Writing IEPs that Work for Students who are Deaf

1. Writing IEPs that Work for Students who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing and Exhibit Multiple Disabilities GDEAF 2004 Tuesday, July 20, 2004 Melody Stoner, PhD Student Georgia State University

2. Who Am I? (Part 1 of 2) Teacher of high school students at AASD Special needs Language delayed Functional curriculum Vocational objectives Doctoral student at Georgia State University in Special Education Concentration in language development of students who are deaf/hard of hearing Former secondary English teacher in general education setting

3. Who Am I? (Part 2 of 2) Mother of a beautiful two year old daughter

4. Who Are You?

5. Why is this information important to you? As a teacher of the deaf, you will teach students who have additional disabilities “Softer” disabilities (i.e., learning disabilities) tend to remain unidentified in our population, while more obvious disabilities (i.e., cerebral palsy) are identified and managed Additional disorders have a synergistic effect Disabilities work together to compound effects of individual disabilities

6. Gallaudet Research InstituteRegional and National Summary, 2002-2003Students who are D/HH with identified additional disabilities

7. GRI Summary of the South RegionStudents who are D/HH with identified additional disabilities

8. Gallaudet Research InstituteRegional and National Summary, 2002-2003Functional assessment of students who are D/HH  (Part 1 of 3)

9. Gallaudet Research InstituteRegional and National Summary, 2002-2003Functional assessment of students who are D/HH  (Part 2 of 3)

10. Gallaudet Research InstituteRegional and National Summary, 2002-2003Functional assessment of students who are D/HH  (Part 3 of 3)

11. GRI Summary of the South RegionFunctional assessment of students who are D/HH

12. What do all those numbers and charts mean? Recall why this is important to you… Your students most likely have other disabilities, perhaps unidentified A functional assessment of your students will provide more information than a label will

13. Consider the following statistics… (Part 1 of 6) 3% and 1.8% identified as low-vision or blind 13% difficulty with vision

14. Statistics, continued(Part 2 of 6) 8.7% identified as having MR 35% difficulty with thinking/reasoning 58.8% difficulty with expressive communication 59.1% difficulty with receptive communication 29.9% difficulty with social interaction/classroom behavior 38.7% difficulty with maintaining attention

15. Statistics, continued(Part 3 of 6) 3.5% identified as having CP 12% identified as having difficulty with hands, arms, or legs 10.3% identified as having difficulty with balance

16. Statistics, continued(Part 4 of 6) 6.8% identified as having LD 35% difficulty with thinking/reasoning 58.8% difficulty with expressive communication 59.1% difficulty with receptive communication 38.7% difficulty with maintaining attention 29.9% difficulty with social interaction/classroom behavior

17. Statistics, continued(Part 5 of 6) 6.5% identified as having ADD 38.7% difficulty maintaining attention 29.9% difficulty social interaction/classroom behavior

18. Statistics, continued(Part 6 of 6) 1.7% identified as having ED 29.9% difficulty with social interaction/classroom behavior 35% difficulty with thinking/reasoning 58.8% difficulty expressive communication 59.1% difficulty receptive communication

19. What do you think? Are these your students? They are mine… They exhibit difficulties in these areas without always being identified What can you do? Observe, collect data, write a great PLOP, and meet their needs with a well-thought out, comprehensive IEP

20. Case Studies2003-2004 School Year

21. Antonio Alanis(Permission granted to use real names of all students) 16 year old Hispanic male Attended school in Mexico without services Moved to the U.S. three years ago Began school in a self-contained classroom for students who were deaf within a large metro-area public school Moved to the Atlanta area two years ago Began attending AASD at age 14 Placed in special needs classroom Limited English and ASL skills Primarily used gestures and home-based signs

22. Antonio, continued Spanish spoken in the home Communicates with parents and siblings in the home and peers in community via gesture and limited writing Additional challenge faced by Antonio Suspected MID Result of limited language input in formative years or is this a true estimate of Antonio’s ability? Placed in language-delayed classroom for 2004-2005 school year Emphasis on concept development and language/communication skills

