Strengths of Student (Academic, Behavioral, Learning Characteristics) Student loves to learn and participate in class and activities that are engaging. He learns well through visual examples, hands on experiments, music, and active participation. Parents describe Student as a bright boy who is naturally curious about the world around him. He especially enjoys science, math, music, and art. Parents report Student does have a different way of thinking and processing information. When given time and opportunity, many times Student will ask questions on a subject that others may not think of, resulting in better discussion.

Language: Student is a very sweet young man who works very hard. He is always well behaved in therapy sessions and comes to therapy prepared to do whatever is asked of him. Student participates in therapeutic activities by volunteering information and will ask for help when needed. Parents also note that Student uses generic terms and gestures to promote understanding and express himself or describe the word instead of using it in a sentence. Student has mastered his language goals as written. Student is now able to maintain his space when around others and is keeping his hands and feet to himself throughout therapy sessions and within the classroom. Student is also able to provide a "cause" or an "effect" when given various scenarios with extra processing time. While reading classroom stories, Student is able to take the perspective of the characters by providing a simple adjective (sad, mad, uncomfortable, frustrated), however, has a difficult time using more descriptive adjectives. Student loves praise and gets along well with his peers during these sessions. Student loves music and parents report it can be great for learning new concepts, memory recall, movement, energy, sensory needs, and can be calming and therapeutic. He will rarely sing in public, but will occasionally hum if he feels safe. He likes to dance, but will not participate until he confirms he is safe from criticism and ridicule before doing so.

Behavior and Social:

Student is an active, happy, affectionate, kind, and very caring boy who is lower in maturity, comprehension, and social skills than his peers. He has a good sense of humor and likes to joke. He has been observed to be kind to his peers and very thoughtful. He wants friends and tries to be a friend to others. He enjoys writing cards, telling others they are good a friend, kind, awesome, pretty and handsome. He is an exceptional sharer. He is concerned when someone is sad and wants others to be happy. He usually will give comforting and encouraging words or even an object he has to make them feel better. He can be immature (silly) at times. Student is a wellmannered and thoughtful child. He is inquisitive and can be very animated. Student has grown in his confidence and willingness to try to work at a task before asking for assistance. At the beginning of the year he needed constant reassurance that he was doing a task correctly. He is becoming more independent and easily accepts when he makes a mistake. He is applying himself and always willing to try again. Student will ask for help when he needs it. Parents notice that Student is in the process of learning to ask for help when he needs it. Student does need time to transition. He likes to complete a task before he will put it away. Student does require auditory and visual cues. He also requires repetition of directions. He is motivated by praise positive encouragement and tickets.

Reading Although reading is hard for Student and not his favorite subject, he does like to books and stories to look at and be read to him at home. He enjoys nature and wildlife books. He likes books that can be put to a song, and some fiction books, many written for a younger audience. Parents note that due to his Autism and Dyslexia he has difficulties with short term memory, and a short attention span, he is easily frustrated with reading. Parents state he is making strides in vocabulary and reading but is still far behind his classmates. He does like to learn new words in context, but they must be used regularly for retention to occur. Student was recently assessed in the area of reading, math and written expression. He was assessed using the Comprehensive Assessment of Reading Strategies, a phonics screener, a phonological screener, the John's Basic Reading Inventory and the Brigance Basic Skills. On the phonological screener, Student scored

61 out of 65 scoring 93%. He did not score lower than 80% on any individual subtest of phonological awareness. Student's sight word vocabulary has increased. Student can read 109/114 (95%) second grade sight words and 98/115 (85%) third grade sight words. On the phonics screener Student is able to read silent -e words and r-controlled words with 100% accuracy. He read consonant digraphs words with 80% accuracy. When reading vowel digraphs and diphthongs he scored 86% (26/30). When assessed on reading fluency, Student was able to read 58 CWPM at the 2nd grade level. When assessed at the third grade level he read 33CWPM. Weakness in fluency skills make it difficult for Student to comprehend what he is reading. This will impact his ability to take knowledge from books, understanding written directions and word problems. When reading an informational text at the second grade level he obtained a score of 8/12 (66 %). When reading information text at the third grade level he obtained a score of 7/12 (58%). When reading a second grade literary text he obtained a score of 80 %. When reading literary text at the third grade level he scored 7/12 (58%). He had difficulty with the following comprehension skills: main idea, making predictions, understanding sequence, interpreting figurative language, distinguishing between fact and opinion, describing characters, and identifying the problem. A strategy that has helped Student with comprehension is to regularly summarize what he is reading, controlling how much he reads and using visual imagery. Giving meaning to and drawing from his own experiences enhances comprehension and learning.

