Laura

Gavin

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SUPPORT PLAN.
INTRODUCTION
Catering for all students and their educational needs is a vital component in a teachers
practice. Every child is different and some students require more support than others. The
focus of this case study is Brandon, a seven year-old boy who suffered a brain tumour at the
age of two years and two months old. Brandons condition has affected the development of his
speech and hearing, language and comprehension, social and fine and gross motor skills. Due
to the amount of treatment and recovery needed, Brandons early years consisted of him not
being able to attend and engage in regular educational facilities with children of his own age.
Fortunately, Brandon has been involved in the Ronald McDonald Learning Links program
which has seem him participate in one-on-one tutoring in addition to his schooling education.
Furthermore, strong support programs should be implemented within his mainstream
schooling so that Brandon is able to engage and learn successfully. This following report will
examine the educational needs relevant to Brandon along with an educational support
program and role and responsibilities of all stakeholders involved in his progress.

SPEECH AND HEARING

It was identified that Brandons speech and hearing development was below standard for a
child of his age. As a consequence of his hearing impairment, Brandon has suffered
communication and language deficiencies. The Queensland Government (2015) states that a
hearing loss may impact a childs ability to produce speech sounds, hear and understand
language and produce oral language. While Brandon has the ability to communicate, the
pronunciation and clarity of his words is lacking. Nagel (2012) states that one of the most
obvious indicators of change to a childs brain is their increased capacity for communication.
Furthermore, Nagel (2012) proclaims that children aged 4 start to communicate with more
fluency with fewer pronunciation errors and stronger vocabulary. At the age of 7 seven, it is
evident that Brandon requires additional support in a mainstream classroom to cater for his
hearing impairment and develop his communication skills.

A strong support program should be established in order for students with speech and hearing
difficulties to succeed. To support Brandons hearing and speech impairments, visual aids will
be implemented throughout the classroom. In addition to giving verbal instructions,
multimodal and pictorial resources will be used to assist Brandon. The Queensland
Government (2015) suggests a Soundfield Amplification System (SAS) should be installed to
minimise the background noise in the classroom. These adaptations will support Brandon to
start and transition through activities more independently.

Concerning Brandons speech and communication development further amendments are
required. As speech impairments vary between individuals, teachers should try and gain as
much knowledge as possible on the specific problem areas related to the child in their class.
The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (2011) states that teachers

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may engage with speech-language pathology services and incorporate Assistive Technologies
(AT) to assist students. Furthermore, the Australian Capital Territory offers Language Support
Classes for students aged between 5 and 8 who have significant language disorder. These
support class placements focus on language and communication in conjunction with the core
curriculum areas (ACT Government, 2014). This educational program could prove to be
beneficial for Brandon to further develop language and communication skills relative to
relevant content.

LANGUAGE AND COMPREHENSION

As a consequence of his brain tumour and speech and hearing impairments, Brandons
language and comprehension skills have been affected. The National Institute on Deafness and
Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) (2014) declares that the first 3 years of a childs life
is the most intensive period for acquiring speech and language skills. Due to his medical
condition, Brandon was unable to develop his language skills at the same rate of other children.
The affects of this underdevelopment have lead to deficiencies in his comprehension skills.
Comprehension skills refer to when a child is able read texts/words and understand the
meaning behind them. If a child does not acquire these skills, their chances of being left behind
increases a great deal (Learning RX, 2015). It is evident that Brandon has fallen behind in his
language and comprehension abilities and requires the implementation of certain pedagogies
into his education.

The classroom is a great environment to build a foundation of support for Brandon to enhance
his language and comprehension skills. Importantly, Brandon should have access to reading
material of his own level. More so, there are many classroom adaptations that can be
implemented to effectively benefit Brandon. Multisensory strategies see students actively
engaging with the content. Students, especially those with learning impairments benefit from
active learning, as they are able to grasp concepts with greater depth and enhance their
efficiency (Richards, 2008). One-on-one work with either the classroom teacher or a support
aid should be provided to ensure Brandons development is closely monitored. Refer to
appendix 1 for further effective comprehension strategies.

