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As a parent I agree that the lines of communication between myself and the gen ed teacher are not as open as they should be. I feel the first step toward Benny's success is a clear line of communication between myself and the teacher.
I love the idea of the bouncy bands but my worry is that those can become a distraction for Benny and make him more internal and interested in the bands rather than his schoolwork, but I am open to trying anything that is offered.
I would also like to suggest a weekly checkin or some form of scheduled dialogue between the gen ed teacher and the occupational therapist so the teacher can implement what is being done in their sessions into the classroom. My second suggestion would be trying new medications. There are so many different prescribed medications for ADHD and is the current medication is making him quiet may i suggest we try another prescription (such as Concerta or Ritalin) rather than just altering the dosage.

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Once I have examined my own beliefs and assumptions, it's time to talk about how to make a change. In order to create an inclusive classroom for all students, it is important to observe how your each students interacts and what they like to do so teachers can understand their capabilities. To create a positive teacher-student relationship, teachers should know their students such as their interests, goals and motivations. To engage the students, it is important to talk with them so they know that you care about them. Once you know your students well, you can adapt your curriclum, change the teaching strategies, and differentiate the instructions so that you can reach students with different learning needs. Teachers should reach out to their collegues, specialists, parents, and other school staff for resources on how to work with students with special needs. In the end, teachers should reflect on their own teaching and try different approaches when one doesn't work.

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Katherine- I really like the idea of the leg bands. Not only will these help with Benny’s ADHD, but they could also help to strengthen his extremities and build up his currently low muscle tone. I think sensory tools like this are great for students with ADHD, however in Benny’s case, I worry that these leg bands could lead to him engaging in more self-stimulatory behaviors during instructional time. While we know that Benny enjoys the trampoline and is more verbal when engaging in physical activity, I fear the bouncing motion of the leg bands would be too similar to a trampoline and distract Benny from his work. Instead, I think we should start with something that would give him less access to physical movement at his desk so we can accurately gauge what level of gross motor stimulation he truly needs to remain engaged. I am recommending a tactile cushion, sometimes known as a wiggle cushion, for Benny to sit on at his desk. This cushion will encourage Benny to shift his weight often to help him maintain his focus and stay engaged in his tasks. The wiggle cushion will also provide Benny with sensory stimulation that will help him stay seated for longer durations. This cushion can travel with Benny to his pull-out sessions, circle time, adaptive gym class/Physical Therapy, and our OT sessions. He can even stand on it to work on increasing his balance! If we find that this cushion is not effective or that he requires more stimulation, I think the legs bands or swings could be a good next step.

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As a general education teacher, I am responsible to find the ways in which I can help Ben. I think it is important for me to first "examine your own beliefs and assumptions about inclusion (Orville Ingram)." According to Robert Rosenthal, teachers' expectations influence how students perform. In order to truly support students with disabilities in the inclusion classroom, it is necessary for me to have the right expectations. Whether a teacher expects her students to learn or not can be noticed in subtle ways. Students internalize this and once an expectation develops, even if it is wrong, they behave as if the belief were true. By right expectations, I mean the belief that all students can learn, they just learn differently. To show the students that I believe that they can succeed, approval is extremely important. By acknowledging students efforts, encouraging students to continue, and offering specific feedback, students know that they have the potential to succeed and the teacher is there to support them when they need help.

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Based on Benny’s most recent scores on his Beery evaluation, it appears he needs to make great strides in the areas of motor coordination and visual motor integration. During our Occupational Therapy sessions Benny is extremely engaged with his tasks and with our interactions which has led to a significant decrease in his self-stimulatory behaviors. I believe, due to this level of engagement, that Benny has and will continue to improve through his OT sessions. Benny has shown a level of interest and dedication during our sessions that leads me to believe that an increase in his OT time would benefit him greatly. I am recommending that Benny increase his sessions to 60 minutes, 2-3 times per week. Along with this increase in time I am recommending a change to push-in OT services for the latter 30 minutes of each of these sessions. Diane Kellegrew and Delores Allen, authors of Occupational Therapy in Full-Inclusion Classrooms, tell us that therapy in natural settings can increase a therapists understanding of the academic and social demands of the classroom, therefore providing more meaningful interventions.  It is my belief that Benny will perform tasks he is struggling with, such as cutting, with increased accuracy in his classroom.

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Katherine, I love the idea of the bouncy bands and leg swings. By implementing items that can help students' focus, it can better improve their learning. I noticed that in many classrooms, students have trouble focusing because they have a ton of energy inside of them that they need to release. Many students have trouble sitting still during instructional time. I believe that having bean bags and other necessities that can help students focus are vital in classroom settings.

