Past Story

When Ethan turned 3, Parents signed him into an early childhood program, (10 hours per
week). Before Ethan's first day at preschool, I reached out to parents, and invited them to
“Getting to Know You Conferences”, to make a connection and build relationship of trust and
respect. (Mapp, Carver, Lander, 2021). During meeting, I was able to learn about Ethan’s
strengths, biggest celebrations, parents’ priority for Ethan, etc. The parents’ highest priority for
Ethan was Speech Improvement, Communicating, and Socializing.

Ethan’s parents (Martin and Marymani) told me that they are originally from India where they
lived with Martin’s parents, his older brother, his wife, and two kids aged 3 and 6. They also
had a lot of families leaving nearby.
We toked about multicultural practices. They told me they both have higher education. They
are Christian - the third-largest religious minority in India, and they used English and Telugu in
India. They moved to State 6 years ago, because of work. Now Martin is working for a
computer company mostly from home and his wife doesn’t work.
They told me a little bit about Indian culture, how they celebrate Holi, and about Indian
Traditional food which can be very sweet or very spicy and full of colors.
First, when Ethan was borne they used only Telugu at home but during a routine physical exam
at age two doctor recommended using English instead. So, they switched from Telugu to
English but did not see a lot of progress in his communication skills. He did not speak. He
started using few words in the age of three. Sometimes he played with other kids at church but
most the time he played with parents.
First few days/ weeks in preschool Ethan cried and screamed a lot. He didn’t know how to
communicate with teachers, how to play with kids, and it took him a while to feel safe in the
classroom.
Every day during pick-up time I provided support to Ethan’s family by:

 Listening and acknowledging their stressors

 Making available a list of community resources (Friend, M. P., 2020)
 Sending weekly email
 And telling him how amazing Ethan is.

At preschool, we created a cozy corner so Ethan as well as other kids could go there if they tired,
overwhelmed, or need time to think, but Ethan did not like it.

Our priority was to make him feel safe and comfortable in the classroom. We did not want him
to cry. We knew Crying will not give him a chance to learn anything. A child can’t cry and
learn at the same time. We didn’t know if he is crying because he is in pain, or because he had
difficulties with transitioning from one place to another and from one activity to the other. After
a few weeks of observations, we realized that in most cases Ethan cried because it was/is his
way of communication (lack of verbal communication skills) and difficulty during transitions.
Based on the observation, data collection, and consultation with the classroom team we
came with a plan to use vocabulary pictures, to support communication process. We did two
copies of pictures related to daily activities such as washing hands, going to the toilet, sitting at
the circle, 5 more minutes, etc. One copy for us and one for Ethan’s parents. We used them in
the classroom and noticed some positive behavior changes. Two weeks later I asked Martin if
he noticed any changes in Ethan behavior and how those vocabulary picture worked for them?
Unfortunately, they did not have a chance to used them because they recently bought a house
and are busy packing.

Assessment result showed us that Ethan’s delays in social-emotional skills, and social
interactions, impact his ability to develop positive social relationships and participate
independently in the classroom activities. His fine motor and visual-motor delays impact his
ability to manipulate utensils (scissors, writing utensils, spoon, fork). His language delay
affects his ability to express his thoughts and needs. We create a plan which we discussed with
Ethan’s parents, and we started to implement it.

Because Ethan exhibits a weak grasp on markers Team under TO teacher supervision did
activities to support his needs such as
Use smaller or fatter pencils,
Push acorns into play-dough.
Drop dry beans into small containers.
Press sticks into play-dough.

Can’t sit during circle time

1. To be able to stay at the circle time for3 to 5 minutes

1. We tried:
Sitting on a carpet, kneeling, or lying down on his bellies, sitting on crisscrossed applesauce,
weight him, sitting on a chair, standing, or giving him a fidget toy to hold during class to
keep his hands busy

Sitting on a wiggle cushion

Using a chewy

Nothing works until we decided to use a cube chair and teacher assistance. Now Ethan has
no problem being a great listener and he can stay calm during circle time, storytime, or
 when we teach kids social skills.

2. to follow a single-step routine

“Hang up backpack”, “wash hands”, First/Then

We followed the plan for 2 months, with less progress than we were hoping for, so we decided to
reach out to Ethan’s parents to discuss their son’s progress and could learn form and with each
other. Under collaborative process conditions, everyone is listened to and contribute we agreed
to do a full evaluation. (Mapp, Carver, Lander, 2019)
Evaluation through Child Find took place for two months the parents were with Ethan through
the whole process. The evaluation showed a delay in the areas of social-emotional learning, pre-
academic skills, speech and language, and fine motor development.

Present Story
An IEP was developed to address Ethan's delays, including early childhood special education
services, speech/language services, and occupational therapy services. Parents were informed
that Ethan's Progress will be measured by IEP goals and CDE Results Matter Assessment -
Teaching Strategies GOLD - and observational-based developmental assessment, administered
three times per year. The teacher will be discussing the result of the assessments during P.T
conf. every 3 months in person, by zoom, or by phone. To make sure that parents can reach
out to us whenever they need us, I Gave them ECE: the effective flow of communication
flayer

Teachers support his IEP goals:

Speech therapist 2 days per week and Sped Assistance worked on the same goals for another 2
days per week
Sped Teacher 2x per week and me 2x per week
To 1 x per week and me, Sped Assistant and Regula Assistance other days
Some of the goals we work on are:
Social-emotional/pre-academic goals:
Improving play skills by combining two-step play sequence:
Attending and participating in adult-directed activities for 3-5 minutes or until completion:
Improving his ability to adapt to schedule changes
 Motor skills goals:
Ethan will demonstrate improved bilateral integration skills: will be able to connect various
manipulatives (blocks, Legos, plastic lock/key, remove the lid from marker

Expressive language:
When Ethan is upset or wants to reject/protest, he often screams his goal is to practice new
functional vocabulary and phrases in the classroom, such as "help" and "my turn, your turn."
Follow single-step routine directions like "hang up backpack" and "wash hands."

