Devontae has continued to grow and change throughout early and middle childhood. Now at age 12, his tantrums are mostly controlled; he began taking some medication (Risperdal) when he was 9. His parents, though in the medical field, were skeptical and have exercised great caution when putting him on medication. They feel like he is ready to move forward in his life without the meds.
The last few years have not been without challenge, however. Devontae had a particularly bad tantrum at the grocery store when he was 9 (just before going on the medication) and pulled down a display on top of himself. Some glass containers broke, and Devontae had some fairly significant lacerations. Getting him to the ER and helping him through the process of getting stitches involved sedatives. After this experience, Sasha and Julius developed a specific safety plan and put Devontae on medication to help manage the tantrums.
When he was 10, Devontae got into some difficulty at school with another boy in his class. He bit the boy after a misunderstanding involving a piece of notebook paper. Devontae was screaming and crying, and there was a little bit of blood from the boy's arm. Of course, both sets of parents were called, and Devontae was sent home for a few days. This incident was the last of its kind, and the school was able to put a plan in place to prevent such issues from happening in the future.
At age 12, Devontae is just beginning to experience the first signs of puberty. Sasha and Julius are uncertain about how to talk with him about the changes he is experiencing given his relatively low level of cognitive and emotional capacity.
1) When are transition goals developed for students with an IEP? What would some transition goals be for Devontae?
2) Describe typical developmental milestones for a 12 year old boy. How is Devontae atypical?
3) Write a dialogue that might take place between Devontae and one of his parents regarding the changes of puberty. How do they explain what is happening to his body to him?
4) How do schools consider disciplinary issues that arise from students who are on the Autism spectrum?
Transition goals are developed for students with an IEP when they turn 15 relating to employment, education training, and independent living skills. The Individualized Transition Plan (ITP) should take in account the child’s strengths, preferences, and interests which includes instruction, related services, and community experiences that will allow the student to further education or be integrated into training for employment. The goals would be developed around the least restrictive environment, the present level of performance, annual objectives and benchmarks, accommodations and modifications, related services concerning special education, and periodic reporting of progress. One transition goal for Devontae would be to continue his plan where his tantrums would not happen so that he could receive training in employment. Upon graduation, Devontae will enroll in a community college that is close to him where he will utilize the career counseling services in order to seek out a job. While at community college, he should be able to show keyboarding skills, on-task behavior, and improve reading comprehension skills with a tutor. At the career counseling services, they should identify his strengths and pick an appropriate place for employment in what suits him best therefore Devontae will work at a job that is close to where his parents work that does not involve working with a lot of people where he could easily get upset upon graduation. Also upon graduation, Devontae will learn to use the public bus transportation to get to and from work. He should demonstrate being able to sit quietly while riding the bus and without acting out and putting others in danger.
ReplyDeleteTypically, a developing twelve year old is mainly concerned with becoming more independent from his or her parents. They usually believe that they are old enough to make serious decisions about their life. Social life and activities are becoming more of a priority within his or her daily life, also. In addition to social, emotional and intellectually changes a twelve year old typically begins puberty. Boys begin to grow facial and pubic hair and their voice deepens. Girls also begin to grow pubic hair and breasts. They also may start their period. Devontae will develop somewhat differently than other children his age. He will most likely go through all the physical changes like other children. However, we believe that he will not develop emotionally and mentally like most twelve year olds. His emotional and mental development is delay and might experience some of theses physical changes a little bit later than other child. But when Devontae does experience these changes it will be a tough period as his body is grower faster than he is in the other aspects of his development. This is important because puberty can be a tough period for a child but even tougher when he cannot handle it emotionally.
“Mom” says Devontae, “Why am I so itchy where I pee? And why is there hair down there?”
ReplyDelete“Well son, it’s called puberty” says his mother.
“What is puberty? Asked Devontae.
“Well it just means you are becoming a big boy and growing up!” Explains his mother.
“Okay, but why is my voice so weird?” asked Devontae.
“Well that is just another thing that will happen, it’s okay and there is no reason to be scared.” Explained his mother.
In our opinion, we believe that it is best if the mother and father not go into much detail with Devontae until he is a little older and hopefully can fully understand the changes that are happening to his body. Devontae might feel more comfortable if his father explains some of the changes that are happening to him in simple terms as they are happening so that Devontae will know to feel comfortable with his body and it is only the process of growing up. Sasha and Julius should consult the pediatrician for more education in how to talk to their child about the changes and make sure that Devontae will have a smooth transition into his teen years.
Schools normally consider disciplinary issues that arise from students who are on the autism spectrum depending on their IEPs in terms of addressing the behavioral goals and interventions. A child with emotional and behavioral problems will not be necessarily disciplined rather the school will follow the steps that were previously determined. Before hand, the teacher should understand that the child has autism and that if she would say their name and repeat the instructions slowly while making eye contact with them then they will most likely listen better. The discipline should be simple for the child to understand and consistent so the child does not easily become confused. Research has shown that positive behavior intervention has the greatest effect when the teacher, parents, and the child are all on the same page. Since the outbreaks usually come from the autistic child not being able to communicate effectively they get frustrated instead but the teacher has to be firm, allowing the child to develop ways that they can communicate and express what they are thinking. The parents should share their knowledge with the school with what works and what doesn’t work and expressing their child’s strengths and weakness to the teacher. This way the child doesn’t become overwhelmed easily and they can be understood better. The teachers have to patient with the child and know that practice makes perfect in the sense where the child might have to be told several times or demonstrated the correct behavior to understand what is okay and not okay in the classroom.
References:
Autism in the Classroom. (n.d.). WebMD - Better information. Better health.. Retrieved June 13, 2012, from http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/features/autism-in-the-classroom
Berry, J. O. (2009). Families Within Communities. Lifespan Perspectives on the Family and Disability (2 ed., pp. 147 - 155). Austin: PRO-ED.
Developmental Milestones. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved on June 13, 2012 from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/adolescence.html
Transition Goals in the IEP — National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities. (n.d.). National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities —. Retrieved June 13, 2012, from http://nichcy.org/schoolage/transitionadult/goals