Group_3


 * Group 3's page**


 * ALLEGRA**

• __What types of tasks are difficult for her?__
 * NUMBER CONCEPT: In excerpt #1, her teachers note in her evaluation that "she had difficulty with number sequences." Her teacher also said she was "completely unable to understand time and size concepts." In excerpt #2, she moves the pieces forward by five instead of three when playing Chutes and Ladders, and then when the younger children who playing with her asked her to go back and move only three spaces,"There was no way she could do it. She went back, but not five, only three. Or she overshot her original position and became hopelessly confused." In excerpt #3, her teachers report that "She appears to have reached a plateau in terms of her general mathematical development."
 * PRODUCTION CONTROL: In excerpt #1, her mother watches Allegra play teacher with her dolls: "I stood in the hall and listened as my daughter, the child who could not sit still, became the teacher and read to the class. And then I heard this: "Come back now. You need to pay attention." ...She repeated the words she knew best, focusing on one doll in the circle. "Come back now," she said. "Pay attention. You have to sit down and listen while I read the story. Why are you wandering off again...?" I now knew that she was aware of what was happening in her school. She knew the rules, how to sit down, how to pay attention. She knew enough to ask it of her dolls. So why couldn't she do it herself?" Thus Allegra is processing information, but not necessarily able to act upon it.
 * ATTENTION CONTROL: In excerpt #1, Allegra's mother, watching her play with her dolls, comments ""I stood in the hall and listened as my daughter, the child who could not sit still, became the teacher and read to the class." Allegra repeated, "Come back now. You need to pay attention. You have to sit down and listen while I read the story." This observation allowed her mother to see that Allegra was reenacting the rules of the class, which she seemed to understand, but was unable to "do it herself." "In Excerpt #3, her teachers comment that "Allegra becomes overexcited, engages in irrelevant speech and displays that may not be modulated. Her obvious difficulty maintaining focused attention and concentration is evident throughout interchange...she loses track of the task objective."
 * FINE & GROSS MOTOR COORDINATION: In excerpt #1, her teachers comment that "She had difficulty ... with both the gross and fine motor skills." In excerpt #2, "She could not ride her bike very well." This said, in excerpt 3 she prides herself on her ice skating, suggesting she is learning to overcome these difficulties.
 * INCOMPLETE CONCEPT FORMATION: In excerpt #1, her evaluation revealed that "She was completely unable to understand time and size concepts, or even understand "let's pretend"." Thus abstract concept are very hard for her. In excerpt #2, she was unable to follow through with all the steps required in the game of Chutes and Ladders. When she rolled the die, she moved her piece five steps forward, though she only got a three. In her defense, she explains "I moved it forward". In addition, Allegra does not seem to be able to "compare and contrast" or see the relationship between two numbers. In her report in excerpt #3, her teachers write "Although persevering when tasks become difficult, she loses track of the task objective. Her perceptual analysis and synthesis skills are poor when stimulus material is abstract in design."
 * SOCIAL SKILLS: In excerpt #2, her mother writes: "There was no group of friends for her except the occasional weekend when my friends were invited and brought their children. Chuck [Allegra's stepfather] also had two young children. She was five years older than they were. I thought the difference would work to our advantage, and that perhaps they would find they were on an equal level when it came to games. They weren't. When she was wrongly accused of cheating, her reaction was the following "Allegra was shocked. Cheating was the last thing on her mind. She wanted to play! She wanted desperately to be able to understand and to be included. The children's accusations sent her from the room in tears and I had to intervene." In excerpt #3, her teachers write that "Her desire to be accepted by her peers and have close friendships is very strong; however, she feels frustrated and unsuccessful in this area." Allegra's teachers said she "would benefit most from a sicial skills and life skills orientation."
 * EXCESSIVE BOTTOM-UP PROCESSING: In excerpt # 1, Allegra's mother describes a "let's pretend incident" in school where Allegra is asked to pretend a bear is behind a tree. Her mother observes that "there was no pretend at all for her." Allegra could not understand the idea of imaginative plan, or suspending the reality of an actual bear in the room. This sticking to the facts in a "confined or literal manner" is an example of excessive Bottom-up processing.

