  1. Instruction: What teachers need to remember when teaching curriculum to the student from day to day.  2. Environment: What needs to be in place for the student within the learning environment. 3. Assessment: What needs to be available for the student during assessments, including standardized testing. Accommodations can be given to any student but they are essential for students who have them documented in their IEPs.	I can't think of anything.	These are key strategies, supports, and tech that are in use. It's so important to remember that these are accommodations that are different from what the rest of the class is receiving.
Modified Programming	Subject area programming can be modified for a student if they are unable to work at grade level, or if they would benefit from a reduction in expectations, in number and/or complexity. This section lists current achievement level, program goal for the school year, and targeted learning expectations.	I can't think of anything.	Modified learning expectations also include teaching strategies and assessment methods, which can be used to highlight the strengths of the student.
Alternative Expectations	Areas that are not included in the curriculum but still need attention can be documented as alternative expectations. These can include learning skills or social skills or even adaptive skills.	I'm expecting to have to write some of these for the first time this fall (there were none on my caseload this year) and so this will be some learning for me. It would be interesting to see a list of typical alternative expectations that are written for students with severe LDs.	These expectations are reported on via an alternative report card.
Transition Planning	Documented supports for helping students through transitions, such as: class to class, school year to school year, elementary school to high school. These plans outline what to consider and who needs to be involved, as well as timelines for completion.	I can't think of anything.	Include parents in the transition plan/process.