Week Three

            Leroy and Susan decide to move forward with an evaluation to receive services for an Individualized Education Program. The evaluation occurs at the very beginning of the summer before Kendall enters second grade. After the evaluation, Leroy and Susan sit down with the principal, school psychologist, and Kendall's first and second grade teachers. The school staff explains how Kendall did on the evaluation and how they believe they can help her academically and during these critical middle childhood development phases. They tell Leroy and Susan that Kendall is eligible for services under IDEA's definition of a "child with a disability." Although ADHD is not an official disability category under the IDEA's definition, Kendall still will receive services under the official categories of "developmental delay" and "other health impairments."

            The next week, Leroy and Susan meet again with the school staff to come up with Kendall's Individualized Education Plan. Her IEP team consists of her second grade teacher, the school psychologist, Leroy and Susan, and the school principal. For the initial meeting, Kendall's first grade teacher attends to give feedback on how Kendall behaved in her classroom. The principal asks Leroy and Susan to list their main concerns academically for Kendall. They explain that Kendall is below grade level for reading, writing, and spelling. They also describe how long it takes for Kendall to complete her homework every night due to her inability to concentrate and constant walking around. They also get extremely frustrated with Kendall's forgetfulness to complete assignments on time or bring home appropriate materials or books.

            Next, Kendall's first grade teacher describes her concerns as well. Kendall's lack of organization skills is very disruptive for her schoolwork and causes more problems on top of her other attention and hyperactivity problems. Although Kendall did seem to get along fairly well with her classmates, she did have occasional outbursts and disruptive behavior during lesson times or story times. The main disruptive behavior that Kendall's teacher noticed was that Kendall often distracted other students by talking over the teacher during lessons or walked aimlessly around the classroom while students were supposed to be working on assignments. She also seemed to have frequent bathroom breaks where she would sometimes be found walking around the hallways. By the end of first grade, a teacher would have to walk Kendall to a restroom multiple times a day. The teacher also touched on the same concerns as Kendall's parents such as her poor writing skills and incomplete assignments.

            The next order of business was Kendall's social and physical development. Socially, Kendall gets along well with classmates but can be disruptive in the classroom at times. Her physical development was extremely typical for a child her age but she sometimes seemed more hyper and distracted than other students.

            At the end of the meeting, the IEP created three goals for Kendall to strive for during her second grade year. Her first goal was to keep organized with her binders and material during the school year. The procedure for evaluation would consist of daily binder and backpack checks done by her teacher at the beginning and end of each school day. If for any reason she becomes concerned with Kendall's organization habits, she would email Leroy and Susan to alert them. Leroy and Susan will then reinforce the importance of organizational habits with Kendall at home and hold her accountable. Her second goal was to finish homework and assignments at around the same pace of the rest of the class (an additional 15 minutes can be added). To accomplish this goal, Kendall will sit with a teacher's aid that specializes in ADHD while she does assignments to help her stay on task and focus on her assignment. At home, Kendall will sit at the kitchen table with Susan and work on her homework together. Kendall's last goal is to raise her reading scores to grade level by the end of the year. Once she enters third grade, the curriculum will transition from "learning to read" to "reading to learn" and her IEP team is very determined to keep her on track. Kendall will receive special services at her elementary school and work with her teacher's aid in another classroom to ensure that she stays focused and concentrated on her reading assignments and lessons.

            At the end of Kendall's first semester of second grade, she has still not made much progress on her reading scores. She is not at grade level for reading or writing but is making small strides on her organization skills. Her parents and teacher both agree that the main frustration is in her hyperactivity and inattentive behaviors. Her general education teacher sets up a meeting at the end of Kendall's first semester in second grade to discuss the option of medication. She recommends that Leroy and Susan set up an appointment with their pediatrician to discuss the possibility of prescribing ADHD medicine to help Kendall focus more in school.

Decision Point:

Do Leroy and Susan move forward on acquiring a prescription for ADHD medicine for Kendall?

Questions:

1.     What type of side effects might ADHD medicine cause in a child Kendall's age?

2.     What other special services are available to children with ADHD in elementary school?

3.     How might Kendall's IEP team ensure that Kendall is in the general education classroom as much as possible to ensure that her social development is not affected?

4.     How might Kendall's IEP goals change following second grade? How might her goals change?