SOCIAL SKILLS
Due to the majority of his early years spent recovering and hospitalised Brandons social skills
are deficient. Further adding to the low social development are his struggles with language and
communication skills. Brandons interaction with children his own age was minimal before he
started the Early Intervention program in preschool. This program saw him interact in small
groups of children within a preschool environment (ACT Government, 2014). Social skills have
been identified as essential skills for children to acquire to carry out day-to-day activities.
Vygotsky states that a childs development arises from social interaction (Krause, Bochner,
Duchesne & McMaugh, 2010). It is vital that Brandon is exposed to situations where his social
skills can develop in a school environment.

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For a child with Brandons condition, it is fundamental that a teacher creates opportunities for
him to engage with others and expand his social skills. Forming a suitable environment is
crucial. It has been stated that Brandon requires a small, intimate environment where he is
protected and is able to build confidence. Initially, Brandon would be encouraged to take part
in small group activities to determine what he could handle and then further decisions would
be made depending on the outcomes. Marsh (2010) proclaims that small- group allow students
to develop personally and socially and can create an atmosphere where information sharing
can take place. Although Brandon will have to take part in learning support with specialists, he
will be encouraged to engage in classroom activities to interact with his peers and enhance his
social interaction skills.

FINE AND GROSS MOTOR SKILLS.

Brandons fine and gross motor skills are another area that suffered underdevelopment. Fine
motor skills refer to the smaller muscle movements (hands and fingers movements
manipulating pencils, scissors etc.). Whereas, gross motor skills involve the large muscle
groups (whole-body movements jumping, running etc.). Due to the brain tumour, Brandon
motor skills have not developed as proficiently as other children. While Brandons motor skills
have partially developed, further growth is required.

Although motor skills are also gained through activities outside of the classroom, they still play
a crucial role in a childs education. Studies have shown that the developments of motor and
cognitive skills are related (Krause et al, 2010). To improve Brandons gross motor skills, the
teacher should use games such as Simon Says, Hokey-Pokey and organised play as a reward
system. Encouraging physical activity (at a reasonable rate) throughout Brandons day would
help develop his gross motor skills. This could include organised activities at lunch times or
afternoon sports. To assist Brandon in improving his fine motor skills, activities such as finger
painting, dot-to-dots, drawing/colouring in and clay/play doh could all serve beneficial
purposes (Small School OT, n.d). By implementing these activities into Brandons schooling, it
will provide opportunities for him to enhance his fine and gross motor skills.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF ALL STAKEHOLDERS

Everyone involved in Brandons development has roles and responsibilities to uphold to
ensure he can become a confident and successful learner. With the variation of needs that
Brandon requires, many adaptations and modifications need to be made to the pedagogical
practices employed by the classroom teacher. A teacher would need to ensure that their
pedagogies are versatile enough that Brandon is able to learn confidently and challenge himself
at the same time. Jerome Bruner discussed the support concept of scaffolding. This term refers
to adjustments of the assistance given to learners to enable them to complete the task
successfully and more independently to fit their current level of performance (Krause et al,
2010). This process includes Brandon working with either an adult or expert peers to break
the task into small parts, directing the learners attention, give both general and specific
strategies to solve the problem and providing lessons in how to learn. By engaging Brandon in

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a collaborative environment he is strengthening his social and communication skills in addition to

improving his knowledge and understanding on the relative task. Furthermore, an Independent
Education Program (IEP) should be established for Brandon. This will include his educational goals
in addition to the services and classroom accommodations Brandon is to receive.

Peer interaction is a vital component in Brandons education. In order for Brandon to be able to
gain confidence and engage in a mainstream classroom the students need to understand his
condition and have acceptance of him. Krause et al (2010) state that peer acceptance and
friendship serve a very important part of the development of the child. These relationships benefit
students emotionally and have positive effects on their development. Healthy interaction with his
peers would encourage Brandon to engage in class activities and develop confidence. Students
need to be supported by the people around them in order to achieve healthy development both
mentally and cognitively.

Throughout his education Brandon will be exposed to various Support aids. More than likely, these
situations will be private one-on-one sessions aimed at enhancing a specific area of need. The
support network may include, teachers aids, specialists in speech or language development or
psychologists. The people working closely with Brandon will have to intently monitor his
developments, provide feedback to his classroom teacher and parents, and work with the school to
develop inclusion plans that will benefit Brandon. To ensure that Brandons needs are being met,
support aids will have to work with teachers to see that necessary educational support resources
are provided, curriculum modifications are made and teachers have engaged in relevant
professional development (Krause et al, 2010).