Effective family engagement doesn’t happen overnight. It requires thoughtful planning and takes
time and effort to develop and maintain. To engage families, educators generally must:

 Get to know families. This includes their family composition, challenges, and

experiences.
 Build positive relationships. This entails establishing trust and mutual respect.
 Meaningfully involve families. This means actively creating opportunities for parents to
collaborate with educators.

(Mapp, Carver, Lander, 2019)

Now Ethan can label all the shapes up to hexagons and octagons. He started requesting "hold
my hand" and "walk with me." He knows the uppercase alphabet from A to Z and numbers
from 1-30. He gets excited for visitors at home and likes having people around. He goes to the
children's session on Sundays at church and plays with peers/next to and uses their names. He
is taking piano lessons. He is working on communications skills so instead of screaming,
spitting, and throwing himself on the floor he will be able to name his emotions and needs.

A description of the future stories for this
family - describe the ideal story
He will become an older brother
Get support in the classroom: Working with
OT, SPED Teacher, and Speech and
Language Pathologist
Learn how to be independent: Dress up.
Feeding, cleaning his room
A description of the future stories for this
family describes the projected story –
It’s not always easy to predict what’s going to
happen down the road.
Receiving a diagnosis of autism
He will become an older brother
ABA therapy* to help him develop the skills
necessary to be functional and successful
 children and adults.
and Parents training
Make friends, take singing classes Parents' training and support
In near future: Finish preschools go to a Working with OT, SPED Teacher, and
magnet school, Speech and Language Pathologist
Later future: Finish high school Taking singing classes
Date Make friends,
Go to college Finish school
Get married Live independently as an adult /get married
Become a parent
Have a satisfying career

ABA therapy is effective in helping people with autism to develop functional life skills

It helped children improve in IQ and behavior

 to teach simple and complex skills

 helps to give parents a guide for teaching and a way to measure progress. For example, it
can help parents teach language by breaking it down into syllables rather than full words.
 give children with autism a chance to show that they are capable of learning and
modifying behaviors.

Collaboration Plan

Understand disability, Provide education to students, families, and staff – everyone on the
same page

Build trusting relationships with students and families, Maintain clear and respectful
boundaries with students and families.

Be flexible and offer choices when scheduling meetings with families. Ensure families
understand why they are being contacted and what to expect when scheduling meetings.
Ensure students and families have the opportunity to offer their perspectives and opinions
during meetings, Focus on student and family skills and strengths. Make data on student
progress easily accessible and understandable to families.
 Welcome, all families into the school. Ensure the physical environment is safe for students and
families, Make students and families feel valued and connected. Be consistent, reliable, open,
and honest with students and families

Learn about families’ backgrounds, cultures, and goals for their children, and create
opportunities for students and families to share their stories. Information about student
performance is shared and discussed with families in their preferred language.

Incorporate social and emotional skill-building into daily routines and curricula. Educate
families about social and emotional skills development and how they can support their
children in developing these skills.

Create regular opportunities to mutually share information about a child’s learning and
development. Ensure constant two-way communication and collaboration between families
and school staff. Work with families in constructing goals, monitoring progress, and
supporting learning. Encourage family involvement in the school (Friend, 2020).

Reflection:
I learned that family engagement is critical not only to student achievement but also to my
well-being as a teacher. Sometimes we think that parents don’t have time but now I know
they will make time when we let them know how important they are to us as teachers. I
became convinced that parents and families want their children to succeed, but we
(teachers) don’t often see or acknowledge the challenges those families might be facing that
might prevent them from taking a more active role in their child’s education. To support
students, we need to see families as equal partners and teammates because they know their
children that we (teachers) don’t. (Mapp, Carver, & Lander, 2017)
Home visits I experience doing this project helped me grow as a teacher and build an
authentic relationship.

A contact log
June 2022

Student’s name Family member Address

Ethan Martin and Marymani N/A

The call Scheduled meeting Playground next to Ethan's

 house

Playground Topic discussed: New knowledge: Follow-up

needed
Behavior Ethan feels very comfortable
(screaming and on a playground.
spitting)
Kids know his name
Know how to ask for water
Likes spending time on his
dad’s laptop. Like typing
letters in a word document or
numbers in excel. Can read
some a three sometimes four
letters words.
They stopped attending the
library because they don’t
know how to handle Ethan’s
behavior

Second meeting Library Taking very long naps during Follow-up

the day (3 hours needed
Daily activities
Goes to bed very late (around
Does he need midnight)
assessment (autism)
Sleep with parents,
Like playing with a spinning
object in a bed.
Support doctor decision about
evaluation tower autism
spectrum disorder

Zoom meeting Daily routine M/W/TH Ethan has summer Follow-up

camp and needs to wake up at needed
7 AM
T/TH and weekend around 11
AM
He does not eat dinner with the
family because it takes too
much time (mom or grandma
 feed him)
Grandma does not live with
them but stays with them
during the summer

Library Storytime When parents are saying “no” Follow-up

or “don’t do it” - he screams needed

Outdoor story time 07/01 Castle Rock

 
More pictures:

 
https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/fam/
Mapp, K., Carver, I., & Lander, J. (2017). Powerful Partnerships: A Teacher’s Guide to

Engaging Families for Student Success (Tch ed.). Scholastic Professional.

Friend, M. P. (2020). Interactions: Collaboration skills for school professionals. Pearson.