Cerebral Palsy and Preparing for a New Student

Krysten Schwab

ED 415

Adaptations Assignment:

Cerebral Palsy and Preparing for a New Student

June 20 2016
 Cerebral Palsy and Preparing for a New Student
2

Fictional Profile:

The Beauregard family has recently moved from Souris Prince Edward Island to

Charlottetown Prince Edward Island. The Beauregard family has made the move into town for,

John Beauregard, the fathers, job. John Beauregard and his wife Baily Beauregard have enrolled

their daughter Keira into her second semester of Grade 11 at Charlottetown Rural High School.

Previously she had been attending Souris Regional High School. I have been informed that Keira

Beauregard will be in my home room class, and thus it is my responsibility to ensure she has a

smooth transition between schools. Additional support will be provided to Keira by the guidance

counselor. Also, Casey McDougal, another student who will also be in my home room, has

offered to be Keiras transitional friend for her first week of school. Casey McDougal is part of

the Stop Bullying campaign at the Rural and wants to ensure Keira feels included. Before the

semester begins we have scheduled a transitional meeting between Keira, her parents and I, to

introduce Keira to the school.

Summary of Transition Meeting:

Keira Beauregard is a 16-year-old girl who will be joining my grade 11 World History

class in January 2017. It had been previously brought to my attention that Keira has Spastic

Cerebral Palsy. Before this transition meeting I spoke with Mary Gallant, head of the Special

Education Department, and Keiras physical therapist Amy Campbell and Declan O'Donovan,

Keiras previous home room teacher from Souris regional high school. This group of people

agreed to be included in the IEP group along with myself, Keiras parents and the Charlottetown

Rural High School Principal, Darin Mooks. The summary of our IEP meeting will be covered

later in the Learning Profile.

 Cerebral Palsy and Preparing for a New Student
3

Keiras form of Cerebral Palsy is known as Spastic Diplegia. The Spastic Diplegia was

caused by a maternal infection during Baily Beauregards pregnancy. Keira was born premature

and experienced brain trauma due to Periventricular Leukomalacias, lesions in the brain resulting

from white matter damage. Keiras form of cerebral palsy affects her legs, causing her leg

muscles to be stiff. Keiras hands are also slightly stiffened and she experiences muscle spasms.

During Keiras transitional meeting she expressed worry regarding how her classmates

and other students would accept her. She uses leg braces to walk because she has a scissor-like-

gait. Having been with the same classmates since junior high, she had become accustomed to an

understanding atmosphere at her old school. She worries that her classmates at the Rural will

begin to judge her based on her developmental disability. Her parents are also concerned that not

many kids Keiras age know what Cerebral Palsy is and they may treat Keira as someone who is

different. Keira expressed that she wouldnt mind explaining to her classmates about her

Cerebral Palsy if we thought it would help.

Keira is of average intelligence and will continue to progress through the Academic

stream in preparation for university. Keira was on the SRS honour roll last year and is well on

her way to being on the CHRS honour roll after her marks have been transferred. Keira

expressed that she loves English class and in her last school she had won the 2015 poetry contest

held by the Canadian Young Writers Association. Keira has every intention of participating in

this years poetry competition as well. Keira has also shown an interest in History though she is

not passionate about it. Her least favorite subject is gym. She dislikes gym because, in her words:

my classmates usually dont want me on their teams because they know I cant move quickly. I

dont blame them but I wish I could be included more. She was happy to note that she will not

be taking gym in her second semester, as it is not a required subject in grade 11 at the Rural.
 Cerebral Palsy and Preparing for a New Student
4

However, Keira did mention that she wanted to become involved in some after school activities

as a way to meet her classmates. She displayed an interest in the joining the yearbook club.

Casey McDougal, Keiras transitional friend, has friends who are in the yearbook club. It

would be good to have Casey introduce Keira to the other members of the club.

Lastly, Keira explained to me that she would need to use a laptop to take down her notes

in class because she has difficulty writing with pencils. Keira also becomes easily fatigued from

walking to and from class so her parents mentioned she may need a few extra minutes to get

from class to class. I assured Keira and her parents that after the IEP meeting the staff would be

informed of Keiras Cerebral Palsy, and certain adaptations could be made if Keira wanted them.

