Yuting is now 7 years of age and is in the 2nd
grade. She and her family live in a small city which is fairly diverse, and
there are several other families who have adopted with whom Ron and Tom are
friends. Ron is 3rd generation Chinese, and Tom’s family background
is Irish with some German in the distant past. Tom and Ron have found a way to
have many close friends who often stop by the house – Tom is old enough to
remember growing up in the Irish borough when everyone lived in rowhouses. It
seemed like there was always family around, and Tom and his grandfather used to
walk everywhere. Tom is thrilled that he’s been able to create some of that
again, this time with friends and non-familial loved ones. Tom’s parents are
both deceased, and Ron’s parents live in a distant state. Tom and Ron met in
college when Tom was studying to gain his doctorate in English, and Ron was
finishing up his Master’s degree in Computer Science. Tom teaches at a local
community college, and Ron works for a local software company. Ron’s work is
flexible, and he is able to flex his time in such a way that one of them is
able to be home when Yuting comes home from school.
Yuting has grown into a beautiful little girl. Tom and Ron
always made sure to read to her, and now Yuting has a wonderful command of
language, both written and spoken. They can’t make sense of it, however – she really
seems to struggle in math. In fact, she sometimes has to go to the office
during math class because she gets so upset. Tom and Ron have been talking with
the school about what to do.
* What is the first step of the process of attempting to
help Yuting in math? What kind of meeting ought to happen?
* Describe typical developmental milestones for a 7
year-old.
* What kind of math should Yuting be able to do? Simple
addition? Multiplication? Be as specific as possible.
* What might be the outcomes of the meeting described in the
first question?
* Describe how the process of special education might unfold
if Yuting is found to have a learning disability in math. How would such a
finding occur?
* Describe typical developmental milestones for a 7 year-old.
ReplyDeleteTypical motor development of a seven year old includes good balance. Children should be able to twist, spin, turn, and balance on one foot. The child should be able to do simple gymnastic movements such as cartwheels and somersaults without losing control of their balance. Children will also start to become more active and interested in playing on sports teams as their hand eye coordination skills are very well developed. They will have developed throwing, catching, striking, bouncing, and kicking skills that will help them when playing sports. Around seven years of age, children should be able to put together movements such as skipping, hopping, galloping, and jumping. They should then be able to from patterns from those movements. For example, a pattern may be skip, skip, hop, hop, gallop, gallop. Then the child should be able to repeat the pattern in the proper sequence.
Cognitively, Yuting will continue to understand the world through questioning everything! At this age the questions will become more detailed such as why do dogs have tails and human don’t. By age seven, children will have a vocabulary consisting of several thousand words therefore they will be using a lot of new words in their speech and writing. They will also begin to understand that each letter is represented by various sounds and that when sounds are put together they form words. Children will also begin to be able to tell time on an analog clock. They will also know the days of the week and the months and seasons of the year. When given two similar objects, the child will be able to describe the similarities and differences. Children will also be able to decide what is right verses wrong. When faced with tempting situations, they should be able to reason through the situation and make a decision. A seven year old should be able to think through the following situation; the neighbor kid comes over and asks Abby to play outside. Abby knows that she can’t just run out the door and play immediately. First she must ask her mom and get permission. Otherwise, Abby’s mom will be worried and won’t know where Abby is. Yuting will also begin to understand that people aren’t always going to agree. She will learn to accept that it is okay for people to have differing opinions. For example, Yuting’s friend may think that the slide is the best part of the playground but Yuting may think that the monkey bars are more fun. They will discover and accept that they don’t have to agree on their favorite part of the playground in order to remain friends.
Emotionally, Yuting will want to be perfect in everything that she does and she will be very critical of herself when she messes up. Since her vocabulary has drastically increased, she will express her thoughts, feelings, and emotions more frequently. Instead of expressing herself through throwing a tantrum, she will use words instead in most cases. During this phase, Yuting will have strong emotions and will sometimes simply break down and cry. However, when asked to explain why she is upset, she will be able to vocalize her feelings. Around this age, Yuting will develop self-awareness. She will begin comparing what she does and doesn’t have to the kids that she hangs out with. She will realize and understand that her family is different than her friends at school. She will also know if she is ahead or behind academically when compared to her peers. If Yuting is on the low end of her peers, she will definitely be affected emotionally. She will be very upset as she will feel that she is a failure. However, if Yuting is on the higher end of the class, she may become very cocky that she is the “smartest”. Regardless, children at this age don’t have a filter and will say exactly what they are saying which could result in hurt feelings. A child who is more advanced may call a slower child names which will then affect the child emotionally.
ReplyDeleteSocially, Yuting will want to be spending more time with kids her own age and less time with adults. She will be able to follow directions properly from her parents, teachers, and other adult figures in her life. Yuting will rarely need to be punished as she knows how to do what she has been asked. At this age, children will also understand that they can’t always have everything they want instantly; they will start to become good at waiting and taking turns.
