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Andrew is a 5-year-old boy in a full-day kindergarten program in Mrs. Brown’s classroom. During the first few weeks of school, Mrs. Brown notices that Andrew is struggling to adjust to the kindergarten day. In particular, he has difficulty following directions and making transitions from one activity to the next. However, other children are also having difficulty adjusting, so Mrs. Brown continues to observe Andrew. As the weeks follow and most of the class settles into the daily routine, Andrew’s difficulties seem to increase. Mrs. Brown’s observation notes identify concerns about Andrew’s behavior and development, including the following:
Early Literacy Skills:
Limited expressive vocabulary outside of his areas of interest, which include animals, and especially dogs
Limited sight-word vocabulary for kindergarten
Fine-Motor Skills:
Poor fine-motor skills, especially with cutting
Difficulties using a computer mouse
Poor eye-hand coordination (also noticed by the P.E. teacher)
Behavioral Concerns:
Frequent interruptions, for example, Andrew will ask unrelated questions and change topics during daily group times
Becomes frustrated when unsuccessful with both learning tasks and physical activities
Mrs. Brown also has the following anecdotal notes from her Fall parent-teacher conference with Andrew’s parents, both of whom attended the conference: “Andrew’s father, Mr. Unger, works full time. Since Andrew and his two younger siblings were born, his mother has stayed home to care for the children. Mrs. Unger’s native language is French. She appears to speak and understand English with little difficulty, although, she stated she is more comfortable with email and other written forms of communication. The family speaks both French and English at home. Mrs. Unger explained that Andrew’s experience with group programs before beginning kindergarten was mainly in family-based activities offered by the community, such as at the local library. She also noted that Andrew has always had a lot of energy, as do his siblings. Along with the family’s two dogs, she describes them as all ‘very lively’.”
Mrs. Brown draws on her experience to support and foster Andrew’s growth as best she can. However, after not seeing improvement, she shares her concerns with the school’s special education teacher and asks for a prereferral intervention for Andrew. In turn, Andrew’s parents are notified, and the prereferral process, including forming a Child Support Team for Andrew, begins.
Based on the information in the Case Scenario on Andrew and research-based practices/strategies, use the Collaboration Plan Template document to develop a Collaboration Plan for Andrew’s Child Support Team. Follow the instructions on the template to complete all six parts of the Collaboration Plan.