Summary of IEP meeting, Adaptations and Rationale:

On January 5th, 2017 the IEP group met and gave a presentation to the Charlottetown

Rural Staff about Cerebral Palsy. Mary Gallant, the head of the Special Education Department

assisted me in the presentation and answered any staff questions and concerns. After the

presentation the IEP group discussed what could be done to create an accepting and

understanding school environment for Keira Beauregard. Taking into consideration Keiras

concerns as well as her parents concerns; and with the assistance of Declan O'Donovan, a short

list of adaptations was created for Keira. As Declan O'Donovan was Keiras previous teacher he

was able to assist me in creating the short list based on adaptations Keira had been receiving at

Souris Regional High School. Likewise, Keiras physical therapist Amy Campbell gave me

insight into certain adaptations that will need to be made for Keiras physical comfort.

The following recommendations were made in the report and will be formally included

on the Adaptations Page:

 Cerebral Palsy and Preparing for a New Student
5

1. Extra time and space for work completion.

2. Photocopied notes.
3. More time for test completion.
4. Writing aids.
5. Use of technology in assessment.

Other adaptions are: Keira will be allowed use of the student resource room and exercise

equipment. Keira will also be allowed extra time to travel between classes. Keira will be allowed

to leave class for a short period of time to stretch if need be.

Keira becomes easily fatigued due to constant stress being placed on her leg muscles.

From time to time Keira also experiences severe pain in her legs that can be distracting.

Therefore, extra time and space for work completion is required.

Keira has some difficulty keeping up with note taking in class due to slight muscle

stiffness in her hands, so a set of photocopied notes will help keep her on track. Keira will need

more time to complete tests as she finds writing to be time consuming. As for writing aids, Keira

will be allowed to use her laptop to take notes and do assignments. To help Keira feel included,

the use of laptops will be allowed for other students in the classroom as long as they stay on task.

She will also be allowed to use her laptop to take tests under the supervision of another teacher.

Or if another teacher is not available for supervision, or if the test cannot be taken on the laptop,

tests done for the class will be take home assessments for all students.

As for the other adaptations, according to Amy Campbell, Keira must perform stretches

throughout the day to relieve the stiffness of her leg muscles and to maintain a healthy posture.

Keira will be allowed to use the student resource room and exercise equipment for this purpose.

Likewise, Keira finds sitting in desks to be very uncomfortable because of her muscle stiffness.

She will be allowed to leave the class for a short stretch break when needed. The use of stretch
 Cerebral Palsy and Preparing for a New Student
6

breaks can also take place within the class for all students, as not only Keira will benefit from a

short break. These adaptations will be put in place for the second semester of grade 11 and will

be continued until graduation.

A copy of Keiras Record of Adaptation will be shared with all her second semester

teachers. A review of the adaptations will take place half way through the semester to determine

if any changes should be made for Keiras benefit. Keira, her parents, and her teachers will be

consulted during the review. The adaptations will be reviewed again before the start of Keiras

grade 12 year.

Lastly, Keira will be giving a short introduction to her home room class on her first day

of school. She will not only discuss what it is like having Spastic Diplegia Cerebral Palsy, but

she will also cover her successes, interests and hobbies. It is hoped that this short introduction

will help Keiras classmates become more open to her.

Resources

Cerebral Palsy (CP). (n.d.). Retrieved June 19, 2016, from

 Cerebral Palsy and Preparing for a New Student
7

http://www.teachspeced.ca/cerebral- palsy

Freeborn, D., & Mandleco, B. (2010). Childhood Educational Experiences of Women with

Cerebral Palsy. Journal Of School Nursing, 26(4), 310-319.

Ricker, J. H., Morgan, J. E., & Baron, I. S. (2011). Casebook of Clinical Neuropsychology.

NY: Oxford University Press.

Special Education Options. (n.d.). Retrieved June 19, 2016, from

http://www.cerebralpalsy.org/information/education/special-education-options