• __What patterns do you notice over time?__ (Besides those already noted above!)
 * SOCIAL AWARENESS: Social dynamics and feeling accepted are obviously issues of great importance to her. In excerpt #1, she re-enacts a classroom situation: "She was sitting on a stool in the middle of the bedroom. Her dolls and teddy bears were arranged in a semi-circle in front of her. "Hi Sweetheart," I said as I entered the room. "What are you doing?" "Playing school," she returned, and I realized that she was the teacher and the dolls were the students. This shows an awareness of others and how they interact with her and her social world. When she is accused of cheating by the younger children in excerpt #2, "Allegra was shocked. Cheating was the last thing on her mind. She wanted to play! She wanted desperately to be able to understand and to be included. The children's accusations sent her from the room in tears ." Allegra really just wants to be part of the group and interact socially with others, but does not possess typical social skills at this time in her life. In excerpt #3, her report notes that "Allegra is a cheerful, friendly and polite young lady. She is quick to establish a rapport and engage in social conversation. She is highly motivated to perform well. At times, even when discouraged and appearing to derive no pleasure from academic activities, she continues to work extremely hard in apparent eagerness to please." What is more she prides herself on her physical appearance - why do this unless she wants others to take note? Later in the same report, her teachers add "Her desire to be accepted by her peers and have close friendships is very strong." and "Allegra is a very likeable young lady with a pleasant interpersonal demeanor which is her significant asset for adults and older peers."
 * DISCIPLINE, STRUCTURE & DRIVE: In excerpt #1, she is careful to organize her toys in a neat semi-circle. In excerpt #3, her teachers highlight the fact that "She is highly motivated to perform well. At times, even when discouraged and appearing to derive no pleasure from academic activities, she continues to work extremely hard in apparent eagerness to please. Allegra's approach to learning suggests years of hard work and practice." Finally in excerpt #4, her mother writes that "Allegra is supremely organized in her life and thrives in an environment of structure and routine. If she were to be suddenly immersed in a new, chaotic world, she would have a difficult time at first but would soon create routines to enable her to shape and define her place in that world."
 * Math Proficiency: Her ability to work with colors and shapes may relate to her strong sense of organization.
 * READING PROFICIENCY: In excerpt #1, Allegra voluntarily chooses to read a book to her toys, and what is more it is a book that she has memorized. This shows strength and an active interest in reading. In her evaluation, it is noted that she did fine with rhyming. In excerpt #3, her teachers write that "her reading and spelling skills suggest she is capable of continued achievement in these areas."

• __How does her profile relate to the disability categories that you have investigated?__


 * DYSCALCULIA: It appears that Allegra may have Dyscalculia which is a learning diability in mathemetics. Allegra's teachers say that she has trouble with number sequences and does not understand time or size concepts. Individuals with Dyscalculia have trouble with computation, remembering math facts, concepts of time, and money. Allegra demonstrated these symptoms while playing the Chutes and Ladders games in which she struggled with number sense and order. Allegra's teachers also say that they feel she has reached a plateau in her math learning, which may signal that she cannot remember math facts, causing her to fall behind since she has no previous learning to base new information on. Allegra also appears to experience some math anxiety and becomes"hopelessly confused" with the Chutes and Ladders game. Her lack of understanding of the rules, isolates her from children her own age and younger, who understand the social and strategic aspects of math games.
 * DYSPRAXIA: Dyspraxia is a learning disability that affects fine motor skills. Allegra seems to have dyspraxia which affects her coordination and manual dexterity. As an example, she has trouble riding her bike, holds a book upside down, and "engages in...displays that may not be modulated." Allegra's teachers also note that she struggles with "gross and fine motor skills."
 * ADHD: ADHD affects one's concentration and focus, and it appears as though Allegra's concentration and focus are an area of concern. Allegra's report said that she "becomes overexcited" and has "difficulty maintaining focused attention and concentration...she loses track of the task objective." However, Allegra is "persevering when tasks become difficult" and in the last excerpt she flourishes with structure and organization. Those who have ADHD are sometimes able to take their hyperactivity and put all of it into a task at hand, focusing on it intently. In the book __ADHD and Me: Lighting Fires at the Kitchen Table__, the boy Blake was able to take his hyperactivity and use it to his advantage. He also seemed to thrive when he was very organzied and had a sense of structure around him. This also seems to be the came for Allegra, and it is present in Excerpt #4.
 * NONVERBAL LEARNING DISORDERS (NLD):: Children with nonverbal learning disorders commonly appear awkward and are, in fact, inadequately coordinated in both fine and gross motor skills. Allegra’s difficulty riding a bike could be an indicator. Though Allegra “is quick to establish a rapport and engage in social conversation” she feels unsuccessful in developing friendships. Many children with Nonverbal learning disorders will cope with peers by relying upon language as a principal means of relating socially, but lack the ability to receive and comprehend nonverbal information, a social skill that is normally grasped intuitively through observation and crucial in developing relationships. According to LDOnline.com, children with NLDs often have "impaired abilities to organize the visual-spatial field, adapt to new or novel situations, and/or accurately read nonverbal signals and cues." Allegra shows signs of all three of these challenges. Difficulties with visual-spatial organization may be what is impacting Allegra's ability to ride a bike, while Allegra's craving of structure and organization likely is her way of compensating for an inability to cope with unfamiliar situations. Trouble reading others' cues could certainly affect Allegra's ability to successfully interact with other children.
 * FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME (?): Although there is no evidence present to support that Allegra's disabilities are linked to alcohol exposure, Allegra does share some of the same challenges faced by children with FAS disorders. It is very possible that this is because symptoms of FAS disorders encompass a huge variety of problems caused by neurological damage. Like children with FAS, Allegra has trouble paying attention and keeping objectives in mind (as noted above, this is a common trait of ADHD children), issues with motor coordination, trouble grasping abstract concepts and thinking logically, and other various delays.What sets Allegra apart from children with FAS is that, based on these excerpts, she does not appear to have major challenges controlling her emotions, or other related behavioral problems that are typical characteristics of children with FAS disorders (although not always present).

