Literacy Classroom Goals

The Case of Mary

Mary is a 12-year-old girl with a severe hearing loss and severe mental disabilities. Mary wears binaural hearing aids for amplification. Mary is minimally verbal she uses gestures and relies on facial cues to communicate adequately. Mary is also learning manual signs in conjunction with her verbalizations (total communication). The goals that have been written for her are both academic goals and hearing services goals Mary is also seen for speech/language services 3 times per week. It is difficult to perform an accurate audiological evaluation on a child with severe Intellectual disabilities because the cognitive level of a child helps with accurate testing but the results and diagnosis revealed a severe binaural hearing loss. Mary always focuses on the speaker’s face, she struggles to look at the speaker’s face which is indicative of a child who is hearing impaired. The hearing, speech/language therapist and the classroom special education teacher meet on a regular basis to discuss Mary’s educational plan. The hearing teacher works on auditory training with Mary and sign language skills. An auditory trainer is also implemented in the classroom. The hearing teacher and speech/language therapist collaborates with the classroom teacher on a regular basis to implement the best possible academic program for her hearing and Intellectual deficits. The hearing teacher feels that because Mary’s vision is not impaired her visual modality is the strongest and should be utilized to Mary’s fullest capacity. The hearing teacher has suggested that when the classroom teacher speaks to Mary it is very important that she look directly at Mary, turning away from Mary will cause her to lose a visual facial cue. The paraprofessionals, nurse, counselor and all school personnel that come in contact with Mary should be trained how to communicate with Mary.

The speech therapist is teaching Mary manual signs her sign language program consists of very functional signs such as eat, drink, stop, give me, want, more, go, walk, help etc. It is recommended that total communication should be used which is a combination of the manual signs with the words. Other communication systems should be incorporated such as photos and Mayer Johnson symbols. Bombarding Mary with different forms of communication will help Mary to communicate and utilize her hearing to its fullest capacity. The speech/language therapist uses technology and adapted books in the classroom. The Speech/Language therapist wears a microphone that is attached to a transistor type system with earphones worn by Mary this is referred to as an auditory trainer. The speech/language therapist places the earphones on Mary’s ears so that she can hear the books read. The books are developed on the computer with a piece of software called notebook. The books can then be projected on a smart board. Books that are developed with notebook software can incorporate sound into books and allow students to move items around on the smartboard.

Literacy Classroom Goals

1. Mary will identify photo and or MJ symbol vocabulary items from an adapted book or smart board that is based on a variety of themes by pointing 8/10 times for 3 consecutive sessions.

2. Mary will respond to “who” and “what” questions from adapted books and smartboard stories by using the manual sign with verbalizations, photos or MJ symbols.

Mary will be encouraged to wear amplification at all times during the lessons. She does not always tolerate her hearing aids but the auditory trainer should also be used by the teacher and all service providers.

Math Goals

1. Mary will match 10 numbers to objects, photos and or MJ symbols i.e. one apple, two oranges, 3 bananas, 4 melons etc. for 3 consecutive sessions.

2. Mary will identify 4 geometric shapes ie; a rectangle, circle, square, and triangle for 3 consecutive sessions.

3. Mary will 4 match geometric shapes to 10 actual geometric shaped objects for 3 consecutive sessions.

Speech/Language Goals

1. Mary will use 2 word utterances with the manual signs to request items that she desires in her immediate environment 4/5 times over 3 consecutive sessions.

2. Mary will choose 5 to 6 items that she desires by using manual signs, words or photos for 3 consecutive sessions.

Mary’s special education classroom teacher will use the academic goals above in the classroom. The hearing teacher helped the teacher set the goals up for Mary. The use of the auditory trainer, hearing aid, manual signs and visuals should be used at all times. Visuals should be manual signs, photos, Mayer Johnson symbols and emphasis on facial cues Goal number 1 under the literacy category is a good goal because it takes into consideration that should develop and increase her vocabulary based on a story. Math goal number 1 is a goal that considers Mary’s auditory limitations by introducing her with numerical skills using visuals. The teacher will also utilize Mary’s visual modality to its fullest capacity by making sure that she sees all items that are presented to her. Mary is classified as having a severe binaural hearing loss. She was difficult to test because of her intellectual deficit for this reason the amount of actual hearing that she has is questionable.

The audiologist tested Mary and she was also seen by an otolaryngologist (eye, ear and nose doctor). The audiological assessment revealed a binaural hearing loss. Jane’s IQ is 40, which is the highest level for her category of mental disability. Mary is minimally verbal she communicates by using one word her speech/language therapist would like to increase her vocabulary skills to two words. Receptively Jane can respond to and follow simple verbal commands; Mary is also able to identify vocabulary items that are functional and familiar to her.

The salient complications of Mary’s disability are characterized by the use of binaural hearing aids and Mary’s inability to communicate. Mary relies very heavily on facial cues from the speaker and some of her classmates and neighborhood children are not always sensitive to her needs. Mary is a good student but when she becomes frustrated she can be disruptive she will yell continuously at times. Mary is mainstreamed in a regular classroom. There are other special education students in the class but they have different types of disabilities. Mary attends school on a regular basis she does not have many absences. Mary is absent from school when she is ill or has a doctor’s appointment. Most of the students in Mary’s school are very understanding and helpful toward the students with disabilities. The school is funded by the state and is a public school. The IDEA law states that all children are entitled to a free public education in the least restrictive environment. This is a regular school with special education students who are mainstreamed in regular classrooms. The school also has an elevator for students who are not ambulatory and students with mobility deficits. The school provides special education students with a special education teacher, speech/language therapist, and physical therapist, hearing teacher, vision teacher, occupational therapist and physical therapist.

Mary is seen by a hearing teacher 2 times per week individually. The speech therapist also works in the classroom with the special education teacher, which is a requirement of the district. The speech therapist is working on increasing Jane’s utterance length from one-word utterances to two word utterances, manual signs are also incorporated with photos and Mayer Johnson symbols. A total communication approach is being implemented by the speech/language therapist

Mayer Johnson symbols

Adapted books

Photos can be google photos.

Binaural hearing aids

Smart board

Auditory trainer

REFERENCES

Archives, From Our Print. "Hearing Loss in Children." Advance Journal for Speech and Hearing (February 11, 2008 ).

—. "Noisy Classtrooms Add to Learning Difficulties of Students." Advance for Speech and Hearing ( August 5, 2002 ).