23. What is the functional impact of Antonio’s challenges in the classroom? (Part 1 of 3) (Suspected MoID) Easily distracted and needs structure in instruction and activity Needs cues for relevant information Has a limited concept of “theme” Needs instruction in organization of new information within a thematic structure Easily forgets new information Needs repetition and organizational structure Difficulty generalizing Needs multiple repetitions of new information in various settings

24. What is the functional impact of Antonio’s challenges in the classroom? (Part 2 of 3) (Suspected MoID) Poor question comprehension/response Needs cue to attend to question and type of response required Difficulty taking turns Needs cue to wait for other’s acknowledgement before speaking Difficulty admitting role of participation in argument with peer Needs assistance reviewing issue and effects of his actions Uncomfortable communicating with unfamiliar others in community Needs assistance advocating for self

25. What is the functional impact of Antonio’s challenges in the classroom? (Part 3 of 3) (Suspected MoID) Unfamiliar with community services (i.e., grocery store, hospital) Needs multiple CBI trips with prior instruction and follow-up to clarify “theme” of specified community service Authoritative in classroom, but follower in community Needs specific support moving from being a follower to being a leader with teacher removing supports as he develops Little sense of self-direction for future and limited concept of what he “could be Needs vocational instruction with community trips to investigate options

26. Sheama Atteya 17 year old Yemeni female Attended schools in Kansas and Colorado School for the deaf Self-contained classroom for the deaf within a larger public school Moved to Atlanta area around five years ago Began attending AASD Placed in special needs classroom Native language in the home is Yemeni

27. Sheama, continued Communicates with mother using some signs and English print Communicates with siblings and father using gestures Additional challenges faced by Sheama Low-Vision MoID Heart disorder Placed in special needs classroom for 2004-2005 school year Emphasis on vocational training and language/concept expansion

28. What is the functional impact of Sheama’s challenges in the classroom? (Part 1 of 6) (Low-Vision) Difficulty determining depth and distance Difficulty scanning and matching Needs direct physical hand-over-hand instruction Needs instruction in types of designs and colors that match and don’t clash as well as what fits and doesn’t fit Limited spontaneous learning from immediate visual environment Needs to be physically cued that something in the environment is important to her Limited direct eye contact and seemingly uncontrollable eye movements Appears not to be paying attention nor care if communication partner is attending to her Needs instruction in critical nature of eye contact in effective communication within functional communication curriculum

29. What is the functional impact of Sheama’s challenges in the classroom? (Part 2 of 6) (Low-Vision, continued) Easily tired and needs low lights on difficult days Needs frequent breaks when doing text-intensive work Needs reminders to make written work neater Needs to be seated close to the board Needs a minimum of visual distractions Doesn’t always see others, so assumes they can’t see her Needs to be reminded that others are present and can see her actions/words Doesn’t always follow group conversations; conversation may be quick and she misses critical information Needs to be cued as to who is speaking and to attend to that person Teacher also needs to summarize conversations for her

30. What is the functional impact of Sheama’s challenges in the classroom? (Part 3 of 6) (MoID) Difficulty generalizing Needs multiple practice opportunities in a variety of settings Simple concepts must be taught with multiple opportunities for practice May need physical hand-over-hand instruction, gradually reducing to gentle touches to guide Poor mental and physical organization, seems to miss half of information presented Needs structured environment as well as instruction in how to structure new concepts Needs lots of repetition in short chunks Needs to be cued as to what is critical in the message Needs to be cued as to who is speaking and to attend to that person, and a cue for the next speaker

