Michael Harvey SPED 205 Assignment September 22, 2011

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (Rosenberg, 396) Degeneration of muscle tissue starting in legs and goes from leg upwards to rest of body Muscle tissue is replaced with fat and fibrous tissue, leading to mobility impairments Motorized wheel chairs become necessary due to inability to walk/push manual wheelchair. Fatality rate is 100%, will cause heart/lung failure usually by the early 20s Intellectual ability does not decrease with age, however 1/3 of males with DMD have learning disabilities

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Making the Classroom Inclusive Students with this will need accommodations when it comes to desk space and ability to navigate around the classroom. The room should have adequate spacing so that every student can access any part of the room without making it seem like it is because of the student with DMD. Unless the student with DMD has a learning disability they should never be given alternative assignments meant to be less intellectually challenging. One thing that I feel is imperative is to consistently reinforce that they are regular students with accommodations, and to not treat them differently than other students. Some important factors explained in the course text include not demonstrating separate expectations for the student with DMD and constantly striving to ensure that the value of his life is maintained (Rosenberg, 398). This final part of maintaining his value of life is key because the student most likely knows that they are living with a terminal disease but that doesnt mean they should be treated any differently than any other student. One thing to avoid is the language of getting older and instead reaffirms the developmental stage students are currently at.

Depression 2%-21% of all students experience some symptoms of depression (Rosenberg, 187). Among students with special education needs range from 14%-54% (187). A feeling of being sad, down, unable to cope that lasts for long periods of time. Isolation, sleep problems, withdrawn from things that used to be enjoyed. Thoughts of suicide/death that are constant and/or troubling. Anger at others, self, or withdrawal from others; change in appetite; irritability (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001941/)

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Adapting Students to the Class Depression is a hard issue to tackle within a classroom because it is a mood disorder that is not always easily spotted. This is one issue that relies on both the teachers ability to notice changes in the student and when to seek assistance for them. Another way in which this can be helped in the classroom is if the teacher builds a strong relationship with their class so students feel comfortable coming to the teacher with their feelings. This disorder should be treated like all disorders/disabilities in that it should be known to the teacher but the classroom should not engage differently with a depressed student than a normal student. Token economies help emotional and behavioral disability classes however in a general education classroom, if implemented, should not be advertised because it could alienate the student with the disability (Rosenberg, 200). One thing that I think can be implemented is a behavioral contract between a student and teacher that lays out how students will let a teacher know how they are feeling so the teacher can better accommodate the student. Such as raising a particular hand to indicate they want to talk to a school counselor and the teacher acknowledging it without drawing attention. A very important part of teaching students with depression is knowing when something is beyond the teachers control and professional support should be sought. Any incident where there is suicidal ideation or other factors that point to self harm, or harming of others should be brought to the attention of professionals, while respecting the privacy of the student.

Aspergers Disorder y y y Severe, sustained impairments in social interactions (Rosenberg, 279) Development of restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, and activities (279) Speech mannerisms often dont fit with context or are unchanging (monotone, misunderstands figures of speech, overly formal) (http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/asperger/detail_asperger.htm) Deficiency in social interactions that continues into adulthood, such as fear of being touched, or doesnt adhere to social etiquette of conversations. Limited/Unusual eye contact

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Inclusion in classroom practices The difficulty with addressing Aspergers Disorder within a classroom is the notions of making students feel like they are treated differently, as with almost any disorder. One thing that particularly comes into play is that Aspergers is not usually associated with intellectual challenges in students, mainly just social aspects of being an adolescent. As with a lot of Autism Spectrum Disorders one method of neutralizing the disorders power is to allow the student to work on things that interest them and that will keep their interest. Although it can be difficult to facilitate group work with the fear that they may have bad experiences it is important to lay out ground rules that cover bullying, teasing, or picking on other students. This can be incorporated by constantly teaching and modeling good listening and speaking skills such as eye contact which is very much a symptom of Aspergers. Another possibility in getting the student to feel comfortable with group work is to have them work with the same students so they develop a sense of comfort around particular students and changing the groups so they have the opportunity to build those relationships with different students. Setting up plans with the student that alert them when they begin to cross into inappropriate areas of conversation will allow the teacher to promote acceptable behavior instead of punishing bad behavior. Patience is important with all students, but especially with students with ASD because it is not that they dont want to learn or have the capacity, it just might take longer or need to be more intense.

References

"Asperger Syndrome Fact Sheet." National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). 11 June 2011. Web. 21 Sept. 2011. <http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/asperger/detail_asperger.htm>. "Major Depression - PubMed Health." Major Depression. US Library of Medicine, 15 Mar. 2011. Web. 21 Sept. 2011. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001941/>. Rosenberg, Michael S., David L. Westling, and James McLeskey. Special Education for Today's Teachers: an Introduction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2011. Print.