Week Eleven

Lisa’s participation in Special Olympics has been an incredible opportunity for her, and, at age 16, she has come to love and to rely on her experience with the organization. In fact, she was asked last year to take on a peer leadership role, and she has grown tremendously from the experience. Through her middle school years, in fact, her focus became less on school and more on her increasing interest in Special Olympics. Not that she didn’t do well in school – she did – but the environment was different than elementary school, and she started to develop relationships outside of the confines of school.

Lisa has developed some wonderful friendships with boys and girls alike. Her friend Tray was really special to her, and she felt a certain something for him – she thought of him often and got a little nervous when they were together. She couldn’t imagine ever going on a date with him, and she wasn’t really sure how that might happen. She also wasn’t sure what her mom and dad would say. Still, she could scarcely stop think about him some days, and she kept wondering what to do next. Should she tell him? No WAY! Should she tell another friend who would tell him? Should she try to find out if he felt the same way? She just wasn’t sure – he was, after all, a little older. They really understood each other because he also struggled with a lifelong disabling condition too – he was visually impaired. She really felt like she might be in love.   

* In your group’s opinion, what circumstances led to Yuting and Tim’s resilience in the face of the challenges Lisa has presented as a child with CP? Describe the factors that likely led to such resilience – be sure to consider what you can ascertain of Yuting and Tim’s general level of functioning including what you perceive to be their overall psychological well-being.

* From the standpoint of the school and the IEP, what is transition? Describe at least 3 transition goals for Lisa. When would the IEP team have started to consider and include these?

* Describe the cognitive developmental changes that take place during puberty, and hypothesize how these apply to Lisa based on this week’s installment.

* Describe how Lisa would likely have experienced the physical changes associated with puberty.

* Write 3 goals (include 2-3 objectives for each goal) that might be found in Lisa’s IEP at age 16 given her learning disability. Assume that her disability was identified as indicated in the previous week’s post, and posit her approximate academic growth given the disability from age 8-16. Write your goals at age 16 with that in mind.

* What happens when Lisa turns 18? For which services will she still be eligible? What kind of public assistance can she receive? Will she support herself? If so, how? Be sure to look into SSI and disability – is she eligible when she turns 18? Is she eligible now, at 16?   

Week Ten

Week Ten is courtesy of the Thomas Mahoney group.

Lisa has continued to attend public schools and is now 12 years old. Lisa has experienced many changes within the past year in her life due to the transition into middle school. Since she has CP, this transition has been even more difficult for her. Her teachers in elementary school were wonderful and more than her parents could've asked for. However, since transitioning into middle school, they have not been as lucky. The teachers seem to be stressed out and are more worried about getting through each day then truly helping the child learn and develop. Tim and Yuting have considered pulling Lisa out of the middle school and placing her into a different school.

Lisa has progressed from the use of the walker to forearm crutches which has given her much more freedom and independency. The assistants help her with her gait. She continues to go to occupational therapy which has helped her tremendously along with speech therapy. She is able to communicate with her peers effectively and express her needs to others. Her parents have had to pay out of pocket for her occupational therapy, which has caused tremendous stress and burden on both of them. However, after Ron passed away, they received a generous amount of money which will help cover the costs.

When Lisa was 8 years old, she was diagnosed with having a mild learning disability. English is the subject that Lisa has the most trouble with and her language comprehension skills are delayed due to the late onset of speech.

The grandparent, Ron, died when Lisa was 10 years old and was a major presence in her life. She would take Lisa to many activities and they shared a special bond so this was a devastating event for Lisa and she still struggles to cope. In order to help Lisa cope, her parents have actively engaged her in a supportive group which was Special Olympics. Lisa began to partake in the Special Olympics in her community and has excelled in bowling. She has gained a lot of friendships through this and looks forward to going to the practices each week.

Week Nine

Tim and Yuting are content in their decision not to have another child, and the years with Lisa have been both joyous and exhausting. At age 7, Lisa has come a long way - she can now speak relatively well and can communicate her basic needs. Tim and Yuting have worked with her, and she has had ongoing speech therapy and occupational therapy. Additionally, Lisa visits regularly with a doctor who specializes in working with children with CP.

Lisa goes to the local public school, and she has a wonderful teacher who cares deeply for Lisa. For most of the day, Lisa is in a self-contained classroom, but the school she attends is rather progressive in its insistence that students with disabilities be integrated as much as possible into typical activities with other children. As a result, Lisa has many people at school that she considers friends, and her peers treat her with kindness and seem to forget Lisa's limitations and challenges. Tim and Yuting could not be happier with the school and the hard work that all have done to provide care and education for Lisa.

Describe some of the goals and objectives that are likely to be found on Lisa's IEP.

Find research that looks at the nature of peer relationships for children with CP.

What is the relationship between general intelligence and CP?

How is it that Lisa's therapeutic needs are met? In other words, what is the likely intensity of speech services and occupational therapy services? Are there any services that come into the home?

Week Eight

Spring Break

Week Seven

Individual assignments