Written Expression Student is able to formulate a simple and complex sentence. His conventions (punctuation and capitalization) have improved and, he is correctly punctuating his sentences without prompting. Student is beginning to write in an organized manner since implementing a multi-sensory written expression program. Student loves to write letters to family members and friends. This is an effective way for him to practice writing and spelling skills. Student's writing is much better with direct instruction using a multisensory approach, helping him to expand and express ideas in his writing. Having Student repeat his sentences helps him remember his thought. He will often need to

repeat the sentence 3-4 times. Sentence writing and paragraph writing are emphasized. Mechanics and conventions of writing are strength for Student. He benefits from using graphic organizers, such as semantic maps, a word reference dictionary, a writer's checklist, teacher modeling and prompting are tools that are helpful to Student in the writing process. Math: Math calculation is a strength for Student. He enjoys math as it is tangible and he is a literal thinker. He does well with calculations. He frequently enjoys doing extra math sheets and flash cards at home. He understands the relationship between numbers and the quantities they represent. Parents have seen that Student is learning the relationship between numbers and the quantities they represent. He is very consistent in his calculation. He is reliable in paying attention to the operational sign, at borrowing or carrying appropriately, and at sequencing the steps in complex problems of addition and subtraction. Student is able to add 5x5 digit numbers with regrouping of 3-4 place values. He can subtract 4x4 digit numbers, renaming 3 place values with Zeros.

Learning: Student benefits from a multimodal learning approach in which various senses can be utilized instead of a straight auditory approach. Student learns best when provided visuals, graphic organizers, charts and printed handouts. Information presented this way makes more sense to him and his retaining of the material is increased.

Sensory Student is a sweet, thoughtful young man. Student likes to touch and examine objects. He is affectionate and likes to give big hugs, but does not like to be touched without his consent. He does have significant sensory needs. He receives OT services on a consult basis. OT staff visits with instructional staff and his aide to monitor how he is functioning in the classroom regarding his sensory needs. He uses a sit disc for controlled movement which he carries with him, as well as sensory kit, in a bag from his general education classroom to the resource classroom, as well as other areas of the school. Student responds well to deep pressure and "heavy work" strategies and he is able to

communicate his likes/dislikes regarding sensory input when asked. Student continues to be able to use his sensory kit for tactile and proprioceptive input, as well as participate in a sensory diet. A specific sensory diet, in the mornings and lunch time, including fidgets and oral input, have been helpful in preparing him for the day and tasks to perform.

Needs: Student has trouble staying focused and can be easily distracted. He has difficulty remembering things and following instructions. Weakness in auditory processing, auditory memory, attention, and other difficulties make it difficult for Student to process and hold on to auditory stimuli in awareness. He has difficulty processing information rapidly with attentiveness. Student benefits from the use of short and concise instructions and assignments. He needs breaks to minimize mental fatigue. He can be distracted and his attention frequently drifts. He requires close proximity of staff to be redirected to the task. A variety of cuing systems are used, such as verbal cues, gestural cues or tapping that remind Student to stay on task. During lessons using verbal mediation strategies, such as inserting questions within the lesson help direct Student's attention to the task and topic. Verbal information needs to be presented relatively slowly, with appropriate pauses for processing time for Student and the information often needs to be repeated. Using pictures and visual symbols supports Student's visual modality. Using overlapping techniques such as repetition and rehearsal will help Student with the learning process of concepts and skills. Student often looks for attention and validation. Although he has improved, he still lacks selfconfidence in his skills and abilities. He needs reassurance frequently that he is doing a task correctly. Providing him with immediate feedback and positive reinforcement are techniques that have been successful to address his confidence. His social interaction with students has improved this year. Parents describe him as a follower and he usually does not understand social cues, or when others behaviors or suggested behaviors are not acceptable. He needs encouragement to foster the skills he does have and patience and guidance as he is