31. What is the functional impact of Sheama’s challenges in the classroom? (Part 4 of 6) (MoID, continued) Limited understanding of importance of personal hygiene Needs a structured system for personal hygiene Needs instruction in taking the point of view of another person Little concept of the whole Needs instruction in thematic constructions Needs instruction in how to organize new information into the overall theme Needs instruction as to ways different themes can be interrelated Has difficulty carrying on a conversation of more than two or three exchanges as well as limited understanding of turn taking and basic conversational etiquette Needs more instruction in “topic” and relevant vocabulary for various topics Needs instruction in higher order thinking skills

32. What is the functional impact of Sheama’s challenges in the classroom? (Part 5 of 6) (MoID, continued) Poor question comprehension/response Needs cue to attend to question and type of response required Uncomfortable communicating with unfamiliar others in community Needs assistance advocating for self Little sense of self-direction for future and limited concept of what he “could be Needs vocational instruction with community trips to investigate options

33. What is the functional impact of Sheama’s challenges in the classroom? (Part 6 of 6) (Heart Disorder) Chest pain may cause fear Teacher needs to reassure Consult with physician to determine what degree of chest pain is life threatening May manifest self as indigestion Collaborate with nurse to determine how to treat various episodes May become light-headed and faint Collaborate with nurse to determine best response Becomes tired easily Have built-in break times May malinger Need to consult with nurse to determine when pain is real and serious Always treat an event as real; with experience, you will learn the characteristics of a real event

34. Eric McGruder 15 year old African-American male Began school in Macon, GA with interpreter Transferred to AASD three or four years ago Placed in special needs classroom English language used at home

35. Eric, continued Communicates with parents and siblings in the home and peers in community via some English signs and limited writing Additional challenge faced by Eric MID Placed in special needs classroom for 2004-2005 school year Emphasis on vocational training and language/concept expansion

36. What is the functional impact of Eric’s challenges in the classroom? (Part 1 of 2) (MoID) Has a limited concept of “theme” Needs instruction in organization of new information within a thematic structure Easily forgets new information Needs repetition and organizational structure Difficulty generalizing Needs multiple repetitions of new information in various settings Redirect attention Needs to be cued as to what is relevant

37. What is the functional impact of Eric’s challenges in the classroom? (Part 2 of 2) (MoID, continued) Poor question comprehension/response Needs cue to attend to question and type of response required Uncomfortable communicating with unfamiliar others in community Needs assistance advocating for self Little sense of self-direction for future and limited concept of what he “could be Needs vocational instruction with community trips to investigate options

38. John Albert Smith 18 year old white male Began attending AASD at age 3 English language used at home Communicates with parents and siblings in the home and peers in community via gestures and some English-based signs

39. John Albert, continued Additional challenges faced by John Albert: MoID Cerebral palsy Seizures Placed in special needs classroom for 2004-2005 school year Emphasis on vocational training and language/concept expansion

40. What is the functional impact of John Albert’s challenges in the classroom? (Part 1 of 4) (MoID) Has a limited concept of “theme” Needs instruction in organization of new information within a thematic structure Easily forgets new information Needs repetition and organizational structure Difficulty generalizing Needs multiple repetitions of new information in various settings Difficulty maintaining attention and rehearsing new information Needs to be cued as to what is relevant Poor mental and physical organization, seems to miss half of information presented Needs structured environment as well as instruction in how to structure new concepts Needs lots of repetition in short chunks Needs to be cued as to what is critical in the message Needs to be cued as to who is speaking and to attend to that person, and a cue for the next speaker

41. What is the functional impact of John Albert’s challenges in the classroom? (Part 2 of 4) (MoID, continued) Little concept of the whole Needs instruction in thematic constructions Needs instruction in how to organize new information into the overall theme Needs instruction as to ways different themes can be interrelated Has difficulty carrying on a conversation of more than two or three exchanges as well as limited understanding of turn taking and basic conversational etiquette Needs more instruction in “topic” and relevant vocabulary for various topics Needs instruction in higher order thinking skills Poor question comprehension/response Needs cue to attend to question and type of response required