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__JAMES PRESTON:__

As a group, identify and discuss the main issues for James in his school setting as brought out from each individual’s responses. Which attention controls appear to be weak in his case? What are the strengths and drawbacks of each teacher’s approach to James? Come up with a list of recommendations for James, his family, and his teachers, drawing from Levine’s suggestions.

1. Main issues for James in his school setting**__:__ 

• James is **having a hard time socially**. He keeps getting into fights with his good friends because he says hurtful things to them. He also isn't learning from his mistakes, teasing his friends over the same issues over and over again, like the fact that he thinks they have a funny name. This is leading to exclusion from his peers, and teasing. • He’s having a hard time **concentrating in class**, especially in history class. He also needs constant reminders to stay on task and get work done in art class. • James** wanders around the classroom**, distracting other classmates. • He also** often acts up in class**, distracting his peers and challenging his teachers. • When James was distracting his peers he blamed it on writing being 'stupid'; he** does not seem to take ownership **over his own performance or acknowledge his ability to improve it. • James is **not bringing his homework home**, and his** binder is consistently messy**. He is therefore disorganized and** unable to find needed materials**. • Additionally, he constantly **forgets to bring in materials from home **to his art class for his projects. James' behavior problems appeared to arise when confronted with accelerated writing work and rigid rules • James** cannot do his homework independently **(his mother needs to sit down with him until it is completed or it will not get done). • James often comes up with wildly creative ideas but is typically** unable to follow through with them**.**

2. Which attention controls appear to be weak in his case?  WEAK PROCESSING CONTROL: - James appears to be poorly motivated and uninterested in social studies. He doesn’t seem at all bothered that there is a strong possibility he could fail. •** Problems Maintaining Focus: •** Poor Saliency Determination : • **Satisfaction Control**: - James like to alter projects in order to suit his interests better, but he looses focus on them still, and does not carry them out after altering them to his likes.
 * •** Low Processing Activity:
 * - James' lack of concentration and boredom in certain classes may have to do with weak processing control.
 * - His lack of concentration and boredom may also be due to an inability to maintain focus.
 * - The fact that James irritates his teacher suggests that he may be easily distracted – it sounds like he may have trouble filtering out peers or other incidental events in the classroom, and determining what information is necessary for him to process, and what isn’t! The fact that he doesn't bring his homework home also points to the fact that he struggles to determine important information pertinent to his success at school. 

 **WEAK PRODUCTION CONTROL: - James seems to fail to take into account the feasibility of his ideas. While some of the ideas he comes up with for group projects are interesting and creative, he does not think about how he can realistically fulfill his promises to the group, and follow through on his research. - He also doesn't plan ahead enough to know to bring his homework home. - His difficulty with moving past short comic strip style writing could be related to lack of previewing the whole picture of his writing. •** Inhibition: •** Reinforceability: •** Self-Monitoring/Self-Correcting: - James has difficulty with monitoring his editing mistakes in his writing and taking the time to edit frequent, careless mistakes.
 * •** Previewing:
 * - James seems to be having a hard time previewing his social behavior and imagining the consequences of a hurtful comment. This difficulty affects his academic performance, as well, as he is likely unable to picture a "finished product." This leads to trouble figuring out what steps to take since he has no set goal in his mind.
 * - It would also seem like he is prone to a lack of inhibition, i.e. facilitating a behavior he should inhibit, such as teasing his friend, and inhibiting what he should facilitate, such as acting toward him in a more kindly manner.
 * - James seems to have a low threshold for reinforceability. That is, despite the fact that he is hurting his friend, he is not learning from his mistake as he keeps repeating the behavior. He also isn't learning to do his homework, despite the fact that it affects his overall success at school.