WHY BRANDON HAS THE RIGHT TO BE INCLUDED

Despite the challenges he possesses, Brandon has every right to a fair education within a
mainstream school. Within Australia and the education system there are various policies and
organisations that believe all children have the right to engage in high-quality education. The
Melbourne Declaration of Education Goal for Young Australians states that Australian schooling
promotes equity and excellence, this includes that every child (including those with a disability)
has the right to a high-quality education free from discrimination (Ministerial Council on
Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs, 2008). The Australian Curriculum also
acknowledges the importance in catering for the needs of students with a disability and realises
that modifications need to be made (ACARA, 2013). Personalised learning is an established concept
that sees curriculum content being drawn from appropriate areas and Alignments from individual
learning goals and age-equivalent learning area content being made (ACARA, 2013). In addition,
the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 provides protection for everyone in Australian against
discrimination based on disability (Australian Government, 2015). More so, the discrimination act
(2015) makes it illegal for all educational authority, public and private to discriminate against
individuals based on their disability. Furthermore, the Australian Professional Standards for
Teachers have been constructed to ensure that students needs are adequately catered for. All the
above organisations and policies encourage the inclusion of students with additional needs in
mainstream classrooms.

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APPENDIX

APPENDIX 1: STRATEGIES TO ASSIST LD STUDENTS W ITH COMPREHENSION
Instruction component

Program Activities and Techniques*

The teacher:
Asks questions.
Directed response/questioning
Encourages students to ask questions.
The teacher and student(s):
Engage in dialogue.
The teacher:
Provides assistance (as needed).
Gives a simplified demonstration.
Sequences tasks from easy to difficult.
Control difficulty of processing
Presents easy steps or concepts first and moves on
demands of task
to progressively more difficult steps or
concepts (a technique called task analysis).
Allows student to control level of difficulty.
The activities:
Are short.
The activities:
Provide student with additional information or
Elaboration
explanation about concepts, steps, or
procedures.
Use redundant text or repetition within text.
Teacher demonstrates the processes and/or steps the
Modeling of steps by the teacher
students are to follow.
Instruction and/or verbal interaction takes place in a
Group instruction
small group composed of students and teacher
The teacher:
Reminds the student to use strategies or multiple
steps.
Strategy cues
Explains steps or procedures for solving problems.
The activities:
Use "think aloud" models.
List the benefits of strategy use or procedures.
May be called "treatment description" in research studies.

Sourced from: http://www.readingrockets.org/article/effective-reading-interventions-kids-
learning-disabilities

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REFERENCE LIST.

ACT Government. (2014). Disability Education. Retrieved from

http://www.det.act.gov.au/school_education/disability_education/services-for-students-with-
a-disability

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2013). Student Diversity.
Retrieved from
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/studentdiversity/students-with-disability

Australian Government. (2015). Disability Discrimination Act 1992. Retrieved from
http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2015C00147

Krause, K, Bochner, S., Duchesne, S., & McMaugh, A. (2010). Educational psychology: For
learning and teaching. South Melbourne, Vic: Cengage Learning Australia.

Learning RX. (2015). Adding Meaning to Reading. Retrieved from
http://www.learningrx.com/reading-comprehension-skills.htm

Marsh, C. J. (2010). Becoming a teacher: Knowledge, skills and issues. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W:
Pearson Australia.

Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. (2008). Melbourne
Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians. Carlton South, VIC: Curriculum
Corporation. Retrieved from
http://www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/national_declaration_on_the_educational_go
als_for_young_australians.pdf

Queensland Government. (2015). Students with Disabilities. Retrieved from
http://education.qld.gov.au/staff/learning/diversity/educational/sli.html

Richards, R. (2008) Helping Children With Learning Difficulties Understand What They Read.
Retrieved from
http://www.nasponline.org/resources/reading/ldarticle.pdf

Small School OT. (n.d) Activities to Improve Gross Motor Skills. Retrieved from
https://sites.google.com/site/smallschoolot/information-for-parents/gross-motor-skills

Small School OT. (n.d) Activities to Improve Fine Motor Skills. Retrieved from
https://sites.google.com/site/smallschoolot/information-for-parents/fine-motor-skills

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. (2014). Speech and
Language Developmental Milestones. Retrieved from
http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/pages/speechandlanguage.aspx

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