I am excited to be working with you all as Ben’s speech therapist. As a speech therapist we should all work collaboratively to get the best possible outcomes for Ben. As we’ve read in his IEP, ben has trouble focusing on classwork and when he does he only works for a few minutes. He has issues answering Wh questions but is very engaged in physical activities: jump rope, etc. Ben also has trouble keeping up with the teacher as she’s speaking. I agree with Jenna, that she should slow down and maybe should have a word chart for him to approach with simplified words. I also think that maybe hand signals should be used if Ben is able to participate physically.

With Ben, he should have a supportive classroom that’s helps all students engage. Ben needs this in order to grow and be comfortable creating a positive atmosphere.

I am looking forward to working as a collaborative team today to see what there is that we can do to help our Benny succeed. As a school psychologist, I believe creating a strong support system for Ben both in and out of school will be a vital part to his accomplishments. Working as a team and bringing to the table strategies and modifications that lead us to believe that Benny will improve is our goal. There are multiple options that can be implemented towards improving Benny’s academic standpoint and his behavior. The evaluation of Ben in his classroom setting would be the start of the evaluation process needed to further continue. We will be able to walk into the classroom, without placing the full attention on him so there is no alteration in his behavior during the lesson. A next step after observing him in an uncontrolled classroom setting may be putting all of this into an evaluation, which will include the collection of test results, with written explanations of the results. As for Ben’s behavior, we can use a behavior plan with a reward system to praise good behavior and disregard other unfitting behavior, as long as it isn’t disruptive to the class. Another accommodation that will most likely ensure that Benny may not be giving the best of his ability is the disruption of the classroom setting he may be in. We have to make sure he feels safe and is able to show the best of his ability in the classroom he is in. In this case we may need to remove Benny from that classroom and place into another comforted classroom environment. This is where changes and improvements may be given to Benny as the appropriate academic support that he needs in order to succeed. In relation to the Zwler’s and Johnson article, the cooperation and support of the family, in particular the Ben’s mother, and the classroom teacher- must be working in sync to help Benny work to the best of his ability. These strategies will ensure that the appropriate assessments are carried out on Ben in the areas that require extra attention, as we use them to create behavioral plans that will ensure Benny accomplishing his IEP goals!