* What kind of math should Yuting be able to do? Simple addition? Multiplication? Be as specific as possible.
ReplyDeleteWhen a child first turns seven, they should be able to add digits that sum up to 10. For example she should be able to add 2+3, 5+4, and so on. She should also be able to subtract numbers that are less than ten (7-6, 9-5, etc.) Yuting will also be able to put numbers in order. When given three numbers, Yuting should be able to put them in order from smallest to biggest as long as they are not bigger than 20. By this age, Yuting can write numbers up to 20; if the teacher writes “seventeen” on the board, Yuting should be able to know the number that corresponds to the word, 17. The reciprocal is also true; if Yuting sees the number, 17, she should know that it is the same thing as the word, seventeen. Around this age, Yuting will be able to do simple world problems that involve simple addition and subtraction. An example of a world problem that a seven year old could solve would be, “Adam had 2 apples and his mom gave him 3 more. How many apples does Adam have now?”
As Yuting progresses during the year, she will learn more difficult math. Now instead of only being able to add numbers that sum up to 10 she will be able to add numbers that sum up to 30. In addition, she will also learn to subtract numbers up to 20. During this year, she will also learn how to order numbers up to 60. For example, when given the numbers 15, 55, and 40, Yuting will be able to put them in order from smallest to largest as well as from largest to smallest. Children will also be able to write numbers up to a hundred. When given the number thirty-six, the child should be able to write the number in figures, 36. Yuting will also be able to do more complex word problems such as “Jonny had 15 cookies and then he gave 7 to his friends. How many cookies does he have left?” Children will start learning to distinguish between the words in the problem that mean addition and the words that mean subtraction. For example, they should know that if Sally found 3 more flowers, they should be adding and if Lisa lost 2 balls they should be subtracting. Lastly, as the child continues to learn, they will be able to recognize flat shapes such as circles, squares, rectangles, and triangles.
* Describe how the process of special education might unfold if Yuting is found to have a learning disability in math. How would such a finding occur?
ReplyDeleteThere are several ways that Yuting could be diagnosed with a learning disability. Since Yuting is enrolled in a Montessori school, ChildFind requires her to undergo a variety of screenings. These screenings include evaluations of a variety of aspects of the child, including academic performance. However, if the school doesn’t think Yuting has a math disability, there is still hope. If Ron and Tom notice that Yuting is struggling and math, they may request an evaluation of the child by contacting the special education administrator. They must explain the reasons that they are requesting an evaluation along with any efforts that they have made to address the problem.
A variety of people including the parents and teachers will decide what information is needed for the evaluation. After the evaluation process has been completed, a similar team will form to determine Yuting’s eligibility to receive math related services. This team will decide if Yuting has a learning disability in math through conducting a variety of tests and observations and then analyzing the results. A member of the child’s eligibility group will observe Yuting’s behavior and struggles in the classroom during math to get an additional perspective on Yuting’s strengths and weaknesses. After this observation has been conducted, they may share the information to the rest of the team to help make a decision regarding eligibility. In order for Yuting to be diagnosed with a learning disability in math, she must meet the specific criteria for special education requirements which are explained by the Virginia Department of Education. In addition, her math struggles must be affecting her academic performance. If Yuting meets the criteria for having a disability, then she will be eligible for special education and other related services.
The next step in the process is to schedule a meeting to develop an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). An IEP must include the strengths of the child, concerns about the child’s education, results for the evaluation, academic needs, child’s needs for benchmarks and short-term objectives, as well as need for other related services or assistive technology. The IEP must also include measurable annual goals. These goals need to be things that the team agrees that the child can accomplish within one year. These goals need to be reasonable and individualized for each child. The IEP team will also need to decide on where Yuting needs to be placed for math. Will she stay in the general education classroom, will she be pulled out into a special education group, will she have a one-on-one tutor, etc. They need to ensure that they are placing her in the least restrictive environment. Yuting should not be placed in a special education classroom unless she has had an aid and other needed services in the general education classroom and they have been unsuccessful in helping her improve. After the IEP is developed, the school must implement exactly what is written in the child’s IEP. The IEP will need to be reviewed and revised at least once a year. At this time, the team will discuss if the goals have been met and they can decide in reevaluations are needed. At this time, they can also add or change the type of services that Yuting is receiving.
ReplyDeleteIt is very important that Ron and Tom are a part of this process as much as possible. They need to attend meetings regarding Yuting. They should come prepared to meetings with their research, questions, comments, and concerns. In addition, they should keep in contact with Yuting’s teachers so that they can stay up-to-date on her progress. It is also important that Ron and Tom spend time daily at home helping Yuting improve in the home. The more support she has both at home and in school, the better off she will be academically.
* What is the first step of the process of attempting to help Yuting in math? What kind of meeting ought to happen?
ReplyDeleteThe first step in helping Yuting with her problem in math is to have Ron and Tom meet with her teacher and find out specifically what is going on. The three of them need to figure out many things together before any other measures are taken. Things to consider when in a meeting like this are some of the following:
• At her age, what type of math should Yuting be able to do?
