Student – Amanda Rivera
What is Amanda’s history?
Amanda is a twelve year old girl diagnosed with cerebral palsy shortly after her birth. The cerebral palsy causes Amanda to have difficulty in mobility, vision, and cognition. She uses braces and a walker to navigate and has some limited vision in both eyes. She lives in a two parent household and is the youngest of three girls. Both of her sisters are typically developing. Her father’s mother also lives with them and helps in raising the girls. Amanda has lived in the same house all of her life and has a strong connection with her family, who are very supportive of Amanda’s education and accommodating her needs.
This strong family bond has given Amanda a good base when she establishes friendships. She seeks out the company of her peers and laughs easily, but sometimes get frustrated when she is unable to keep up with the conversation. Amanda has been in an integrated school setting since she was in kindergarten, and has consistently reached 80 percent of her IEP goals since then. With an assistive communication device and accommodations for her vision, Amanda participates in the general education classroom for the majority of the school day. Her level of cognition is too low for Amanda to take statewide exams, so her progress is measured through portfolio evidence and teacher assessments.
What is your dream for Amanda?
· Being able to live independently
· Having a full time job
· Having friends
· Having a family
· Becoming a stronger communicator
· To be happy!
What is your nightmare for Amanda?
· She will need to be taken care of her entire life
· She will have a public meltdown
· She will not be able to stay employed
· She will be abused or victimized
Who is Amanda?
Amanda Rivera is a twelve year old girl in the sixth grade at her neighborhood middle school. She is in an ICT classroom, working towards meeting the goals that have been set in her IEP. Part of Amanda’s school day is spent working at a nail salon, where Amanda greets customers and helps them to pick out the color they would like. Amanda responds well to different colors and the social possibilities of this job, and the staff and customers enjoy having Amanda work there.
She has a strong bond with her family, and she is with her two older sisters as much as she is able to be. Amanda enjoys talking with them using her communication device, and both of her sisters have become very effective communication partners. She loves music and dancing to music, especially country music line dancing. Amanda also loves to paint using an ipad independently and with paints and brushes with assistance.
Amanda has done well in an integrated classroom and enjoys being around her typically developing peers. She uses accommodations at school to assist her in mobility, vision, and cognition within the general education classroom and receives additional services throughout the day. Amanda grows frustrated when there is clutter or crowded areas and can sometimes engage in inappropriate behaviors. She can engage in these also when she cannot keep up with the lesson or conversation, or does not understand what is expected of her.
Amanda has several friends in the classroom, all of whom love animals almost as much as Amanda does. They, as a group, have convinced their classroom teachers to have several animals in the classroom including turtles, a guinea pig, and fish.
What are Amanda’s strengths, gifts, and abilities?
· She can work
· She can follow two step directions
· She is good at matching colors
· She is a loving, warm person
· She is skilled in using her communication device
What are Amanda’s needs?
Mobility Needs
· Braces
· Walker
Visual Needs
· Bright colors
· Large print
· Clutter free environment
· Simple pictures
Organization
Barrier Free Building
1:1 Health paraprofessional
Assistive Communication Device
What would Amanda’s ideal day look like, and what must be done to make it happen?
7:00am
Amanda wakes up, eats breakfast, brushes her teeth, washes her face, and gets dressed for school.
7:30am
Amanda leaves the house with her sisters and waits in front of her house for the school bus.
8:00am
Amanda arrives at school and is greeted by her health paraprofessional, who assists Amanda in getting to her class. Amanda then participates in a class discussion about current events using her assistive communication device.
9:00am
Amanda stays in the general education classroom for her Math lesson. During the lesson, she either works one on one with her paraprofessional or with a peer partner.
10:00am
Amanda participates in snack time at a small group table in the general education classroom.
10:15am
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Amanda leaves the classroom with another student for physical therapy. On Tuesdays, she receives orientation and mobility services in the classroom, and on Fridays she has her adaptive gym class.
10:45am
Amanda returns to the classroom for science and technology where she works with a small group on a group project.
11:30am
Amanda participates in writing workshop where she works with weighted pencils, raised line paper, her communication device, and an adaptive computer to create a story.
12:15pm
Amanda has recess and plays ball with a few friends.
12:30pm
At lunchtime, Amanda sits and eats with a few friends.
1:00pm
On Mondays and Wednesdays, Amanda leaves the classroom to receive speech therapy. On Tuesdays, Amanda leaves the classroom to receive occupational therapy and on Thursdays the occupational therapist works with Amanda in the classroom. Fridays are Amanda’s choice days. She may choose from going to the library to read a book, checking the animals’ cages to see if they need food or cleaning, or having a rest in a quiet spot. These choices may change as Amanda’s interests change.
