June 24 Post Three

Due to the stress of Casey's developmental issues, Sarah decided to give up going to school, but decided to keep her part time job, because she could not handle doing both. Worrying about the needs of Casey and how she is doing at her pre-school and how she is developing is only adding to Sarah's depression issues. Casey has just turned five, and she is still not toilet trained or able to pick up hygiene skills or acknowledges when she needs to go to the bathroom. 

Sarah is realizing that Casey needs more than she can handle. She applies to the government for assistance and is planning on taking advantage of their Child Support System, in order to benefit her daughter. Since Casey is now 5, she has barely graduated her pre-school program and has been enrolled in Kindergarten and will be starting. A couple weeks before Kindegarten starts, Sarah takes Casey to see a child's primary Care Physician. Sarah is hoping the doctor can make a diagnosis or make a referral to a geneticist or neurologist who will diagnosis Casey. The first thing the doctor asks Sarah, is if there is any documentation of alcohol exposure during her pregnancy, and Sarah says yes. Sarah puts it in writing for the doctor as a written testimony stating that their was alcohol consumption during her pregnancy, which the doctor takes as a factor to what may be going on with Casey.  The doctor notices that Casey's weight is only in the 7th percentile for her age, which is very low, and her head circumference is very small for her age. He notices that her eye openings are very small, has flattened cheeckbones, and an indistinct philitrum. The doctor will need to do further testing, but he is almost certain that Casey has fetal alcohol syndrome.  

A couple weeks later, Casey starts her half day Kindergarten program, and the teacher notices, that when she speaks to Casey, she does not respond. When it is time to go outside for reccess, the teacher rings a bell, and Casey does not respond to the noise, or any loud sounds that she may hear in the classroom. Casey has no friends, and is not sociable in the classroom and does not even smile to her other classmates, she acts as if she is in a dreamlike state most of the time, and the teacher is getting very concerned. Casey shows no interest in the teacher, other students, does not follow three step directions, and when she does speak, it is unclear and mumbled. Casey used to be able to write her name, at the end of her pre-school program, but has lost the ability to write letters, a skill she once had. 

When Casey comes home from school, Sarah asks her how her day was and if she learns anything, but Casey responds with only sounds and not words. Whenever Sarah mentions the word school, Casey turns into a different child, and has extreme mood swings. Sarah is also noticing that Casey acts with impulsiveness and has a lack of self discipline when she tries to sit her down and do her spelling HW. Since Sarah, gave up her schooling, she wants Casey to thrive, but she is realizing that she can not do it alone, and calls Casey's father for help and wants him to go along to the doctor, when they go for more tests, but he refuses. He wants nothing to do with his daughter who has a disability and will not claim her ever in his life. Growing up in a single parent household, Casey is growing up without a father, another influence in her life, who could help and teach her to grow. She is being raised by a single mother, who is having trouble with her own emotional issues you can tell that Casey knows that something is not right with her mother, but when she witnesses Sarah crying, she smacks her and does not offer comfort. She shows no signs of emotions, or sympathy towards others. 

At School, Casey's kindergarten teacher is becoming very concerned for Casey, and a letter is sent home with Casey, saying they would like to test her and form an IEP board on her behalf, to better benefit her in school. Her teacher notices, that her teaching, is not benefiting Casey, seeing as Casey is not picking up on basic math terms and can not recall any of the letters of the alphabet, without having them on pictures. She is not learning and her behavior issues and intellectual problems, are keeping her from learning to the maximum extent. It is evident that Casey needs more help. 

1) Will Casey be eligible for IEP services through the school, due to her fetal Alcohol Syndrome? What services through the IEP will most benefit Casey?

2) If Casey does not get services and progresses in school, what are some risks and issues that may arise with Casey as she gets older, and how could this affect her education?

3) What services, outside of a school setting, could Casey benefit from? The narrative refers to the 'Child Support System.' A system by that name does not exist in Virginia; what social services are available in Virginia for a child like Casey? 

4) Do you think that Casey could benefit from Applied Behavior Analysis?

Decision Point: Does Sarah accept the IEP offer from the school to have Casey tested?