taught new abilities. At the beginning of the year he was more content to walk around the playground picking up trash. He would also be more comfortable talking with the playground aides rather than his peers. Student loves to be with friends and socialize, but he lacks the skills to differentiate between positive interactions and negative interactions. Parents report that Student needs support to learn to socially interact suitably with children during all circumstances and to be able to differentiate when peers are being positive with him and when they are being negative with him. The team agrees he needs to be supported and have interventions during unstructured/social situations. He has benefited from having adult support during unstructured settings including recess. He has responded well to a positive reinforcement system to increase positive interactions with peers. He has been encouraged to play with his peers and he is rewarded with tickets when he does so. He has since been interacting more and participating in the playground games provide by the aides. He has been observed playing tetherball, basketball, jump rope, hunting for ladybugs and even dancing. Student may not always initiate this interaction but when encouraged he has chosen to participate therefore improving his skills this year. Student is very routine oriented. Changes in routines, teachers, and procedures are harder for Student than his peers. Having routines in schedules and procedures help him change to the next task with less stress and confusion. Student has learned that it is easier to not respond and let others do the work and provide the answers when it is hard. It is important to realize that although Student struggles he is a smart boy and can do many things. He needs to be given the opportunity and time to respond, try, and make minor misstates that are part of learning. Student also has a complex tic disorder. Tics are uncontrollable movements and noises that may change over time. They cannot be stopped. There is no known cure. The more attention given to the tic, the more pronounced they become. Stress of teachers, peers, environments and other high emotion or stressful situation can also increase tic frequency and intensity.

Reading

Student continues to require special education services in the area of reading targeting decoding, reading fluency and comprehension. He is impacted by his ability to identify the main idea in a paragraph and separate important from unimportant details in a story which impedes reading comprehension. He benefits from strategies to identify how to pick out the main concepts and ideas in material that he reads or is read to him. Other strategies that help Student with reading comprehension are story recall and creating mental images. Creating mental images while reading will also help Student picture in his mind what he is reading, which will help his understanding and comprehension of the story. Having Student summarize or retell the story in his own words is a technique that will tie into his learning experience and is and effective way to improve his reading comprehension. Reading instruction will focus on activities to develop and reinforce the following reading skills: Phonetic skills to focus on will be vowel diphthongs and multisyllabic words with prefixes and suffixes. Vocabulary skills will include word recognition, word relationships, classification using the context clues and multiple meanings. Comprehension will focus on topic, main idea, details, sequencing story events, recognition and comprehension of characters and settings, cause and effect relationships, compare and contrast and predicting outcomes. Student will be learning to make judgments by distinguishing between real and fantasy, fact and opinion, drawing conclusions and making judgments. Reading skill will also include summarizing, narrative elements, sequencing, and locating information. When the weekly story is sent home and practiced, comprehension and retention are greatly increased. Student likes to use computer games such as "Ticket to Read" and "Spelling City" to practice skills at home that he is learning.

Written Expression Writing is a complex task requiring the mastery and integration of a number of subskills. Student has to connect his thoughts, the language he needs and the motor skills to complete the writing process. Simplified tasks, extra time to complete them, and clarifications are often needed. He has difficulty copying movements made for writing skills. Student has difficulty with all three areas. Student's verbal expression difficulties

impact his ability to express his ideas in writing effectively. Student has difficulty with word choice and creating and sequencing ideas in written assignments. He also has difficulty holding several words or thoughts in mind at one time. A compensatory strategy to teach Student is to repeat his thoughts or information. Student's writing deficits do impact his performance in most academic areas. Due to his written expression difficulties Student will find it difficult with copying from the board and note taking in the general education class. Note taking requires listening, comprehending, retaining information while continuing to process new information. This is a very difficult task along with the demands of the physical act of writing. Student will need note-taking support, such as: guided notes, a copy of the teacher's lecture notes or copies of notes by a designated note taker. The use of wide spaced line paper is helpful as it gives him extra space for the formation of letters and keeping them straight. He benefits from supports such as visual instruction in a step by step format, color coding as needed to write in cursive

Math Word problems in mathematics can pose a challenge for Student due to his language disorder and learning disability. It requires Student to read and comprehend the text of the problem, identify the question that needs to be answered, and finally create and solve a numerical equation. Student may have difficulty comprehending the words to determine the important information to solve a word problem. Student has difficulty reading and understanding the written content in a mathematical word problem. Student has problems because he cannot always determine what elements are important or what operations to use. Student has learned the key terminology needed to solve addition and subtraction equations. He will need to be taught the key terminology for solving multiplication and division word problems. Student will need to see the different quantities in the situation and what the relationship between them. He will need to be able to create a mental representation of the information given in the problem. Drawing pictures to represent the math word problem is a strategy that supports Student's visual learning modality (bar modeling). Using the bar modeling drawing steps to help Student through the stages of word problem solving is an instructional strategy that will benefit

Student in the process of problem-solving. Math problems will be read to Student in the general education classroom.

