CASE STUDY: Mrs. Martinez has just accepted a new position at Forest Grove Middle
School. She was hired to serve students with special needs in grades 6 through 8. Forest
Grove’s philosophy is that separate is better in regard to their delivery of services for
students with special needs. Mrs. Martinez is a strong advocate for inclusive practices
and collaborative professional partnerships. Through discussions with her new
co-workers, she has discovered that many of the teachers, paraeducators, and related
service professionals feel that it is time for a change in the school’s philosophy. Mrs.
Martinez has been nominated by her co-workers to present the idea of developing a
more collaborative community among the teachers to the principal, Mrs. Jones, in order
to begin the process of integrating students with special needs into the general
education classroom.
Why should Mrs. Jones agree to support such a huge undertaking as the implementation
of professional collaboration in her school? Explain some of the benefits of professional
collaboration.
CASE STUDY: Mrs. Martinez has just accepted a new position at Forest Grove Middle
School. She was hired to serve students with special needs in grades 6 through 8. Forest
Grove’s philosophy is that separate is better in regard to their delivery of services for
students with special needs. Mrs. Martinez is a strong advocate for inclusive practices
and collaborative professional partnerships. Through discussions with her new
co-workers, she has discovered that many of the teachers, paraeducators, and related
service professionals feel that it is time for a change in the school’s philosophy. Mrs.
Martinez has been nominated by her co-workers to present the idea of developing a
more collaborative community among the teachers to the principal, Mrs. Jones, in order
to begin the process of integrating students with special needs into the general
education classroom.
Congratulations! You have convinced Mrs. Jones that establishing a more collaborative
community within the school faculty and staff is a great idea! She tells you that she will
mandate that all professionals and paraprofessionals collaborate once a week to discuss
matters concerning students with special needs. What is wrong with this approach?
What are the possible outcomes of such a policy? As you work with your colleagues
you realize that they are confusing two concepts: collaboration and inclusion. How
would you go about clarifying these terms?
In the identification process of individuals suspected to have intellectual disabilities,
what are the three essential questions that must be addressed?
What does it mean if someone has the ability to code switch? What culture does this
concept apply to within this text?
Metacognition means thinking about thinking.
CASE STUDY: Brandi is a fourth grader who has a severe communication disorder.
Her articulation is so severe that her speech is unintelligible 90 percent of the time.
However, she is not embarrassed about her communication difficulties and is very
outgoing and friendly. She does not have a lot of friends because her peers often tease
her because she talks “like a baby.” Brandi ignores this and continues to have a very
positive attitude. Surprisingly, Brandi has never been referred for testing. Her math
skills seem to be comparable to those of her peers but her reading and written language
skills seem to be a challenge for her. As her teacher, you schedule an informal meeting
with your school’s speech/language pathologist to get answers to the following
questions:
What are two types of causes of speech and language disorders? In what ways do these
two causes sometimes interact?
A unilateral hearing loss refers to a loss in only one ear.
As students with physical and health disabilities transition from school to post-school
options, what decisions must be considered by the individual and his or her family?
What are two of the equity issues discussed in regard to urban education?
What was Christmas in Purgatory and why was it a wake-up call to professionals?
What are the three possible physiological causes of learning disabilities?
CASE STUDY: Bobby is a 12-year-old student who was diagnosed with severe mental
retardation and orthopedic impairments at the age of 4. Bobby was born as a normal,
healthy baby. While on vacation with his family at the age of 4, Bobby had his first
seizure. Although Bobby was rushed to a hospital by his parents, it took hours before
the seizure was stopped by medical professionals. The result of this seizure was severe
brain injury. Bobby does not have the ability to verbally communicate his wants and
needs. His parents have moved him from his neighborhood school where Bobby spent
his elementary school years misunderstood and frustrated. His parents now have turned
to a specialized school hopeful that their son will receive the care and education they
believe he deserves and needs.
What are some of the cognitive and academic characteristics educational professionals
should expect to see in Bobby? Social-emotional? Behavioral? Why is it difficult to
identify specific characteristics?
How did the launching of Sputnik in 1959 launch the development of the field of gifted
and talented?
CASE STUDY: Tia is a 15-year-old African American student who has been diagnosed
with bipolar disorder. Her other siblings as well as her mother have been identified with
emotional and behavior disorders. She has attended multiple public schools but has
either been asked to leave or has been removed from the school by her mother. Tia has a
long history of verbal outbursts with school professionals and severe periods of
depression and withdrawal. Tia”s mother and sister report she has frequent verbal
outbursts at home and has become violent on a few occasions. Due to the years of
negative experiences with school professionals, Tia is no longer in school. She feels
very rejected as a human being by teachers and peers because of her disorder. As a
result, her self-esteem, self-efficacy, and her motivation are practically nonexistent. Tia
states that she does want an education but will not participate in a traditional school
setting any longer. Although she does not have a history of violent behavior in school,
she does use offensive language when upset or when she feels threatened by a teacher.
She has an indifferent attitude toward life in general.
What steps could be taken to build Tia’s motivation?
What are the pros and cons of the use of a cochlear implant and the
bilingual-bicultural approach? Based on the information in the text, which approach
would you be more inclined to support? Why?
How can educators form strong partnerships with families of children with emotional
and behavior disorders? Which of the three approaches mentioned in the text do you
feel would be the most effective?
Two of the three issues related to collaboration mentioned in the text are the extent of
its application in special educators’ work with paraprofessionals and the limits to
collaboration created by a lack of time to meet with colleagues. Which of these two
issues do you feel has the most impact on collaboration and why? Use information from
the text as well as your own experiences to support your answer.
What is disproportionate representation? Explain why this issue has been and continue
to be such a hot topic within the field of special education.
The law requires that students be evaluated to determine strengths and to explore areas
of functioning in which a disability is suspected. What do these comprehensive
assessments address?
How does the representation of African American students in special education
and gifted education compare?