Sarah, Casey's mom has been in a
downward spiral, ever since she decided to give up her schooling and her
depression has gotten the best of her. Sarah lacks initiative and feels as if
her life does not have meaning. She acknowledges that in order to better Casey,
she also needs to better herself. Her mom suggests that she starts going to a
support group for mothers who have children with disabilities. Her mom gives
her information for an organization known as the National Organization on Fetal
Alcohol Syndrome in Virginia, where she can call day and night or contact them
by e-mail and they will be happy to answer all her questions about her
daughter, and how to better herself in these circumstances. She also starts
going to a support group, where she learns how to cope with her past mistakes,
such as using alcohol during her pregnancy with Casey and how to forgive her
ex-boyfriend, Jacob for abandoning them. Sarah was forced to grow up very fast,
by giving birth to Casey her freshman year in college, and it is time that she
learns to put the past behind her and move on with her life for the betterment
of her family. She also attends parent workshops put on by the NOFAS-VA where
she learns that getting the best care for her daughter is what is necessary.
One day, Sarah decides gains enough courage to call Jacob, asking him for help,
and giving him the full report of Casey's disabilities. Sarah tells him how her
family is now on welfare, and in order to benefit their daughter and her needs,
Jacob needs to start paying child support. Jacob always knew that his daughter
had disabilities, but what in awestruck when Sarah shared with him, that she
would be meeting with Casey's school for an IEP meeting. Casey is now 5 years
old and in Kindergarten, and developmentally, physically, and cognitively
significantly behind the other children in her classroom, and Jacob agrees to
come to the IEP meeting with her at the school to fully understand and access
his child's needs.
When Sarah took Casey to the doctor a couple months back, he got in writing her
saying that she drank during her pregnancy and that Fetal Alcohol Syndrome was
a factor in how Casey is developing today. Time has passed, and it is now time
for Sarah and Jacob to meet with Casey's IEP team to access what would be the
best outcome and possibilities for their daughter. They agree to have
Casey tested, and they will conclude the results.
A speech language pathologist is called in, to access Casey and her speaking.
At five years old, Casey should be able to form sentences, but her speech is
incomprehensible. Her speech has no specific sound pattern and is not
responsible to verbal commands. Casey cannot retain information, and it is
coherent that she has learning disabilities. At her age, she should be able to
learn from experience, consequences, and practice, but Casey is not high
functioning. Casey used to be able to write her name and the letters of the
alphabet, but this learned task at one time, cannot be retrieved now.
When Sarah is asked how Casey manages doing her schoolwork at home, Sarah
responds that Casey, has difficulty organizing her time and whenever Sarah
tries to make Casey sit still, Casey has a tantrum which can include hitting
and biting Sarah, which leads to behavioral issues including being stubborn and
unwilling to cooperate.
Due to the brain injuries that Casey suffered as a child, Casey will need to
learn function skills, if Casey would like to be any kind of independent as an
adult. The Speech-language pathologist suggests that using strategies such as
token economies and positive reinforcement may be the beneficiary practices to
help Casey. Using ABA strategies and focusing and rewarding behavior, the
desired behavior they would want Casey to display would be repeated. ABA can
bring about positive and meaningful change, and this could be a positive option
for Casey.
The IEP team, decides to develop a plan for Casey, they establish their team,
establish the focus, and collect and analyze the data for Casey by establishing
their vision and their goals and objectives for how to treat her. They notice
that Casey also does not have any social skills, and she often plays by herself
at recess and talks to herself. She is not sociable, and her kindergarten
teacher notices that she lacks social skills and does not acknowledge other
classmates. The School nurse also notes that Casey is very tiny for her
age. She has droopy eyes and asks Sarah about her sleeping habits, because she
does not think that Casey gets enough sleep at night. Casey displays signs of
hyperactivity, stubbornness, and an inability to concentrate, it is evident to
everyone involved in the IEP meeting that Casey has a developmental delay and
due to the FASD she may have an intellectual disability. She is not learning in
her regular kindergarten classroom, and they decide she would work better by
being placed in a resource room, and by having a Teacher's Assistant with her
at all times, if she would be put in her regular Ed classroom for given
activities. The IEP team asks Sarah if Casey has mood changes frequently, and
Sarah says yes.
Like the other children in her class, Casey should be able to process
information, use reasoning, and be able to solve problems. All of which, Casey
cannot. She cannot retain information, and her functioning is way behind the
other children her age. Due to Casey's difficulty accepting change, they are
unsure how moving Casey in the resource room will go, so they will try to make
the transition as smooth as possible for her.
Questions:
1.
Do you think Casey will ever be able to live independently due to her
disabilities from the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?
2.
Should Casey be taught basic skills in her resource room, or should they still
try to teach her a basic curriculum?
3.
What strategies of learning and techniques do you feel would work best for
Casey? Do you think Casey would work well with other children in her resource
room?
4.
What services outside of the School setting (such as psychological, Physical
Therapy) would work well for Casey, if needed?
5.
