Exceptional Students

Case Study: Annie

Nicole deLeon
Kimberly Hardin
Melissa Johansson
Ashlynn Johnson
Kelsey Kimball (Taylor)

Case Study Final Examination

Special Education 310 Exceptional Students
Annie
Although you are into the final month of the school year, you have just learned that 5-year-old
Annie has a seizure disorder. Annie had been absent for two days, during which time her mother
informed you that Annie had experienced a tonic-clonic seizure while riding her bicycle at home
and had badly scraped her face when falling from her bike. While discussing this with Annies
mom, you learn that Annie has been taking medication to control her seizures since she was six
months old. Her mother also reported that Annie has not had a seizure for nearly two years, and
this one was possibly brought on by extreme physical exhaustion. You have not seen any
indication of seizure activity since Annie has been in your kindergarten class. Annie is an
extremely verbal little girl who has many friends. She is often observed organizing them into
some type of play activity and it is evident that she has strong leadership skills. Annie is making
adequate progress in learning letter-sound relationships and does demonstrate strength in
beginning math skills. She completes her assignments independently and can remain on-task
during teacher-directed activities. Annie appears to be highly motivated to succeed.

1.

Assessment - What type of assessments will be conducted by the school to determine if

Annie is eligible to receive special education services? If you were working with Annie, in any
capacity, what type of informal assessments would you complete to assist in determining her
strengths and weaknesses?

2.

Eligibility - What are the possibilities for eligibility considerations for Annie? On what

basis should the eligibility decision be made? Who should be a part of that decision? What
characteristics does Annie exhibit that would lead you to believe she does or does not have a
disability?

3.

Learning characteristics - Explain the term Other Health Impairment. How could

Annies health impact her learning? What are learning characteristics of students who
experience health challenges? What is the social impact or is there one? What factors should
be considered by the professionals when determining if a learning characteristic is/is not related
to a health issue?

4.

Instructional/Behavioral/Environmental Interventions - Your school has a goal that

100% of the students will earn the Presidents Physical Fitness award. During weekly PE class,
students are engaged in a fast-paced routine of physical activity to prepare them to take the
fitness test. They start by doing warm-up exercises, then after running three laps around the
track they rotate between push-ups, chin-ups, and jumping rope.
In regard to Annie's difficulties which of the instructional interventions discussed
throughout this class, and through various assignments/activities, you have completed would be
the most effective? Support your answer with information from the text and/or outside reliable
websites and provide examples of how your selected instructional interventions could be used
during a PE lesson plan of your choice. Please discuss examples in each of these categories:
environmental interventions, assistive technology, instructional interventions, and
social/behavioral interventions. Be sure to explain why these are the strategies you chose above
all others.

5.

Parents and community - How can the educational professionals assist Annie's parents

in coping with the challenges of dealing with Annie's disability? What community resources are
available to support Annie and her family? What issues are likely to arise when it is time to
create an educational plan for Annie? As you anticipate the issues, what will you do to prepare to
address them?

CASE STUDY: ANNIE

1. Assessment
The school needs to give Annie a standardized assessment to assess her knowledge and
screen where she falls on the bell curve. Her results will be evaluated which will help determine
if she needs special education or not. Seizures can sometimes affect a person's cognitive
development. We would like her teachers to use an alternative assessment by keeping a portfolio
of her work and for future teachers to add to it. By looking at this we can track her growth and
progress. If her seizures are affecting her, we will be able to see this in her school work.
We would also like Annie to have a physical completed by her doctor. With this the
doctor can determine a healthy heart rate range for Annie to stay in. In her PE class Annie can
wear the heart rate monitor and watch her heart rate. If it becomes too high, Annie can take a
break or change activities to something that requires less of her.

2. Eligibility
It is possible that Annie could be eligible for an IEP under Other Health Impairments
because of her seizures and the fact that if she exhorts too much it could cause another one.
Unfortunately, to be considered under Other Health Impairments her seizures would be
needing to happen more consistently. Annie hasnt had one for 2 years and she has been on
medication to help control her seizures. Annie mainly needs accommodation and modifications
which she can receive under a 504 plan. Her seizures do not appear to be affecting her school
work or social life. The only problem is that when Annie is physically exhausted she has a higher
chance of having a seizure. With a 504 Plan Annie would get the help she needs without costing
the district more money and we would still be able to monitor, help, and change things as Annie
needs them.

We want to make sure the Annies parents are fully involved with our decision making.
To be able to make the most accurate and appropriate decision we would need to know more
about Annies medical history. Because the parents did not inform anyone of Annies seizures
beforehand nor did they try and get an IEP it seems as though that is not what is wanted. In case
her parents dont know their options we would want to explain the differences to them and what
Annie would be eligible for.