Language: Student's language weaknesses include: 1) comprehending, recalling, and executing oral commands of increasing length and complexity involving concepts of sequence, inclusion, exclusion, coordination, condition, and quantity; 2) applying word structure rules (morphology) to mark inflections, derivations, and comparison, as well as, select and use appropriate pronouns to refer to people, objects, and possessive relationships; 3) recalling and reproducing sentence structures of varying length and syntactic complexity; 4) formulating complete semantically and grammatically correct sentences of increasing length and complexity within given semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic constraints; 5) interpreting spoken sentences of increasing length and complexity, as well as, selecting the pictures that illustrate referential meaning of the sentence; and 6) naming illustrations of people, objects, and actions (referential naming). Student does not understand sarcasm, idioms, metaphors and other non-literal language, body language, social cues, or white lies others may say. Additional language weaknesses include Student's ability to recall and understand information in stories produced by others and to make inferences about information that is not explicitly stated in stories. Student displays difficulty weaving words and sentences into stories that contain characters who engage in goal-directed actions that are related to complicating events, consequences, and resolutions. Student will repeat phrases, start, stop, then restart when trying to find the right words to use at home. He may have a “lost’look when being spoken with or appear disinterested during discussions and have difficulty recalling information. Student has difficulty understanding written and spoken directions, stories, and many conversations around him. Many times this is due to the time needed or the inability to process what has been spoken. It can be difficult for Student to quickly respond accurately. He needs extra time to process the information then formulate words to express his thoughts. It often helps to remind him to get the pictures in his head then tell about the picture, or provide minimal prompts. It is difficult for Student to clearly express thoughts or recall

information, but with patience, encouragement, and acceptance of his responses, he will feel comfortable participating in class. Specifically, Student needs to work on his narrative skills by retelling a story containing story grammar components in order to better express himself to family and others. This will also help him express his thoughts and ideas in a clear and organized manner. In the area of social language, Student needs to work on taking the perspective of others and using more descriptive adjectives to better describe the feelings of others. Improving his perspective taking will not only enhance his relationships with others, it will also improve his reading comprehension as characters in stories also have a perspective that is crucial to the understanding of the story. Lastly, cause and effect will continue to be addressed as it is a higher order thinking skill that will benefit Student throughout school. It is also crucial for good social language to occur. Due to Student's language deficits, he requires services in the area of speech and language for improved language skills. A collaborative/consultative service delivery model between the speechlanguage pathologist and resource teacher is recommended. Therapeutic intervention may include individual, group, and staff instruction. Frequent and continual communication with parents assists parents in ensuring educational follow up can be given at home, homework can be completed, social skills reinforced, and any concerns that arise are handled promptly and properly.

Sensory Student continues to demonstrate sensory processing needs. He is noted to be easily distracted by his environment and requires verbal prompting to start working and remain on task. He likes soft materials and fabrics. They are comfortable and comforting to him. Seams of clothes, tags, waistbands, underwear, and certain fabrics can cause irritation and annoyance making it difficult or impossible at times for him to concentrate on other things until it is resolved. He will squirm, tug and try to adjust them in order to make them more comfortable. Giving him the opportunity to adjust clothing in private will help. Student occasionally touches nearby classmates. Student demonstrates a need for organizational assistance, such as in his desk and demonstrates difficulty with completing tasks with multiple steps. Student demonstrates a need for oral input, as

noted that he puts his finger/fingers finger in his mouth. He has also been observed to continue hitting his stomach with a fisted hand on occasion. As part of the IEE it was also noted that although Student has good motor control during visual motor tasks he requires extended times to improve legibility, this should be considered as an accommodation. Occupational therapy services in the form of consultative services are recommended to continue to address his sensory needs through tools and strategies. OT will support classroom instructional staff through an OT embedded goal in the area of writing by meeting Student's sensory needs, providing motor planning and core strengthening activities. Student likes to touch and examine objects. He does not like to be touched without his consent and this can create a defensive, almost painful, reaction where he may cry, yell, grab, hit, or block the initiator. He is easily frustrated when he, his desk, or items get bumped, poked or touched without warning. He also gets upset when others bump, hit, tap, touch, wiggle, etc. his desk, chair, or items. He benefits extra space around him. Student can be a loud talker, but reminders to use an inside voice can be useful. He is especially bothered by noises and others humming, singing, clacking, or interrupting when he is speaking.