Individual Education Plan ( IEP) - 2007
Daniel Beeley - born 2000
Diagnosis: Asperger's Syndrome
Critical Information
This is Daniel's first IEP. He was verified on 19 March 2007. He is currently experiencing very high levels of anxiety and is undertaking Cognitive Behaviour Therapy through Minds and Hearts (specialist Autism/Asperger's clinic). We have negotiated for Daniel to have one day at home in the short term to help ease his anxiety levels.
Statement of Aspirations (vision for the student's future)
Reduce Daniel's anxiety levels. School resistance to disappear.
Student Competencies
- Daniel is very intelligent.
- There is concern that he finds much of the work boring.
- He is reading at a very high level in areas of his interest (eg long dinosaur names).
- He enjoys Lego (difficult Lego), Bionicles.
- He enjoys Boys Brigade.
- He has high interest in Dinosaurs and Dragons.
- Daniel has one good friend - some concern that his lack of social skills may lead to disintegration of the friendship.
Impacts of disability on learning
- Daniel is experiencing extremely high levels of anxiety.
- School is very stressful.
- Daniel does not want to come to school at present.
- Parents and psychologist report that high levels of anxiety caused by Physical Education and this has been a major cause of his resistance to attending school.
- Daniel has genuine difficulties with motor coordination.
- Daniel is home schooling on Mondays to avoid Physical Education.
- When he does resume, Physical Education expectations need to be lowered eg if the other kids run 2 laps, Daniel only has to do 1. Also he will need teacher aide assistance during Physical Education.
- Daniel says that handwriting hurts.
- Daniel has a significant deficit in receptive language skills.
- Daniel finds it very difficult to organise his belongings.
- Daniel finds group work very stressful.
- Daniel does not like to maintain eye contact.
Summary of targeting learning outcomes for this semester
1. Daniel will experience reduced anxiety around attending school.
2. Daniel will have increased skills and knowledge to use social skills in play situations.
3. Daniel will be able to recognise a range of emotions in facial expressions and tone of voice.
4. Daniel will independently complete a morning routine each day.
Goal 1: Reduce Anxiety
- Cognitive Behaviour Therapy at Minds and Hearts
- Daniel will use a cushion on the floor
- 'I need time out in the corner doing dinosaur activities' card. He will require explicit instruction as to the purpose of the card, when he might use it etc. When Daniel starts recognizing his own levels of stress rising and goes to the corner by himself he should be praised +++.
- During group work, Daniel will sometimes be able to work independently.
- Daniel will receive lots of positive feedback and praise.
- Class teacher will do whole class discussion around all of us have strengths and weaknesses; we are all different.
- Reduced attendance - Daniel will work at home 1day/week to enable to him to attend Cognitive Behavioural Therapy as well as to provide a break from the anxiety of school.
- Home Program to be negotiated between class teacher and parents - to include writing a presentation about dinosaurs (on the computer)
- Modified Curriculum: Homework (spelling on computer); Daniel will prepare a mini project/talk on a different dinosaur each week to share with the class; wherever possible dinosaurs to be incorporated into the curriculum.
- Class teacher and Special Education teacher to develop an extension box of activities.
- Vice Principal will talk with specialist teachers (Physical Education, music etc) re his high anxiety and difficulties with receptive language.
Evaluation: Parents and Daniel report an increase in desire to attend school.
Goal 2: Daniel will have increased social skills and knowledge to use social skills in play situations
- Whole class role plays and discussions.
- Small group/individual withdrawl for explicit teaching by the Special Education teacher.
- Skills to develop include:
How to greet a friend;
How to join in an activity/game;
How to take a role in a game; and
How to finish an activity.
- Whole class modelling and discussion.
- Use of software package in the Special Education Classroom (Mind Reading - software package specifically designed for students with Autism/Asperger's).
- Magazine searches: parents to cut our photographs of different facial expressions to help teach Daniel.
- Taking photographs of family/friends making different facial expressions.
- Taping different voices and listening back to teach Daniel what different tone of voices mean.
- Matching voices to facial expressions.
Evaluation: Parents and teachers to report progress.
Goal 3 : Improve organisational skills. Daniel will independently complete a morning routine each day.
- Daniel will verbally and visually go through a timetable of events and activities.
- A visual process will be developed, setting out steps Daniel needs to take in order to be ready for class when the bell goes.
- Daniel needs help with packing his bag to go home - homework, notes and lunchboxes.
Evaluation: Daily completion of routine evidenced by teacher.
The document was signed by the Classroom Teacher, Special Education teacher, Vice Principal and Daniel's parents.
Six months after implementation
Six months after implementation of the IEP, Daniel was a different child. His anxiety levels were greatly reduced, and his quirky sense of humour had returned. After 6 months of having 1/day per week at home, Daniel announced he wanted to go back to school 5 days/week. I checked that this was what he really wanted, but he was adament he wanted to go back full-time.
At the beginning of 2007 Daniel struggled with making friends. He would come to me crying, saying he really wanted to play with the other kids at school, but he didn't know how to play with them. I gave him a few tips and he made friends with one other student. However this friendship was at risk because Daniel kept hitting and kicking his friend. Luckily his friend's mother was very understanding and worked with me to preserve the friendship. Through the use of social stories and comic strips, we managed to work out why Daniel was kicking his friend. Daniel wanted to play Transformers. Daniel was not being malicious, he just thought they were playing. He could not read his friend's facial expression to know this was an unwanted game. We taught Daniel to ask his friend first if he wanted to play Transformers. If his friend said no, we worked out alternative games for Daniel to suggest.
By the end of 2007 Daniel had made 4 new friends. He has maintained these friendships.
At the beginning of 2007 Daniel was struggling academically. His high anxiety levels, receptive language deficit and poor organisational skills were interfering with his ability to learn. By the end of 2007, he had moved from bottom of the class to middle of the class in reading/comprehension skills.
Daniel returned to Physical Education classes with a teacher aide to assist him. He came home saying that Physical Education was fun.
Daniel had 2 classroom teachers. His main teacher worked 1st, 3rd and 4th term. While she was on long-service leave Daniel had a substitute teacher during 2nd term. Both these teachers were fantastic. They both told me they didn't know much about Asperger's but were willing to learn. They both did lots of reading about Asperger's in their free time and would come up with fantastic suggestions. Communication was a 2-way street and they were happy to listen to me.