• What is giving her the most problems?
• In what ways is the material being taught versus how Yuting learns best?
• Is there something else adding to her struggles aside from the math?
• What can be done so that Yuting expresses her struggle without getting upset?
• Is there a way to help Yuting understand math different from the way she is being taught now?
• Does Yuting have a learning disability that is hindering her ability to learn math adequately?
All the above topics are the first to be considered during an initial meeting. The more information that Yuting’s parents along with her teacher get, the easier it will be for them to help her. It is important for them to pinpoint specifically where Yuting is struggling because that may answer more questions down the line. If Yuting is only struggling in a certain part of math, then it will be easier for her teacher to focus solely on that when overcoming her difficulty. If it is math in general as a subject, then most likely Ron and Tom should look for an outside source such as a tutor or some kind of after-school clinic that can help Yuting learn at her own speed and level so she is not struggling to keep up during class. This ties into why it is important to find out how Yuting learns. Generally, people either learn in a right-brained manner or a left-brained manner. Most of the time mathematics is taught in a left-brained way, meaning it is mostly taught in an auditory way using details, lots of repetition, data and sequentially. Left-brained people learn things very black and white. However, if Yuting is more right-brained, meaning a visual learner, she will have trouble with this because she is better at learning with pictures, color, rhymes, patterns and emotions. It is important to know the difference because like in Yuting’s case, right-brain dominant people will more often see a struggle in math more than they would in subjects like art, writing, reading etc.
It is also important to find out if outside sources are affecting Yuting’s performance as well. If there is something that is bothering her, it can easily be causing her stress and discomfort which is why she not only shows a struggle in math but also why she gets so upset in the classroom. Ron and Tom should discuss if there has been anything strange or different from her normal tendencies that can be causing Yuting to seem so emotional. This will help them and her teacher better understand if they are just dealing with a learning disability or an emotional one as well. This point is crucial because it will allow them in taking the next step in helping Yuting. Either Ron and Tom will need to set up some kind of plan-of-action in the classroom, where Yuting’s teacher will find a way to help her using a different teaching approach and spending time on what she specifically is having trouble with or they will need to find a tutor or extra learning service that will help her with math as a whole. If neither of these are the issue, Ron and Tom will need to talk to meet back with her teacher and discuss meeting a specialist that may be able to help Yuting if her situation is more serious.
* What might be the outcomes of the meeting described in the first question?
ReplyDeleteAt first Ron and Tom need to see if Yuting’s struggles are purely just with math or if there is something more serious that may be affecting her ability to learn. It may just be a simple delay in her learning and all she will need is a different learning approach in the classroom (which Ron and Tom can figure out with her teacher) or she will need to find a system of after school help. It is likely that Ron and Tom might find Yuting to have a learning disability. This could be something she was born with or this can be a result of her adoption and everything she has overcome. Either way, if this is the case, Ron and Tom will have to make sure that they look into information about her disorder. It will be in Ron and Tom’s best interest to get Yuting evaluated if her situation is considered severe and what may cause her to have such a struggle in math. They should start thinking about having Yuting evaluated and tested by psychologist, to see if this is associated with her past, who have more of an understanding in this situation. These professionals may find that her actions and behaviors fall into the “psychodynamic perspective” where Yuting’s “behavior is motivated by inner forces, memories, and conflicts that are generally beyond her awareness and control.” Yuting may not realize that these outbursts she is having and the stress it is causing her may be affected by what had happened to her as a child. “Freud’s psychoanalytic theory also suggests that unconscious forces act to determine personality and behavior” (Feldman 2011). So it is likely that Yuting may not even realize she is acting out in class but this may be the only way she feels she can communicate her stress and struggle. All of this can be evaluated and tested by professionals and Ron and Tom should really look into specifics if need be. The school is also capable of creating an evaluation team and conducting various tests to see if Yuting has a disability. Ron and Tom are strongly encouraged to be a part of the team. For now, Ron and Tom should plan to meet with Yuting’s teacher and discuss the specifics of what is going on. Until they know how severe her situation is they cannot make any further assumptions or know definitely what the next step to take is. However, at any point during the process, they may speak to the special education administrator and request to have an evaluation.
Works Cited
ReplyDeleteCraft, D. (2001, March). Right brain math. Retrieved from http://www.hslda.org/strugglinglearner/CraftDocs/Math.asp
Destenfanis, Joyce & Firchow, Nancy (n.d) Developmental Milestones: Your 7-year-old child. Retrieved from http://www.greatschools.org/special-education/health/731-developmental-milestones-your-7-year-old-child.gs
Division of Special Education and Student Services(2010). Parent’s Guide to Special Education. Retrieved from https://blackboard.jmu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_116154_1%26url%3D
Feldman, R.S. (2011). Development Across the Life Span (6th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson, Inc.
Math for Kids(2009). Retrieved from http://www.math-exercises-for-kids.com/