Can the government provide Casey with any services for FASD for Casey?
Decision
Point: How does Jacob handle the situation with Casey and what actions does he
take when he realizes the full extent of his daughter's disabilities?
1. Do you think Casey will ever be able to live independently due to her disabilities from the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?
ReplyDelete-Most likely the best option for Casey as she reaches adulthood would be a type of independent living known as “interdependent living.” According to an article published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, it is a good idea to have those with FASD “in collaboration with a spouse, friends, and paid service providers, people can run their households more efficiently” (Streissguth, 1997). The website also states that, “Most adults with an FASD will need more help than others to meet the more routine demands of work and home. Areas where assistance may be important include employment, money management, housing, and social skills. Many require close supervision to help them make day-to-day decisions and stay safe.” In a 1996 study, finding a job, keeping a job, achieving independent living, and managing money and making decisions was common difficulty for those with FASD. Therefore, we do not think that Casey will be able to live independently, but interdependently.
2. Should Casey be taught basic skills in her resource room, or should they still try to teach her a basic curriculum?
ReplyDelete-Casey should be taught basic skills first and foremost. Research has found that you get better results with those with FASD by using repetition. Repeating basic skills could help Casey in becoming less dependent on others and developing lifelong skills for the rest of her life. A basic curriculum (English, spelling, math, science, history) could be tied into her program as well. The main thing for Casey is having a good support system in place for her, especially as she grows up. Casey will never realize how impaired she is even though she will always have the desire to be normal. This could set her up for failure, which is why it is critically important to key on basic skill sets and build her confidence in herself with abilities she will need to take care of herself before moving on to the things she is liable to fail in continuously.
3. What strategies of learning and techniques do you feel would work best for Casey? Do you think Casey would work well with other children in her resource room?
-Reach to Teach would be a great program strategy provided by the public school system that structures a caring and consistent environment, shifts attitudes and improves their understanding, learn to translate misbehavior, change classroom teaching style and engage the whole school community. This would be a great strategy for Casey.
-We think that it would be difficult for Casey at first to work well with others.
-The following came from an informative website about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and providing education to them and these are the strategies that we thought would work best for Casey’s case: - Directions should be clear, concise, simple, and given one step at a time. Avoid figurative, ambiguous, and idiomatic speech.
- Use the same verbage/words when giving instructions or going over an activity, i.e., calendar skill: if an activity is started by saying "today is Monday, yesterday was Sunday" the activity should be continued the rest of the week by repeating the same word format "today is ________, yesterday was___________ ," versus the next day saying "What is today, does anyone remember what day yesterday was?"
- Educators and parents have noted that to "sing song" rules, directions, or steps to an activity, helps the child remember. Also reported is that kinesthetic or motoric activity along with the "sing-song" helps the child to retain better.
- Utilize all the senses whenever possible, as multisensory learning strengthens the information and provides for more than one way to recall).
- Have positive statements, certificates, coupons (to trade in later for a reward) handy to give to the student when displaying appropriate behaviors or on task behavior. Reward positive behavior immediately.
-Provide a consistent environment for the success of the student.
4. What services outside of the School setting (such as psychological, Physical Therapy) would work well for Casey, if needed?
ReplyDelete-Counselor for life and personal concerns, an occupational therapist to reinforce basic skills that she learns throughout life, a physical therapist to help develop motor skills, language and literacy training weekly, children’s friendship training (CFT) to build social skills, or computer based intervention for street and fire safety skills (Paley, 2006).
5. Can the government provide Casey with any services for FASD for Casey?
-The government may provide services for Casey. The issue is will Casey be qualified to be able to have the benefits provided by the government. According to a website called disabilitysecrets.com, medical and monetary qualifications must be met. There are blue book qualifications listed by Social Security that will automatically qualify you for disability benefits if you prove that you meet or are equal to the blue book listing. If she qualifies, Casey could receive Social Security money. However, by age 18, she will have to have a Continuing Disability Review performed to determine if she is still disabled and still qualified to bring in Social Security money.
Decision Point: How does Jacob handle the situation with Casey and what actions does he take when he realizes the full extent of his daughter's disabilities?
Jacob decides that he will support Casey and Sarah. He is guilt ridden and knows that he was half responsible for Casey’s birth and she is part of him. The actions that Jacob takes includes: putting Casey on his insurance plan, going to the meetings for her IED services and taking her a couple days a week if the court system allows. Jacob decides to turn his life around and live for Casey and help her develop and be her father for the first time.
Citations:
Streissguth, A., and Kanter, J., eds. 1997. The Challenge of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Overcoming Secondary Disabilities. Seattle: University of Washington Press.
Hess, D, M.D (2012). Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Educational Strategies. . Retrieved June 29, 2014, from http://www.psychiatry.emory.edu/PROGRAMS/GADrug/Edfas.htm
Paley, B., and O'Connor, M. J. (2006, January 1). Behavioral Interventions for Children and Adolescents with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. . Retrieved June 29, 2014, from http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh341/64-75.htm