WEAK MENTAL ENERGY CONTROL: - He appears 'lazy' and 'unmotivated' at times. - James has a lot of trouble staying on task. When we have class discussions he’ll bring in totally unrelated points. He is also extremely fidgety to the point where he sometimes falls out of his chair. • **Mental Effort: - For the most part James does not seem to be engaged in social studies. His mind is all over the place. Yet, in the few instances where he does get excited about an assignment he comes up with wild and creative ideas, but to the dismay of his classmates, he fails to follow through.**
 * • **Arousal/Alertness**:
 * - He has trouble starting work without guidance. He only works on things that are interesting to him. When not interesting he becomes defiant and distracting to his peers.

3. Strengths of teachers' and parents' approach:

 <span style="color: rgb(228, 12, 12);">Mrs. Skelly, social studies teacher: <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• **<span style="color: rgb(17, 9, 9);">My approach was not a strong one. After hearing what the other teachers and James’ father have to say, I realize that my approach with James in the classroom has been so unproductive because I have failed to think about James as a student beyond the confines of my classroom.

<span style="color: rgb(16, 32, 193);"> **Mr. Davis, art teacher: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; color: black; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• ** The art teacher offers James the ability to explore and approach his projects from alternate viewpoints, such as the idea of bringing in extra materials for his mask project. James was allowed to bring in whatever he wanted, and the art teacher offered to help him with the materials, hoping that James would actually finish the project. ** <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• ** James is allowed to sketch when he is not doing other work, and sketching is something that James enjoys. He seems to excel at sketching, but he still never completes his sketches. James is encouraged in all of his work, and his artistic and creative talent is noticed. ** <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• ** James is allowed to finish his projects at home, and hopefully his parents could work with him and try to keep him on task. The on-on-one attention may help James finish his work. <span style="color: rgb(246, 166, 60);"> **Mrs. Sutton, writing teacher: <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• ** The writing teacher has found James' interest via Captain Underpants and has used that to encourage his writing.** <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• ** James has begun to write more in class which allows him to practice his spelling, grammar etc, even during his short comic book writing.** <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• ** James is able to enjoy writing and relate it to his life and his interest. He has become excited to 'learn'!** <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• ** He has gained confidence in an area he had once struggled in. <span style="color: rgb(17, 9, 9);"> **<span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);"><span style="color: rgb(110, 21, 198);"> Mr. and Mrs. Preston, James' parents: **<span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• James has a daily routine with his mom that provides structure to help him manage his homework. • James’ parents are very aware of the importance of healthy social skills and acceptance. They value James’ friendship with his best friend Aziz. They also verbalize to James the fact that he gets into fights with his friends over the same issues over and over again. They make it clear that they disapprove. • The fact that both parents attend events and conferences at school suggest that they are open to a dialogue with the school. • James and his father communicate. Therefore James is not resisting his family’s attempts to communicate with him and problem-solve. Trust and communication at home is key to his success. **<span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">

<span style="color: rgb(30, 153, 43);">Aziz, James' best friend: • **Aziz does his best to stand by James' side and defend him from the criticism of his classmates, but is feeling frustrated because this sometimes leads to him getting in trouble or getting picked on.** • **He has noticed James' newfound enthusiasm for writing class since being permitted to write in comic form. <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);"> **• **Aziz still feels that most of the teachers need to work harder to engage James. He knows that James is really struggling and doesn't think the teachers are taking the time to figure out what's going on with him.** • **Aziz recognizes that other kids do not understand what's going on with James and thinks that the teachers need to help them be more compassionate and forgiving.**

4. Weaknesses of teachers' and parents' approach:

<span style="color: rgb(17, 9, 9);"> <span style="color: rgb(228, 12, 12);">Mrs. Skelly, social studies teacher: <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• **<span style="color: rgb(17, 9, 9);">He is relatively insensitive and unresponsive to the effects of positive and negative reinforcement. ** <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• **<span style="color: rgb(17, 9, 9);">I have failed to think about James as a student beyond the confines of my classroom.