3. Learning Characteristics
Other Health Impairments are chronic or acute health issues that adversely affect a childs
performance throughout their education (NASET, 2007). Annies health could impact her
learning because of having to miss school. When she misses school, she misses the chance to
learn what the teacher is teaching, to turn in any homework assignments, or to get a chance to
work on any assignments that the teacher gives throughout the day. She could struggle to learn
new concepts because of how seizures affect the brain (Timmel, 2006). Her seizures could cause
her to struggle with reading, writing, and math (Elliot & Mulligan, 2010).
Other Health Impairments is such a large category and consists of many different
disabilities that there are numerous learning characteristics that coincide with a specific disability
that is in this category (IDEAL, 2013). Students who have seizures may have problems with
motor skills or cognitive functions (Timmel, 2006). They may struggle to learn new skills or
acquire new knowledge because of a vulnerable working memory (Timmel, 2006). These
children can experience difficulties with reading, writing, and math (Elliot & Mulligan, 2010).
They may struggle with comprehension, speech, and communication (Elliot & Mulligan, 2010).
Another learning characteristic would be a short attention span (Elliot & Mulligan, 2010).
Processing information may take longer, as well as completing tasks (Elliot & Mulligan, 2010).

Those with seizure disorders experience fatigue, which can affect them at school because they
can become too tired to concentrate or participate in the class (NASET, 2007).
The social impact would be that Annie may feel uncomfortable explaining to her friends
why she wasnt at school because they may not understand or could possible feel afraid from
what they dont understand. Another social impact would be the lack of interaction with peers
when Annie misses school due to being sick. She may struggle with her speech, comprehension,
or communication which could adversely impact her socially with her peers. Some children
develop a low self-esteem which can contribute to peer-rejection and social isolation.
Professionals should determine that a learning characteristic is not due to a different
disability in order to determine that it is indeed related to a health issue. They need to gain a
detailed picture of how the learning characteristic affects the child.

4. Instructional/Behavioral/Environmental Interventions
The schools goal is to have each child earn the presidents physical fitness award.
Annies parents agreed alongside with the multidisciplinary team that interventions should be
implemented to protect Annie from over exerting herself. One of the accommodations would
include having exercises indoors this environmental intervention would prevent her from over
exerting herself because of excessive heat and lack of water. This would be an example of an
accommodation before a test (Friend, 346). Another accommodation would allow Annie to
complete exercises at home if she wasnt able to finish them at school. This intervention would
be the most useful for her because it would allow her to take the breaks she needed between
exercises. Annie would also be able to use a heart rate monitor, this assistive technology
intervention would help her to make sure that her heart wasnt accelerating too quickly.

In order to help other students understand Annies situation they would all be given the
opportunity to experience using a heart rate monitor. They would be taught the signs of
overexertion and allow them to understand that if they worked out too vigorously in the heat and
without water that there could be side effects such as fainting, throwing up, or in Annies case a
potential seizure. This social/emotional intervention would be very useful in helping students to
understand Annies condition. The instructional intervention used for her would include
modifications to her teachers actual lesson plans. The previous lesson plans included the
students being engaged in a fast-paced routine of physical activity. The MDT members agreed
that the lesson plans could still achieve the same goals while having more breaks between each
exercise. Including having smaller sets of exercises. The attached lesson plan includes these
accommodations.

5. Parents and Community

The best way for the school to assist Annies parents is by building trust and bringing
them peace of mind. The best way they can do this is having teachers and staff be aware of
Annies situation as well as being trained by a professional to know how to respond if Annie has
a seizure. Considering over exhaustion is what caused her previous seizure her P.E. teacher
should have different activities planned for her that she can participate in, that also dont isolate
or single her out from her peers, and also meet with the parents for approval. Likewise her
teacher should document the activities Annie participated in during the day and send a note home
daily, to notify her parents on days that she over exerted herself. Also it is important for Annies
teachers to have an action plan so that they know how to respond during a seizure. This plan will
be reviewed with her parents, so they can be assured that they will be contacted. This plan will

be given to all of Annies teachers, and staff members who come into contact with Annie, and
they will be held responsible to follow it.
Another great way to help the parents be involved is to have them come into the
classroom with Annie and explain her condition so that the other children can understand and
even know what to do if a seizure should happen. This will not only help the other children but
Annie as well. Also Annies teachers could recommend an Epilepsy Support group, such as the
Epilepsy Foundation Individual & Family Services, These are local networks of parents of
children with seizure disorders, working together with Foundation staff and volunteers to lend a
helping hand, a sympathetic ear, to other parents dealing with epilepsy in a child (Epilepsy
Foundation, 2015). This support group may provide help for them while dealing with emotional
strains as well as help them to cope with day to day living. An issue that may arise, when
providing a plan, would be that her impairment may adversely affect her learning in the future.
To address this issue her teachers would use informal and alternative assessments to monitor her
progress. These assessments would help provide documentation in the case that her seizures
negatively affect her academic achievement.

