Assessment

It is a good idea to use multiple assessment because children are very different and one assessment tool may not work for the same children. You need multiple assessments to cover different areas of development. If you use play-based assessment it allows the child to feel more at ease and the assessment is conducted using multiple professionals and parents. If you use interdisciplinary assessment conducted by different individuals such as parents or teachers you may get different results but they can all be helpful. Then you can work together to help the child.

Relective Journal 2

During my visit I went along with J to the speech therapy. During speech the the therapist worked with him and three other children on pronouncing words and identification. I think for J she just want him to speak. She will tell him what the word is and ask him to say it. I Realized this because with the other children she encouraged the to say the words and did not give them the answer until several tries. During the therapy the teacher worked on naming colors and positional words. The book she read was about a coloring book.
After speech the class had P.E. During P.E. the class did activities with hula hoops. The teacher had me to work one on one with him. I helped him to do the activities that the P.E. teacher asked the class to do. The children hoped galloped and skipped around the gym. J did not do the movements but he did run around the gym. The P.E. teacher had the students spin the hoop and he was able to do that.
   After P.E. the class went to music. The music teacher reviewed the song about ducks. The teacher had them do the finger play and sing the song for "Itsy Bitsy Spider." During music I just tried to keep J focused and encourage him to participate.

Reflective Journal 1

During my visit I sat with J during group time. The teacher has allowed me to help him focus during class. The class sits in chairs around the chalkboard going over the alphabet and numbers. The class also sings songs and dances. During centers I worked with him on the computer. I helped him on Jumpstart Preschool. We worked on colors and animal sounds. The teacher told me that he usually does not get a chance to use the computer.

Parental Involvment

As a teacher it can be very helpful to get the help of parents. Children often behave differently at home then they do at school. Parents may be using strategies at home that could be used in the classroom.  When the teacher and parents work together to set goal for a child with special needs it can make a difference in the quality of care. A child at home can exhibit strengths and weaknesses that they do not show at home. Parents can become involved by attending conferences and assisting in meetings with professionals. If there are difficulties or barriers that prevent a parent from being involved in helping develop the individualized plan such as transportation, some observations should be done at home.

Case Law: Amendments to IDEA

IDEA is Individuals with Disability Act, it insured that children with diabilities were intitled to free appropriate education. The education would be given in an environment that was least restrictive. The amendment to the law had a lot to do with the No Child Left Behind Act. IDEA ensures that parents guardians and children are entitled to certain rights. Parents are to be notified of their child's progress and have the right to approve or deny evaluations. In the amendment IDEA was changed from having nine componets to having four. The amendment also states that the education of the child should be designed for the individual student and sould be different from the education of other children.