<span style="color: rgb(16, 32, 193);"> **Mr. Davis, art teacher: <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It is clear that James' concentration is lost after a short period of time, so the projects that are given, which are to be completed over a long period of time, do not suit James and his poor focal maintenance and distractibility. **<span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; color: black; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">James appears to enjoy sketching, but many of the big art projects do not involve sketching, and instead they involve materials that James may not be into. **<span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; color: black; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">James is talented artistically and creatively, but it seems to be that only the product of his work is graded, not the process. James is only told that he needs to complete his work but is not offered the idea of rewards if he does so. Maybe James does not see the point in a finished product, but enjoys the process instead. **<span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• **<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There appears to be a lack of communication between James' parents and his art teacher. When the art teacher allows James to gather materials from home or to finish a project at home, the parents were not notified. <span style="color: rgb(246, 166, 60);"> **Mrs. Sutton, writing teacher: <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• James has yet to write in a paragraph form and appears 'stuck' at this level of writing. He has not improved his organization and continues to refuse to edit his work. I am unsure if he has related his success in his writing to his own internal control over his ability

<span style="color: rgb(110, 21, 198);">Mr. and Mrs. Preston, James' parents: <span style="color: rgb(30, 153, 43);"> **<span style="color: rgb(12, 13, 12);">• James’ father blames the teachers for some of his son’s issues. This is due to a lack of communication. For example, he assumes that when James comes home with an empty binder, it means he has not been set any homework, rather than suppose that the issue might lie in James’ ability to determine and record his homework. • James parents are also uncertain about the nature of James’ work at school. They don’t know what he should be studying at home, and they also seem critical of assignments involving a multiple intelligences approach that required James to use beads and feathers. Again, more communication on the part of the teacher might facilitate the process. • His parents show exasperation regarding the fights he gets into with his friends, but offer no concrete <span style="color: rgb(29, 28, 27);">solutions. <span style="color: rgb(12, 13, 12);"> **<span style="color: rgb(30, 153, 43);">Aziz, James' best friend: **• It seems like James’ parents might not recognize the connection between James’ lack of focus at school and his lack of organization at home. They feel that if Jame's binder is messy, that is the teacher's issue, not theirs. • James’ father speaks of his son as a “manipulator”, saying that he is “no angel”. A negative opinion of his son can be terribly damaging. • Reading seems more like an obligation in James’ household, than an opportunity for fun. Perhaps it could help for James’ parents to model behavior that shows real appreciation for intellectual tasks, including reading.

<span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• Aziz thinks that teachers aren't always as patient as they should be with James and don't always remember that he's not trying to cause trouble. • Aziz recognizes that he's James' only close friend and wants him to be more successful socially. <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• He sees James getting in trouble and getting poor grades and worries he might be kicked out of school soon if something doesn't change.**

5. Recommendations:

__AT SCHOOL:__ <span style="color: rgb(17, 9, 9);"> <span style="color: rgb(228, 12, 12);">For Mrs. Skelly, social studies teacher: <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• <span style="color: rgb(17, 9, 9);">Since he has not been doing well in the class throughout the year he may be at the point where he has all but given up. If I am able to provide him with opportunities to succeed, maybe it will build his confidence in his ability to do well in my class. <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• <span style="color: rgb(17, 9, 9);">Since James often becomes fidgety when sitting in his seat for long periods of time, I could allow him the option of stretching or walking in the back room a certain amount of times throughout my class. Alternatively, I could allow him to use something such as silly putty to keep his hands occupied during class discussions.
 * <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• <span style="color: rgb(17, 9, 9);">From the other teacher’s descriptions it seems as though James is only able to focus and work well on topics that are of particular interest to him. Just as his writing teacher was able to tap into his love of comic books as a catalyst for improvement in her class, it would be a good idea for me to sit down with James and figure out what are of social studies he can connect with. From there I can attempt to create assignments that pertain to his strengths.