Fitness Stations Lesson Plan

Purpose of Activity:
To prepare students to each be able to earn the Presidents Physical Fitness award
Suggested Grade Level:
Kindergarten-3rd
Materials Needed:
Stop watch, a signal to switch stations (i.e. drum, a clap, a whistle, etc.), paper for exit
assessments (to record their heart rates), pencils, 8 mats (4 for crunches, 4 for push ups), 2 pull
up bars, 3 step aerobic benches, and a tape/cd player for upbeat music. Posters with the following
information on them should be included at each station so the kids will know where to go next
and what to do.
Description of Idea
There are 7 stations. Divide class into 7 groups (if there are 28 students, 4 per station). Listed
below are the station numbers.
The stations will rotate between warm up exercises and rigorous work outs. The first station will
be jumping jacks, the second station is crunches, the third will be leg stretches (including
bending down to touch toes) the fourth station will include push ups, the fifth station will include
arm stretches and ankle stretches and the sixth station will be running a lap around the gym
followed by a water break, and then the seventh station will be doing pull ups. The students can
drink water after the 4th and 6th stations.
Each group will start at a different station. Take 5 minutes to explain all of the stations (have the
students walk from station to station with you while you demonstrate skills). Students have 2
minute at each station and 15 seconds to go to the next station and begin. They will go around
the stations three times. Students will check their heart rate at the beginning of the class and at
the end of the class. As an assessment, they will answer the following questions.
Assessment questions:

What was your heart rate at the beginning and end of class?
During which exercise was your heart rate at its highest?
List three of your favorite stations and tell which fitness test it was preparing you for.
What would you change about today's lesson about fitness?

Fitness Stations Lesson Plan (Original)

Purpose of Activity:
To prepare students for success on the Physical Fitness Tests.
Suggested Grade Level:
6-8
Materials Needed:
Stop watch, a signal to switch stations (i.e. drum, a clap, a whistle, etc.), paper for exit
(assessments), pencils, 4 mats (2 folded, 2 unfolded), 3 jump ropes, 18 five pound weights, 18
two pound weights, 6 hoops, 3 step aerobic benches, and a tape/cd player for upbeat music.
Posters with the following information on them should be included at each station so the kids
will know where to go next and what to do.
Description of Idea
There are 12 stations. Divide class into 12 groups (if there are 36 students, 3 per station). Listed
below are the station numbers, the equipment needed and the performance tips (i.e., cues) for
each station.
Each group will start at a different station. Take 5 minutes to explain all of the stations (have the
students walk from station to station with you while you demonstrate skills). Students have 30
seconds at each station and 15 seconds to put their equipment away and get to the next station
and begin. They will go around the stations twice. Students will check their heart rate at the
beginning of the class and at the end of the class. As an assessment, they will answer the
following questions.
Assessment questions:

What was your heart rate at the beginning and end of class?
Is it different? Why or why not?
List three of your favorite stations and tell which fitness test it was preparing you for.
Why did we have you do these stations?
What would you change about today's lesson about fitness?

References

Elliot, I., & Mulligan, J. (2010, February 4). How Epilepsy Affects Learning. Retrieved from
about kids health:
http://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/en/resourcecentres/epilepsy/athomeandatschool/epilepsya
ndschool/pages/how-epilepsy-affects-learning.aspx
Epilepsy Foundation Individual & Family Services. (n.d.). Retrieved December 15, 2015, from
http://www.epilepsy.com/get-help/services-and-support/epilepsy-foundation-individual-f
amily-services
Fuller, M. (2001, September 21). PEC: Lesson Plans for Physical Education. Retrieved , from
http://www.pecentral.org/lessonideas/ViewLesson.asp?ID=787#.VnBeddKrSig
IDEAL, P. (2013). Other Health Impairments. Retrieved from Project IDEAL:
http://www.projectidealonline.org/v/health-impairments/
NASET. (2007). Comprehensive Overview of Other Health Impairments. Retrieved from
National Association of Special Education Teachers: https://www.naset.org/2278.0.html
Timmel, G. (2006). Teaching Students with Epilepsy: Strategies for Educatiors. Retrieved from
Growing Up with Epilepsy:
http://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/en/resourcecentres/epilepsy/athomeandatschool/epilepsya
ndschool/pages/how-epilepsy-affects-learning.aspx