Age: 10
Positive Student Profile
Parker Roos
th
5
Grade Ingersol Middle School
Who Is Parker?
♦ The older of two children. Very proud, loving and protective big brother to
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Allison (“Cutie”) almost 7.
Caretaker of his dog, Daisy and hamster, Blackie Poops a Lot.
A helper. He loves to have jobs and to help at any task.
A great cook! He loves to help with cooking.
Favorite activities in school are PE, anything that involves computers, and
hands on activities.
Favorite TV channels are Disney, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network.
Someone who loves to be outdoors. Parker loves to play outside all year
round! He loves to play golf and basketball. He also enjoys fishing and
swimming.
A fish! He loves swimming and playing in water, this includes water balloons!
A fan of dinosaurs! Especially the T-Rex!
A huge fan of Spiderman (the cartoon)!
A photographer! He loves taking pictures and is very good at this activity!
Someone who loves the color RED!
A huge fan of snowmen and pigs!
LOVES “his” baby Ryan. Ryan is the son of friends’ of ours and Parker helps
take care of him often. He feeds him, rocks him and plays with him.
What are Parker’s Strengths?
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He imitates well.
He loves to help others.
He has a great sense of humor.
He loves to laugh.
He can follow short/specific directions.
He has a very good memory, especially when it comes to how to get
somewhere. He also loves maps.
He is very empathetic towards the emotions of others; this can also be a
weakness.
He likes to remind others of details (at home he won’t let us forget our keys,
wallets, pager, to turn out the lights, etc. – at school, he will sometimes tell
when others aren’t following directions or finishing tasks).
He loves to have jobs and responsibility.
He can be very organized.
What are Parker’s recent successes?
♦ He is becoming more responsible.
♦ He is becoming more independent.
♦ He attended summer camp.
What supports are needed for Parker?
♦ To observe and learn from “typical” peers.
♦ To have a routine which is structured, yet flexible, to allow for increased
tolerance to change. Schedules are very useful but if you provide too much
of the schedule in advance it may produce anxiety.
♦ To have frequent breaks, within a quiet area, where he can retreat
throughout the day. Shooting baskets helps him gain his composure too.
♦ To have a structured sensory diet that is always implemented, it won’t work
if it’s only used during periods of hyperarousal.
♦ A teacher, para, and school who believes in him and encourages him. He has
a very good sense of people and when he is not wanted. His feelings are very
easily hurt by adults and children.
♦ For his peers to be given a chance to understand his disability and to be
encouraged to accept Parker along with his challenges along with offer
suggestions to help him be successful.
What are our dreams for Parker?
Parker WILL:
♦ Be a member of a circle of friends, he will be happy and know that he is
loved and accepted.
♦ Have literacy skills, writing skills, understand and use time, calendar and
money concepts.
♦ Be accepted and supported by his school system and community.
♦ Be able to understand what his body is telling him (with hyperarousal) and
provide himself with calming techniques that he has learned.
♦ Live as independently as possible.
♦ Have a job or volunteer within the community.
OTHER HELPFUL INFORMATION
Parker's learning style is visually oriented, and he learns best through use of
incidental learning, using information in ways that are functional, rather than
through rote learning (for example, teaching how to add by counting apples in a
store as opposed to adding numbers on a page). Parker loves to be the helper,
having him distribute items for the class is an excellent way to teach math.
It is critical that we recognize that the environment plays an important role in the
way Parker learns and behaves. Parker works best with short breaks in-between
tasks. He needs to be able to take frequent breaks during the day. When he gets
upset and doesn’t want to comply, it’s best to try and redirect him rather than
become adversarial and force compliance. Parker's sense of humor can be very
useful in accomplishing this. Parker needs to be able to show his independence,
when he asks for his para to leave so he can work with the class, that request
should be respected (within limits) so that he can become more independent.
Having her wait outside the door is a good example.
Time outs, especially in a group setting will only increase his anxiety and
hyperarousal, creating more negative behavior. Parker doesn't respond well to
being told NO, if at all possible redirect, or say something like in a minute, after
we do such and such or just ‘two’ more if we want him to complete an activity.
Usually when Parker is over-stimulated, his ears will turn bright red, often times
just one ear. This could happen because of excitement, anxiety or frustration, any
of the three could lead to hyperarousal in which he can no longer self-manage. His
ears can be used as an early warning system that it is a critical time for a break.
On rare occasions, he will also uses verbal perseveration (repeating statements
over and over again) that is also a sign of the onset of hyperarousal or that he
recognizes he is in a situation where it is difficult for him to control his anxiety.
Parker’s comments usually involve “I need to go potty” or anything relating to his
dog or hamster – “Daisy (or “Poopie” – lol, I know, it’s what he calls the hamster
though!) misses me” “Daisy/Poopie needs me or needs “daddy””, etc. Both
comments that he hopes will remove him from his situation. Parker responds best
if you remain calm, if he is getting over stimulated or anxious whisper to him. Ask
him to repeat, "I’m okay, take a deep breath, relax" it may help. When he is upset,
he calms down faster when he isn't noticed or pointed out by others.
Offering Parker a ‘break’ before it is really needed can prevent a state of
hyperarousal. Giving Parker a ‘job’ to remove him from the situation can be very
successful. Jobs that involve heavy work (carrying books to the library or to the
office) and having a purpose to what he is doing will make this transition
successful. Offering a color coded pass that other teachers and staff in the
building understand allows Parker some independence and understanding without
having to be verbal.
Parker has a great desire to be "part of the group" and does not like to be singled
out; he wants to take part in everything his classmates are doing and particularly
loves to help, therefore, a cooperative learning environment works best for him.
Parker will respond best to other children’s cues or direction. Sometimes the
children in the classroom are our best untapped resources. If we find ourselves in
a difficult spot – working with the other children, helping them to understand
Parker then asking for their suggestions – sometimes will lead to the best results
and answers. For adults, using calm, even sing-songy voice is very soothing. Deep
pressure touch also helps Parker by offering sensory input. It is important to
remember that light touch is not comforting to him. Tight “squeezy” hugs, or
touching him (on the shoulders, hands, arms, back, etc.) with some pressure will
bring comfort to him. Parker also chews on items for calming. Having items like
twizzlers or cheese it’s handy can help him receive sensory input.
Loud noises or unique smells can bring on sensory overload. It is best for Parker to
eat with a few peers in a pod to be able to successfully eat lunch. The cafeteria is
too overwhelming and it has been our experience that Parker is not only unable to
eat when in this environment but bringing him back to an optimum level to function
after lunch takes an extended amount of time. There are certain smells that are
difficult for Parker the best example would be the smell of pumpkin pie filling and
sometimes pumpkins. He enjoys activities with pumpkins but will need to be near an
exit, bathroom or trashcan in case the smell becomes too much for him.
Dr. Sally Burton Hoyle, executive director of the Autism Society of Michigan, said
it well when she stated, “All behavior is communication”. You can't ask a child with
an Autism Spectrum Disorder to use words, they can't. Behavior tells us how a
child thinks and/or feels; behavior tells us how the child takes in their
environment. It is critical that you help Parker develop a positive identity.
Instead of ultimatums, give choices and please don’t take away the reasons he loves
to go to school as a form of behavior management. Parker loves school. He loves
his friends, he loves the routine and he loves to learn. He will always learn. He
starts each day looking forward to a new day – and each day is exactly that to him
– a new day, a fresh start. Please remember you are a very important part of
Parker’s success. Your belief in him, understanding and acceptance of his struggles
and encouragement will last long beyond this school year. The values you instill in
Parker and his classmates will be life long lessons.