42. What is the functional impact of John Albert’s challenges in the classroom? (Part 3 of 4) (Cerebral palsy) Difficulty using left hand Needs assistance in communicating efficiently and effectively via writing and signing Sometimes uses a communication board Needs additional time to complete assignments, often work with a partner/group or less work requiring use of hand Often tired Needs frequent scheduled breaks

43. What is the functional impact of John Albert’s challenges in the classroom? (Part 4 of 4) (Seizures) When loses consciousness, will be exhausted and confused Be ready to provide support and rest If a lesser seizure, may seem to be daydreaming and will miss information Need to pair with another student to rein back in May need to guide student away from hazards in some seizures Need to know what types of seizures are possible so can document Description of seizure Time of day Length of seizure Be aware of different protocols in place to address different types of seizures when they occur Sometimes there is no treatment if there is no injury

44. How should you assess a student for the purpose of developing a good PLOP? (Part 1 of 2) What are your ideas? What kind of information do you think you should gather on your students? How should you gather information on the student? Multiple opportunities Formal and informal Where should you gather information on the student? Multiple locations Multiple situations

45. How should you assess a student for the purpose of developing a good PLOP? (Part 2 of 2) How should you record/present the information on the student? Videotapes CD-Roms Pictures Photocopies of written work Bar graphs and line graphs for demonstrating improvement over time Portfolios to show an accumulation of work Standard testing material record keeping forms Modify as necessary to fit your needs, but make note of this

46. Writing Multiple samples in a variety of settings Formal and informal classroom assignments and interactions With peers, parents, and larger community outside the classroom If working, with co-workers on the job site Multiple genres in a variety of settings Narrative Expository Persuasive Functional (i.e., completing forms) Topic given versus no topic given Picture support versus no picture support Lots of guidance, some guidance, minimal guidance, or no guidance at all Multiple raters

47. Reading Word recognition in isolation Graded vocabulary lists Functional vocabulary lists Word recognition in context Comprehension Multiple texts, multiple genres, multiple tests Fiction and non-fiction Picture support and no picture support Background knowledge versus no background knowledge Practice versus no practice You will be able to provide a “grade level range” for your student, depending upon the context and text, rather than a static “grade level”

48. Listening Multiple texts, multiple genres, multiple tests Students are generally able to perform at a higher level in listening than in reading You will be able to provide a “grade level range” for your student, depending upon the context and text, rather than a static “grade level”

49. Social/Emotional/Behavioral Skills Observe in formal and informal interactions with a variety of partners and groups Determine where breakdowns in communication are and establish situations to support effective communication Determine what social skills are lacking and pick the most critical They’re not all critical Set up situations to teach formally, always look for the teachable moment, “people watch” and discuss, and model yourself

50. Mathematical Calculation and Reasoning Multiple formal grade level assessments Lots of assistance Some assistance Minimal assistance No assistance Informal assessments of problem-solving strategies Provide opportunities to use math reasoning in real-life situations independently and with assistance

51. Communicative Competency Collect data on multiple occasions in multiple situations with multiple communication partners Consider if academic or casual Highest level of language will be seen “at play” You will be pleasantly surprised and amazed if you observe them with their friends at lunch How many different ways do they attempt to get their message across Are they accessing all available options Provide opportunities to learn about all options that would be successful for the student ASL to SEE continuum Communication boards Drawing Gesturing Writing Eye gaze/blink Head nod

52. ASL Skill Competency Will not be standardized Provides good information for the parent and teacher for future instruction For example: Role shift Negation Pronominalization Classifiers

53. Vocational Skills Only if age-appropriate Especially if on functional curriculum, needs experience in a variety of job settings Observe to determine weaknesses It is rarely the job itself that presents a problem It is more often the lack of communication, lack of initiative, and lack of social skills that cause an employee who is deaf to lose a job Set up realistic problem-solving situations Communication with others Collaboration/cooperation with others Speed and care with which work is completed Work ethic Following rules of the job site Following directions Asking for assistance in a timely manner of the right person

