Week Four

Devontae’s family is African-American, and they live in a medium-sized city (think of Roanoke, VA or Charlottesville, VA). Both parents are medical doctors, Julius works as an ER doctor in the local hospital, and Sasha is an OB/GYN in a local private practice. They practice Islam and regularly attend the local mosque; they are part of a large group of friends who are all roughly the same age and are all professionals in one field or another. Both sets of grandparents are still living and live close by. Additionally, Julius’ two brothers live in the same town, and Sasha’s sister lives 30 minutes away.

Now at age 4, the Jones’ have found a way to begin to understand their son and his condition. It is still tough. Sasha and Julius are ever confident that they can love Devontae so much that he won’t even know of his difference. In spite of how difficult having a child with a disability can be, Devontae has helped Julius and Sasha to become closer. They have been able to hire a full-time, live-in nanny for Devontae so that he has someone to provide him care when his parents are at work. The nanny is highly qualified and has had training in ABA; he works closely with a local university to have students come out to help as well. The Jones family could not be happier with his work and his care for Devontae.

Devontae also has the chance to be with those in his extended family – he goes to each grandparent’s home once a week and gets to see his uncles regularly too. Though he is still non-verbal, he is remarkably communicative with those eyes. Everyone that meets him can see that he has so much going on in his little head – he just can’t express it.

Devontae has done well with sign language and knows several different words. He continues to improve in this area. His parents are learning too, and this helps with meeting his needs on a regular basis. Of course, he has his moments of severe dysregulation which usually mean a tantrum on the floor and some physical containment by his parents.  

1) Contrast what the Jones’ are able to do for Devontae with the typical service plan for a child who has Medicaid. What Medicaid-funded services would be available for Devontae from birth through age 4? What service would be available under IDEA Part B and IDEA Part C from birth through 4?

2) What are the typical developmental milestones for a 4 year old? How far off is Devontae likely to be from these?

3) What is known about the causes of Autism?  

4) If Devontae were to attend preschool, develop some goals and objectives that might be found on his IEP.

DECISION POINT ::: Does Devontae attend preschool? If so, where? Public or private?

Week Three

The listlessness that Devontae demonstrated continued to be an issue, and the Jones’ took him to a developmental pediatrician who diagnosed Devontae with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Devontae did not have recognizable verbalizations, and, now at age 2, Sasha and Julius at least had an answer for why Devontae was different from other children his age. They committed themselves to providing the very best for him in terms of interventions to help.

1) What are the major developmental milestones for a 2 year old child?

2) What physical and mental health risks exist for a 2 year old child? From what you know about Devontae, might any of the risks you identified apply to him?

3) Assuming money was not a factor, what would your group recommend with regard to a “gold standard” intervention for Devontae upon receiving the news that he had ASD? In what kinds of therapies would Devontae and/or the family participate at this time? What might Sasha and Julius expect in terms of Devontae’s speech patterns and the development of those?  

4) What is the impact on the family of a child receiving a diagnosis of Autism?

5) What else is important for you to know about Devontae’s family at this point? (Hint: Think about all that you don’t currently know about the family that could be helpful for you with regard to demographic information.)

Week Two

Devontae came into the world on a cold night in December. Sasha and Julius couldn’t have been happier. When Devontae came home from the hospital, the Jones had all of their family there and many people from their faith community. They were overjoyed.

A few months went by as Sasha and Julius settled into life with a newborn. They took Devontae to all of his pediatrician appointments, and he received all of his vaccinations. For some reason, Devontae just seemed a little less responsive than they might have expected – he seemed to be “listless” at times. The pediatrician was concerned and wanted to run some tests to see if everything was OK.

1) Describe the major developmental milestones in all domains from birth through six months of age.

2) What does “failure to thrive” mean? To what extent might it apply to Devontae? What else might be going on with him? What illnesses are a risk to children who are 3 to 6 months old? Should Sasha and Julius have Devontae tested?

3) Are vaccines safe for children? Is there any evidence that they cause Autism? Outline the nature of the controversy in the last several years regarding vaccinations and Autism. Would you recommend that Devontae continue to receive his immunizations? Why or why not? What are the risks if he does not receive them?

4) Describe typical practices in the three major Western religions with regard to the newborn baby. If the Jones practice Islam, are there specific practices or actions they would have undertaken when Devontae was born or shortly thereafter?

DECISION POINT

* Will Devontae continue to receive his immunizations?

Week One

Sasha Jones always wanted a child. She stayed awake at night dreaming of the day when she would have a little baby to call her own. She would love the baby with all of her heart. She felt certain that she was meant to have children, for that’s what her prayers and faith told her. But if that was what she felt so strongly, why had it taken her so long? And why wasn’t she now pregnant? She had gotten every book, read every website, gone to every class – foregoing her southern Islamic faith, she even went to an astrologer. Still, she and her husband continued to try. She worried that her health problems — high blood pressure and diabetes — were preventing her from having a child. They were both growing weary of the disappointment and were almost ready to give up. Then it happened – she was pregnant! She and Julius were overjoyed. God had finally blessed them! They would start right away – getting ready, picking out furniture, finally moving all of the stuff out of the old upstairs office to make room for a nursery. She told all of the other doctors at her office, and Julius shared the news with his staff.

1) What are the conditions that are most likely to lead to healthy development of the human being?

     

2) What is the effect of the mother’s psychological state on the health of the child in utero? Is there an effect?

3) How does the mother’s physical health affect pregnancy? What are the effects of medications for high blood pressure and diabetes on the developing child? Is Sasha still allowed to take her blood pressure medications? What are the risks?