<span style="color: rgb(16, 32, 193);"> **For Mr. Davis, art teacher: <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; color: black; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Since most of the projects are done over a long period of time, in many classes, and James' attention is lacking, shorter projects that do not require long periods of attention should be offered to James. <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There should be more contact between James' teachers and his parents. If his parents were in tune to what he was doing in school, and what was required of him at home from school, he may be more apt to get work done. Therefore, the communication lines between home and school ought to be more open. <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">James should understand the affects of not completing an assignment, so he is clear of what his actions will entail. On the other hand, the school should understand that way in which he works best and try to accommodate his needs. <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I believe that it would be helpful to give James a manipulative that can occupy his hands while he is in class. It may help focus his attention and keep his from getting easily distracted and walking around the classroom when he should be sitting and focusing on a project or on the teacher. <span style="color: rgb(246, 166, 60);"> **For Mrs. Sutton, writing teacher:
 * <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I think that it would be important to allow James approach the art projects by giving options that interest his artistically and creatively.
 * <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• I rec**ommend that James be encouraged to extend his writing and the topics he focuses on. This can be done one step at a time through encouraging more dialogue, description of characters, settings etc.
 * <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• **James must participate in creating an organization method that works for him. I would recommend him sitting down with Mrs. Sutton and planning this himself. It can involve around the use of comic strips/characters to help 'code' different folders etc.
 * <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• **James would benefit from a short, concise editing directions. This could involve Captain Underpants giving the steps. It should have one focus for a given time in order to not overwhelm him.
 * <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• **Inform other teachers of strategies that seem to help keep James on task.

<span style="color: rgb(17, 9, 9);"> <span style="color: rgb(30, 153, 43);">Aziz, James' best friend: • Consider implementing a buddy system so other children can spend time with James and get to know him as more than a troublemaker. • James might benefit from explicit social skills training (clearly a 10-year-old would not put it that way, but that's the general idea) so he doesn't hurt other kids' feelings. • Without putting too much pressure on me, ask me for help! I'm pretty much an expert on James and what he likes. I can give you all sorts of ideas.<span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);"> <span style="color: rgb(110, 21, 198);"> ** AT HOME:**<span style="color: rgb(17, 9, 9);"><span style="color: rgb(246, 166, 60);"><span style="color: rgb(110, 21, 198);"> <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 10);">• Better communication between home and school seems imperative. Everybody should be on the same page in terms of what James is learning academically, expectations for his homework, and expectations for his social and behavioral development. Everyone should be implementing the same kind of directives so that James does not receive mixed messages. <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• It might be useful to have teachers check that James has correctly written his homework down in a planner before he leaves each class. Alternatively, a website might be established on which teachers could easily post the nightly homework. This might benefit all students, not just James. <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 10);">• James and his parents should continue to communicate openly, so that he has an outlet to voice his frustrations. • James should be made to understand that his learning issues do not make him a bad person, and his strengths should be emphasized. He should also be made to feel that he is not alone, and that his family and teachers appreciate that overcoming attention issues is hard, and requires a great deal of work on his and their part. • James should be aware of the attention issues he faces, and draw up a chart to help him monitor his progress. • In terms of helping James with previewing, both in academic and social circumstances, James’ parents can help him draw up a plan of what he will need to do. They can also have discussions that require him to think ahead, for example, as to what his classes will be tomorrow and therefore what books he should bring to school. • Socially, they should discuss with James the consequences of inappropriate behavior, as well as review alternatives. Ask James to think about how his friends will feel if he says something hurtful. Also making up hypothetical situations may help ease the stress of the situation, and help him focus on the process he is mastering. James’ parents should help him verbalize the fact that thinking up hypothetical “What if?” situations is good for his brain functioning. <span style="color: rgb(17, 9, 9);"><span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 10);">• James should have a system in place at home for his homework, i.e. an allotted work space for an allotted period of time. During that time, his parents might pursue similarly academic activities and avoid distracting situations if at all possible. <span style="color: rgb(0, 15, 7);"> This system should match the system set up at school and agreed upon by parents and teachers in order to simplify it for James <span style="color: rgb(0, 15, 7);">. <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 10);">• <span style="color: rgb(0, 15, 7);">Since students with performance inconsistency learn better through active experiences than through reading and listening, they can give him opportunities to actively explore topics we are covering in school in ways that are not feasible for implementation in the classroom. James’s parents can also help with his passive processing by showing an interest in the subject matter James is covering in class. Instead of just insisting that he read every night to himself, his parents could share in the experience with him, even just by simply asking him to summarize his readings and then discussing the finding for a few short minutes. <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 10);">• James should see his doctor and <span style="color: rgb(0, 15, 7);">medication should be considered. <span style="color: rgb(30, 153, 43);"> <span style="color: rgb(17, 9, 9);"><span style="color: rgb(246, 166, 60);"> <span style="color: rgb(30, 153, 43);">
 * <span style="color: rgb(11, 10, 9);">• Let the other kids know about what's going on in a sensitive way, so they do not pick on James either for being "weird" or getting unfair treatment.