54. How do you write a PLOP with useful information in it? There should be a direct relationship between the PLOP and the objectives selected for the next year’s IEP. In other words, the PLOP and IEP should address the student’s weaknesses. What are the components of a good PLOP? As age appropriate Reading Writing Listening Math Social/emotional Communication ASL Vocation

55. Here are some examples of well-written PLOPs. Look at Antonio’s PLOP. What are his weaknesses? Look at Sheama’s PLOP. What are her weaknesses? Look at Eric’s PLOP. What are his weaknesses? Look at John Albert’s PLOP. What are his weaknesses? Hold on to the weaknesses you identified and we will see if the IEP addressed them later.

56. How do you write an IEP with useful information in it? (Part 1 of 5) Where do you get your objectives? Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) Functional curricula Both Depends on the needs of the student How do you clarify your objectives for next year’s teacher to teach what you intended? Write all over the IEP Cross out what you don’t want and add in what you want Collaborate if you are in the same school, for you are the expert on that child

57. How do you write an IEP with useful information in it? (Part 2 of 5) What are the areas in which you should have objectives? Communication Reading Writing Math Social/Emotional/Behavioral Vocational How many objectives are too many? Too few? Is there a “magic” number?

58. How do you write an IEP with useful information in it? (Part 3 of 5) You have been with the students for a year and know what they are capable of learning in a school year Look at the current year’s IEP What type of concepts were covered How expansive were the concepts covered How did the student perform this year What are the few critical things the student should learn Carefully pick the most critical objectives in this manner

59. How do you write an IEP with useful information in it? (Part 4 of 5) It is better to have too few objectives than too many It is better for the student to have a good command of a few critical things than to drown in too many things It is much easier to add more objectives to the IEP than it is to subtract the following school year

60. How do you write an IEP with useful information in it? (Part 5 of 5) Now we’re ready to match up the students’ PLOPs with their IEPs. Three of you will each take a student and determine if the weaknesses identified in the PLOPs were addressed in the IEP for the following school year. You have two or three minutes and be ready to share.

61. How do you work off of the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS), formerly known as the QCC? How does a team decide when a student is not a candidate for GPS? Is student unable to attain average performance within GPS with allowable and feasible modifications provided by IDEA? What documentation does the team use to make this decision? Formal and informal testing results Multiple observations by multiple observers from various backgrounds Student and parent interviews Interviews with current and former teachers Where do your objectives come from if the student is not following the GPS? Functional curricula

62. Here are some examples of functional curricula: Checklist of Adaptive Living Skills (CALS) transfers to objectives from Adaptive Living Curriculum Examples being passed around now Can get objective ideas from the Brigance Inventories Examples being passed around now Can use All My Life’s A Circle to teach social skills See example being passed around now

63. What should happen during the IEP meeting? What should you talk to the parents about? What are parental concerns for near and later future? What are parents willing to do at home to support life-long learning? What do parents need assistance with? What do parents reasonably want to see on the IEP? What type of vocabulary level and language should you use with the parents? Feel them out and listen to them, you will learn what is effective for each set of parents Should you be clear about the true outlook for the student? Yes, but provide positive options several years in advance of graduation date

64. What are your questions and comments?

65. Feel free to contact me at any time: melodystoner@hotmail.com (home) mstoner@doe.k12.ga.us (work, August-May) Please e-mail me with any questions, concerns, comments, suggestions, and successes!

66. Assignment? Yes, assignment. Make one goal for the 2004-2005 school year based upon this workshop and support each other in achieving this goal by contacting and replying to each other at least once a month via e-mail. Copy me to each of these e-mails.

67. Reference Gallaudet Research Institute. (December 2003). Regional and national summary report of data from the 2002- 2003 annual survey of deaf and hard of hearing children and youth. Washington, DC: GRI, Gallaudet University.