Observing and talking with professionals

The first person who I observed is an Early Childhood Special Ed teacher. All of her students in her class have autism. I observed how the children are taught and how they learn in her classroom. After observing their extensive ABA and VB therapy, I sat down to ask her questions. I wanted to know how she felt about home programs. I asked her if she has ever gone to her student’s homes to observe. She said that they used to do parent/teacher conferences at the child’s home. By doing this, it would give her a better understanding of how the child’s home life was. She also said that the parents would ask her for any suggestions that they could use at their home to help their child feel more comfortable. The teacher  would create a picture schedule for the child to use at home, just like they use at school. The parents greatly appreciated this. However, the teacher said that all of that has changed. Due to privacy, parent/teacher conferences are no longer held at the child’s home. There are so many restrictions these days, that it is very hard to help the parents. Teachers have to watch what they say, they can’t EVER babysit any of their students, they can’t implement home programs and the list goes on and on. There is this fine line set in place that they absolutely can NOT cross. In my opinion, this line could be a good thing or bad thing. I think that teachers should be able to help these parents out at their home settings. I don’t see anything wrong with that. However, teachers should be paid for doing this. Home programs, in addition to their schooling, would help these children tremendously! Children with autism strive on structure and need this throughout their entire day.

 The second person I talked to is the school’s social worker. She is a member of the IEP team and is a part of the assessment and placement process.  I wanted to learn more about her role in this process. The social worker is the person who takes down a family history during the evaluation process. If the child has had behavioral problems or personal struggles, then the social worker would be the case manager. The social worker makes observations during the meeting. A lot of the information the social worker uses is from the parents. She gets as much of the information she can from the parents first, then assesses the child. She said that sometimes it is hard to assess the child’s behaviors because they are scared or confused while at the assessment. She goes mostly off of what the parents describe.

I asked the social worker how she felt about the length of the assessment. She feels that it would be more beneficial for her to observe the child in different settings. For instance, a school setting and a home setting would give her clearer, more substantial results.  

The last person I interviewed is a speech psychologist at the school. She is also a member of the IEP team. I wanted to learn more about her role in the assessment and placement process of the children. The psychologist is the person who will give the child IQ tests and other psychological surveys as part of the evaluation portion of IEP planning. If the child has mental health challenges, then she would be the case manager. The psychologist makes observations during the meeting about your child's psychological state or concerns. If the child is having problems during the school year that require counseling, she may be able to help.

After the child is determined to be eligible for special education services, the IEP team must develop an individual education plan to be implemented as soon as possible after eligibility is determined. Using the results of the full individual evaluation, the IEP team works together to identify the child's present level of educational performance, the child's specific academic, and any related or special services that the child needs in order to benefit from their education. After the IEP is developed, the IEP team then determines placement—that is, the environment in which the child's IEP can most readily be implemented.

I asked the school psychologist how she felt about the length of the assessment and she agreed with the social worker. They need longer and more thorough assessments in order to place the child correctly. She also admitted that there have been several children who passed through clinic that were misdiagnosed or placed in the wrong school setting. After talking with the teacher about the child, the child was then placed in the correct setting. This whole ordeal could have been bi-passed if the assessment was longer and the child was placed correctly. It’s not fair to the child, the teacher, or the parents to place their child in the school setting that is not benefiting the child. .

All of these interviews and observations have helped with my advocacy plan that I would like to set in place. They have confirmed how I felt all along about home programs and the assessment process. I’m looking forward to talking with the administrative staff and also families of these children to gain more information.