2:00pm
The bus takes Amanda to her job at the nail salon. Her job coach greets her there and assists her settling in.
4:30pm
The bus picks up Amanda from the salon and takes her home where she spends time playing and talking with her sisters and cat.
5:00pm
Amanda works on her homework with a family member’s help. If she finishes her homework before dinner, she watches some TV.
6:00pm
At dinner, Amanda’s whole family is usually there.
7:00pm
Amanda takes a bath, gets ready for bed and then reads either independently or with a family member before going to bed.
8:30pm
Amanda goes to bed, the lights are off.
To make this ideal day a reality, Amanda will need to express her frustrations in a socially appropriate way. A behavior modification plan could be put in place at school and home to specifically target the behavior of pressing her communication device over and over again when she is frustrated. If a more socially appropriate behavior is successfully learned, Amanda will have more success navigating through her day.
Items in the kitchen and bathroom in her home will need to be placed so that they are accessible to Amanda as she gets ready in the morning, along with the clothes she will wear for the day. She will need a bus with a lift that will bring her door to door from her house, to school, to work, then home again. A well trained health paraprofessional is needed to provide Amanda the support she needs to be successful in her lessons, services, and while eating.
In class, it would be helpful to have all of the students and teacher familiar with Amanda’s communication device, and a couple of classmates who know it well enough to be effective communication partners. As Amanda is working towards different objectives in some lessons, a small table should be set up in a quiet part of the room. Amanda can work one on one with her paraprofessional or with a small peer group. The classroom will need an adaptive computer that the teacher and at least one other student in Amanda’s class are familiar with. She will need weighted pencils, paper with raised lines, and her paper up at an angle when she practices writing.
Ideally, all of the professionals that are working with Amanda are well trained, and have taken the time to get to know her before setting goals and developing plans. The skills that they are helping her to develop are useful and empowering for Amanda. Amanda will need to continue working on understanding social cues and maintaining interactions for lunch and recess to go as well as it can. She can sit at a seat facing away from the general business of the lunch room when eating with friends.
Amanda’s school will have to agree to allow Amanda to have choice Fridays before that is an option.
Because she uses it at school, her job, and at home, Amanda’s assistive communication device needs to be well functioning and up to date with everything that Amanda wants to communicate.
For everything else, Amanda needs a loving and supportive family, which she does have. In order to help this family in case they do need anything, resources for families with children with special needs, cerebral palsy in particular, should be researched and updated as needed.
What is Amanda’s history?
Amanda is a twelve year old girl diagnosed with cerebral palsy shortly after her birth. The cerebral palsy causes Amanda to have difficulty in mobility, vision, and cognition. She uses braces and a walker to navigate and has some limited vision in both eyes. She lives in a two parent household and is the youngest of three girls. Both of her sisters are typically developing. Her father’s mother also lives with them and helps in raising the girls. Amanda has lived in the same house all of her life and has a strong connection with her family, who are very supportive of Amanda’s education and accommodating her needs.
This strong family bond has given Amanda a good base when she establishes friendships. She seeks out the company of her peers and laughs easily, but sometimes get frustrated when she is unable to keep up with the conversation. Amanda has been in an integrated school setting since she was in kindergarten, and has consistently reached 80 percent of her IEP goals since then. With an assistive communication device and accommodations for her vision, Amanda participates in the general education classroom for the majority of the school day. Her level of cognition is too low for Amanda to take statewide exams, so her progress is measured through portfolio evidence and teacher assessments.
What is your dream for Amanda?
· Being able to live independently
· Having a full time job
· Having friends
· Having a family
· Becoming a stronger communicator
· To be happy!
What is your nightmare for Amanda?
· She will need to be taken care of her entire life
· She will have a public meltdown
· She will not be able to stay employed
· She will be abused or victimized
Who is Amanda?
Amanda Rivera is a twelve year old girl in the sixth grade at her neighborhood middle school. She is in an ICT classroom, working towards meeting the goals that have been set in her IEP. Part of Amanda’s school day is spent working at a nail salon, where Amanda greets customers and helps them to pick out the color they would like. Amanda responds well to different colors and the social possibilities of this job, and the staff and customers enjoy having Amanda work there.
She has a strong bond with her family, and she is with her two older sisters as much as she is able to be. Amanda enjoys talking with them using her communication device, and both of her sisters have become very effective communication partners. She loves music and dancing to music, especially country music line dancing. Amanda also loves to paint using an ipad independently and with paints and brushes with assistance.
Amanda has done well in an integrated classroom and enjoys being around her typically developing peers. She uses accommodations at school to assist her in mobility, vision, and cognition within the general education classroom and receives additional services throughout the day. Amanda grows frustrated when there is clutter or crowded areas and can sometimes engage in inappropriate behaviors. She can engage in these also when she cannot keep up with the lesson or conversation, or does not understand what is expected of her.
