Observation and Adaptation Plan

Observation
I am observing and teaching fourth and fifth grade students both in general education
classrooms and within the special education teachers resource room. The students we work with
range within a variety of eligibility categories. The majority of the students we work with have
been diagnosed with ADHD. Student J has been diagnosed with autism, and is very high
functioning. This student works with Ms. Luster with both reading and math. Student J is very
verbal, but it takes time for him to form a response. Student Js greatest obstacle is speech. His
articulation deficits are related to an attached lingual frenulum, which was corrected in
Kindergarten. Student J has had difficulty with speech since then. Student J receives a variety of
services to ensure that he has the best chance of succeeding in the general education classroom.
Student J works in the special education resource room at least 240 minutes each week. Student J
also receives speech and occupational therapy. I have observed that speech is the most important
service for student J, because once he can become confident in his speech he will become more
confident in participating in group discussions and even reading, which will benefit him in all
areas of school.
During clinical I have observed student J both in the general education and special
education classroom. The majority of the time, it is extremely difficult to understand what
student J is saying. Because student J has always struggled with speech and has autism there are
many factors that play into his special education. I have noticed that student J struggles the most,
and gets overwhelmed when he is in groups bigger than two or three people. Specifically when
Ms. Luster works with student J and other students for math, he tends to become more shy and
unwilling to participate. When Ms. Luster works with student J during reading, the group he is

with is much smaller than it is during math. During reading student J is more verbal and feels
comfortable participating.
Recommendations
Due to student Js success during reading lessons in small groups, I would recommend
pulling student J to the special education classroom with fewer students. It is most important to
build student Js confidence and the more he feels comfortable participating, the more he will
learn and enjoy his time with other students. I realize the time restraints that effect being able to
pull only two students for such a long period of time. For the sake of time, I would recommend
that the teacher work with him one on one for a shorter amount of time, and then if it is
absolutely necessary she can include him in a bigger group at another time in the day. The goal is
for student J to have time when he can work in a very small group of students rather than five or
six. The special education teacher does try to work student J with the smallest number of other
students in the room. The more time student J spends in smaller groups and builds his
confidence, he will be able to perform better in the general education classroom.
In the general education classroom it is important for student J to be included in group
activities. It is only crucial for him to be in smaller groups when he is working specifically with
special serviced, so that he is able to concentrate and feel comfortable. Student J takes a very
long time to respond to answers, and so in order to give him the time he needs to successfully
answer questions and participate, smaller groups are best so that other students are not given the
equal amount of attention. In the general education classroom I would recommend that the
teacher waits a reasonable amount of time to let student J respond, however if he takes too long it
is important to move on for the rest of the students. The general education teacher must approach
student J individually after the lesson to be sure he has an opportunity to give his
answer/comment.

List Of Recommendations
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In resource room provide smaller groups to work with (2 or 3 students max)

In general education classroom include student J in the normal size group, but be sure to

address individual needs during lesson/activity

Give student J extended response time
Pull student J to the resource room in the morning hours
Reassess with cooperating teacher to identify the effectiveness of plan