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Based on my vision with Ben's IEP Report, it is vital to have me take part in his academics and potential growth. According to the report, Ben is transitioning to a steady progress in his speech and language goals. He relies on models and prompts, but still has difficulty answering wh questions. I believe that, in order to improve shi speech, it is important that there is a connection with the teacher and have the teacher implement vocabulary words across the classroom. While Ben has difficulty with speech, he may not be the only student in the classroom with that difficulty. Thus, by implementing vocabulary words across the classroom, and having phonics and phonetic awareness addressed in the curriculum, we can help not only Benny but also the other students that are also in the classroom community.

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Katherine, I love the idea of the bouncy bands and the specialized desk with the leg swings.  Harvard Medical School's Professor Jay Ratey stated in a 2008 Education Week article that physical exercise "puts the brain of the learners in the optimal position for them to learn."  This is because exercise brings oxygen to the brain which stimulates brain activity.   The bouncy band will give a similar feeling to bouncing on the trampoline, which is a technique that has proven to be beneficial to Benny.

I also am interested in the written student preference surveys for Benny.  I think that this is a non intimidating way for him to express his needs.

Bouncy Band

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I feel positive, moving forward, that more meetings with me (the school psychologist) will allow him to make social gains. His hesitancy to answer in class is something that I feel can be remedied. In other inclusive classrooms, I have noted the presence of alternative sitting arrangements that have seemed to benefit other students with ADHD. For one, there are leg swings and “bouncy bands” that can be attached to the bottom of regular or specialized desks. These allow for movement within the classroom in a non-distracting way. If Benny were to use this, I believe that it will improve his focus, as his OT has observed him make intellectual gains while jumping on the trampoline and keeping his body active. I plan on getting one of these specialized desks for my office to use in my meetings with Benny. If I feel that it is benefitting him, I will suggest it to his classroom teacher.

http://www.safcoproducts.com/alphabetter/

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Kristy- You make a great point about keeping the lines of communication open between Benny’s teacher and his parents. The differing expectations between Benny’s parents and his teacher are resulting in the disatisfaction of everyone involved, I believe.

According to the United Federation of Teachers, conferencing the students into these conversations is also a useful tool for us to assess his needs. Orville Ingram states in his article, “Supporting students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms,” students who are old enough to understand their disabilities can be the best source of understanding how to support them. Written student learning or preference surveys would be a good way to gauge what Benny wants in the classroom, as he has trouble talking directly to the teacher.

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After reading Benny’s IEP, and looking at the suggestions of all the specialists, it is most important that Benny’s parents and the general education teacher engage in a communication that is both collaborative and consistent.  According to Freire’s “dialogue theory” in Research in Inclusive Education as a Possible Opening to Disability, important factors that contribute to an effective communication include:  families being considered equal partners with the educators and specialists, continuous communication in a positive atmosphere, and a focus on the goals of the student. There seems to be a gap in communication between Benny’s parents and teacher that is resulting in differing expectations of Benny.   Therefore, it is critical that realistic goals are collaboratively set for Benny in his IEP with clear communication between all involved.

In order for collaboration to be effective, authors of Research in Inclusive Education as a Possible Opening to Disability state, “…parents are seen as experts, children with and without labels as participants, and teachers as explorers of creative paths instead of bureaucrats.  Benny’s parents should communicate with the teacher about Benny’s strengths and interests, so that the teacher can form a more personal relationship with him.   This information can also assist the teacher in providing Benny with a productive learning experience that is individualized to his needs.  It appears that Benny thrives when he receives more individual attention, as is seen in his progress in occupational therapy, which seems to be a result of the relationship between him and his occupational therapist. This, along with more praise and encouragement by the teacher will hopefully result in Benny feeling more comfortable to express himself.  It is important for the teacher to focus on what Benny is accomplishing, no matter how small it may seem, instead of focusing only on what he is not accomplishing.

Some other strategies that should be implemented in the classroom to assist Benny in expressing himself are smaller group work, partnering Benny with another student, and more turn and talks.  These strategies will allow Benny to express himself to a student or group of students with whom he trusts and will hopefully result in him sharing these ideas with the class.  Another strategy would be for the teacher to give the parents a question or questions related to an upcoming lesson, so that they can prepare Benny with the intention of having him feel more comfortable answering the question or questions during class.

Finally, the SETSS teacher should push into the classroom when implementing services for Benny so that he or she can better assist Benny with the work by providing him with individual assistance during lessons.  The SETSS teacher can also offer the teacher suggestions and strategies for implementing instruction for Benny.  According to the article, Changing the Roles of Special Education Teachers, it is crucial that special education professionals work collaboratively and positively with classroom teachers to improve the educational outcome for students with disabilities.  It also appears from Benny’s IEP that he is a kinesthetic learner.  The teacher should try and incorporate more movement during lessons and more movement breaks for him as needed.