Amanda has several friends in the classroom, all of whom love animals almost as much as Amanda does. They, as a group, have convinced their classroom teachers to have several animals in the classroom including turtles, a guinea pig, and fish.
What are Amanda’s strengths, gifts, and abilities?
· She can work
· She can follow two step directions
· She is good at matching colors
· She is a loving, warm person
· She is skilled in using her communication device
What are Amanda’s needs?
Mobility Needs
· Braces
· Walker
Visual Needs
· Bright colors
· Large print
· Clutter free environment
· Simple pictures
Organization
Barrier Free Building
1:1 Health paraprofessional
Assistive Communication Device
What would Amanda’s ideal day look like, and what must be done to make it happen?
7:00am
Amanda wakes up, eats breakfast, brushes her teeth, washes her face, and gets dressed for school.
7:30am
Amanda leaves the house with her sisters and waits in front of her house for the school bus.
8:00am
Amanda arrives at school and is greeted by her health paraprofessional, who assists Amanda in getting to her class. Amanda then participates in a class discussion about current events using her assistive communication device.
9:00am
Amanda stays in the general education classroom for her Math lesson. During the lesson, she either works one on one with her paraprofessional or with a peer partner.
10:00am
Amanda participates in snack time at a small group table in the general education classroom.
10:15am
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Amanda leaves the classroom with another student for physical therapy. On Tuesdays, she receives orientation and mobility services in the classroom, and on Fridays she has her adaptive gym class.
10:45am
Amanda returns to the classroom for science and technology where she works with a small group on a group project.
11:30am
Amanda participates in writing workshop where she works with weighted pencils, raised line paper, her communication device, and an adaptive computer to create a story.
12:15pm
Amanda has recess and plays ball with a few friends.
12:30pm
At lunchtime, Amanda sits and eats with a few friends.
1:00pm
On Mondays and Wednesdays, Amanda leaves the classroom to receive speech therapy. On Tuesdays, Amanda leaves the classroom to receive occupational therapy and on Thursdays the occupational therapist works with Amanda in the classroom. Fridays are Amanda’s choice days. She may choose from going to the library to read a book, checking the animals’ cages to see if they need food or cleaning, or having a rest in a quiet spot. These choices may change as Amanda’s interests change.
2:00pm
The bus takes Amanda to her job at the nail salon. Her job coach greets her there and assists her settling in.
4:30pm
The bus picks up Amanda from the salon and takes her home where she spends time playing and talking with her sisters and cat.
5:00pm
Amanda works on her homework with a family member’s help. If she finishes her homework before dinner, she watches some TV.
6:00pm
At dinner, Amanda’s whole family is usually there.
7:00pm
Amanda takes a bath, gets ready for bed and then reads either independently or with a family member before going to bed.
8:30pm
Amanda goes to bed, the lights are off.
To make this ideal day a reality, Amanda will need to express her frustrations in a socially appropriate way. A behavior modification plan could be put in place at school and home to specifically target the behavior of pressing her communication device over and over again when she is frustrated. If a more socially appropriate behavior is successfully learned, Amanda will have more success navigating through her day.
Items in the kitchen and bathroom in her home will need to be placed so that they are accessible to Amanda as she gets ready in the morning, along with the clothes she will wear for the day. She will need a bus with a lift that will bring her door to door from her house, to school, to work, then home again. A well trained health paraprofessional is needed to provide Amanda the support she needs to be successful in her lessons, services, and while eating.
In class, it would be helpful to have all of the students and teacher familiar with Amanda’s communication device, and a couple of classmates who know it well enough to be effective communication partners. As Amanda is working towards different objectives in some lessons, a small table should be set up in a quiet part of the room. Amanda can work one on one with her paraprofessional or with a small peer group. The classroom will need an adaptive computer that the teacher and at least one other student in Amanda’s class are familiar with. She will need weighted pencils, paper with raised lines, and her paper up at an angle when she practices writing.
Ideally, all of the professionals that are working with Amanda are well trained, and have taken the time to get to know her before setting goals and developing plans. The skills that they are helping her to develop are useful and empowering for Amanda. Amanda will need to continue working on understanding social cues and maintaining interactions for lunch and recess to go as well as it can. She can sit at a seat facing away from the general business of the lunch room when eating with friends.
Amanda’s school will have to agree to allow Amanda to have choice Fridays before that is an option.
Because she uses it at school, her job, and at home, Amanda’s assistive communication device needs to be well functioning and up to date with everything that Amanda wants to communicate.
For everything else, Amanda needs a loving and supportive family, which she does have. In order to help this family in case they do need anything, resources for families with children with special needs, cerebral palsy in particular, should be researched and updated as needed.