4th week, Let’s think, let’s write:
Children with exceptionalities
Identify the learning problem best illustrated in each of the following examples:
Sarah, 14, chooses to sit in the back of the classroom, and much of the
time she's doodling in her notebook or staring out of the window. She
seldom completes assignments and often forgets to bring the right books to
class. Her desk is a mess and she usually can't find what she's looking
for. Then she gets resentful and says that everybody picks on her.
Rena is a talented storyteller but she can't write her ideas down. Her
language is rich and varied when she speaks, but when she writes her
sentences are short and her punctuation is unreliable.
Cheryl usually went to school and to her part-time job, and then came
home and played with her cats, rather than go out with her two best
friends, as she used to. Looking back, her mother realized that Cheryl
hadn't gone to the movies or shopping for the past month and seemed to have
lost weight. Then her mother found a bottle of sleeping pills on Cheryl's
dresser.
Corinne's mother tried everything she could think of to get her
14–year–old daughter to join an after–school club or accept invitations to
parties. Corinne insisted that she would rather stay home and read; she
said she was afraid she didn’t fit in with her classmates and didn't know
what to say to them. Her grades have suffered because of lack of class
participation. Whenever she was in a group social situation, as in class or
at a party, Corinne suddenly became frightened and her heart pounded.
Danny, 4, attends nursery school. He has an aide assigned specifically to
help him comply with the routine of the group. He would prefer to roam
around the room, picking up toys here and there but doesn't really get
interested in any one activity. During story time he doesn't become
involved in the story, but keeps repeating the same questions in a loud
tone of voice. Danny's mother states that she avoids family gatherings and
celebrations because he gets overly excited and then she can't control him.
Guidance
4th week, Let’s think, let’s write:
Children with exceptionalities
Identify the learning problem best illustrated in each of the following examples:
Brandon's teachers in the daycare center report that he is the "terrorist
of the 4–year–olds". He punches or bites children and pushes them off the
swings in the playground without provocation. He swings the class pet
rabbit by the tail in spite of being told how it hurts the animal. His
parents report that he has been difficult to manage since he was an infant.
Jake is saving his money to buy Pokemon figures but hesitates to go into
a store because he can't figure out how much change he should get.
Multiplication tables are a mystery to him.
Charlie, 8, is entering 3rd grade. Each September since kindergarten the
start of school has always been a struggle for him. This year his distress
escalated with the added demand of starting in a new school due to a family
move, and by November he missed twenty-six days of school often complaining
of headaches or stomachaches. His academic work has suffered, and his
teachers have sent his assignments home. Charlie insists that he can't
complete them without his mother's presence. He worries that something bad
may happen to his mom while he is in school.
Joanna, aged 4 1/2, was interviewed by the director of a preschool when
her parents applied to have her enrolled. Joanna smiled a great deal and
was interested in the toys in the office. The director, however, was
concerned about Joanna's inability to say her own name and address, to
communicate basic information about her family, and to express herself
verbally.
Alex, 10–years–old, lives with his mother and grandmother. His parents
separated when he was six. Alex's teacher reports that he is in danger of
failing, that he becomes preoccupied, often staring out the window, and
seldom finishes his work. Alex has stated that the other children in the
class are much smarter than he is. He seldom attends Boy Scout meetings or
plays baseball, which he used to enjoy. When he gets home each afternoon,
he watches television and eats all the cookies he can find. He usually
telephones his mother to make sure she's all right and then goes to bed
until his mother comes home. "I don't have any reason to stay up; nothing
good is going to happen," he said.
Guidance