Running head: END OF SEMESTER REFLECTION

End of Semester Reflection

Mindy Merten
Texas Tech University

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Background information
A seven-year-old female student named Melissa was observed and assessed over the fall semester
of 2014. She was observed in her life skills classroom, music room, gymnasium, and playground. She
was assessed through the communication matrix, the paired stimulus assessment, University of Kentucky
Assistive Technology Evaluation, choice map assessment, social contact assessment, and the calendar
time frame assessment. All of the assessments provided a clear picture of the students strengths and
weaknesses. The assessments also provided an idea of what needs needed to be addressed in the
classroom and in the future.
Communication Matrix
Melissa is a nonverbal student and does not willingly touch items, so the communication matrix
assessment took two separate visits in order to receive correct results. During the assessment, it was clear
that Melissa could express her comfort or discomfort by crying or laughing. She would even smile for
short periods of time; however, the smiles were inconclusive to communication response. When a
classmate, teachers aide, or teacher would speak to her, she would show interest in the person speaking
with her. She would try to follow the person with her eyes but would sometimes become tired and lose
focus. If presented with a choice of two objects, Melissa would be able to choose an object by laughing
or moving her head. If she was not interested in speaking or looking at an object, she would turn her head
or not respond in any manner. Based on this assessment, the classroom teacher and TVI may want to
continue working on her communication skills. Introducing a communication device like a switch or
button would maybe help her communicate more effectively with her peers and teachers. It may also
work to provide her with yes or no questions at the beginning and work on improving her
communication once she has mastered the use of the communication device.

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Paired Stimulus Assessment

Over the course of three days, a paired stimulus assessment was conducted with Melissa. Two
items were presented each day in order to find at least one object that she would willingly touch. It was
determined that Melissa liked objects that were yellow or red which correlates to the best colors for
children with Cortical Visual Impairment. Her favorite object was small red ball which she signified was
her favorite by rocking her body and head. She also laughed and tried to hold a focus on the object while
it was on her desktop. Results from the assessment also showed that Melissa preferred cloth over plastic.
Based on this assessment, it is recommended that Melissas teacher use a red cloth ball to point to pictures
or objects. The ball could help her focus more readily on objects or pictures.
University of Kentucky Assistive Technology Assessment
When Melissa was assessed using the University of Kentucky Assistive Technology Assessment,
there were several things that Melissa is currently unable to do on her own or with assistance. Because
she is very limited on her movements, the assistive technology devices need to be modified to make the
most of the movement she uses on a daily basis. Her left hand appears to be stronger than her right, so the
devices would need to be used with her left hand. Melissa is currently unable to brush her own hair
without assistance. Using a longer handle on a brush would help her tremendously. Surprisingly, Melissa
liked the feeling of her hair even though she is tactually defensive towards some textures. The preassessment created by the IEP team showed that she had some weaknesses with self-help skills,
communication, body support, and environment interactions. Using the assistive technology assessment,
it was quite easy to discover her strengths and weaknesses and what items of assistive technology could
be beneficial. The communication weaknesses were addressed in the communication matrix as well.
Since the assistive technology assessment was completed, Melissa has made some improvements on each
of her new assistive technology devices. She will tire easily while brushing her hair, but she is brushing it

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without assistance. Using a string for the lights, her classroom teacher has now designated turning off her
lights as Melissas classroom job. Melissa is sometimes still unsuccessful with this activity, but she is
making improvements. With the help of the speech pathologist, Melissa is making progress with making
a few new sounds. Since the classroom teacher is seeing some improvements with Melissas interaction
in the classroom using the assistive technology devices, then it is recommended that she continue working
with her assistive technology devices.
Choice Map
The choice map clearly defined areas where Melissa can make choices for herself during the day.
As with the paired stimulus assessment, Melissa is able to show discomfort/comfort through crying or
laughing and head movements. The staff in her classroom gives her two choices for each activity where
she will have choice. For instance, there are two locations in the classroom where Melissa can be fed
through her G-tube. One of the staff members will ask here where she would like to sit, and they will
move her wheelchair to each spot. Melissa will communicate if she is happy with the location by smiling
and laughing. There are some aspects of Melissas day where she is not given a choice. For example, the
class is currently learning about the four seasons, so they are reading a specific book about the seasons.
By completing this assessment, it is recommended that Melissa continue to be given as many choices in
her school day as possible. Her choices will also need to be limited to two choices.
Social Contact Assessment
The social contact assessment was quite possibly the most impressive assessment completed with
Melissa. Areas where Melissa was thought to struggle did not seem to be the case. She enjoyed being
around her general education peers. Certain classmates in her classroom did not receive a positive
reaction from Melissa, but her teacher stated that those particular students continually bother her or try to
touch her. If Melissa enjoys the activity, then her social contact reactions are generally positive. If she

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does not enjoy the task at hand, then her social contact reactions are generally neutral or negative. She
truly enjoys reading time, so she had a great contact with her teacher at that particular time. Based off of
these findings, it is recommended that Melissa continue to interact with her peers and be given multiple
opportunities throughout the day to work with her general education peers. It may also be a good idea to
incorporate general education children in the classroom during the activities that Melissa may not
normally enjoy since she generally has positive contact with her general education classmates.
Calendar Time Frame Assessment
By completing the calendar time frame assessment, it became apparent that Melissa was unable to
work with a monthly calendar but could complete all of the aspects of the anticipation calendar. It was
determined that a daily calendar would be the best fit Melissa. A magnetic calendar with the day of the
week, activities for the day, weather, and season was the perfect fit for Melissa. Each child in her
classroom has an individual calendar. Her teacher stated that the bright colors and large board seemed to
work well for her since she does not do well with a small piece of paper. Based off of these findings, it is
recommended that Melissa continue to use the magnetic board on daily basis. Once Melissa shows that
she is able to master the daily calendar, then her teacher should use the weekly calendar. Eventually,
Melissa should be able to work with a monthly calendar of activities.
Conclusion
After looking at all of the completed assessments, Melissas areas of high need are
communication, social, and self-help skills. She needs to interact with general education peers as much as
possible to help with her communication and social skills. For most of Melissas life, she has had
someone providing assistance for everything activity she completes on a daily basis. If the classroom is
going to implement self-help skills and use assistive technology, then there needs to be consistency home.
Having her parents buy-in to the idea of her completing tasks on her own at home will more than likely

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take some time. Hopefully, they will be able to see her success in the classroom and allow for this same
success to occur at home. With guidance and support, Melissa will continue to grow developmentally,
socially, and emotionally.