etadd_47(3) - Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities

TABLE 1
Participant Characteristics
Student Age Ethnicity IQ Primary Disability Secondary Disability
Sarah 14 Caucasian 54 a
Moderate ID Language Impairment
Ellen 14 Caucasian 52 b
Moderate ID Language Impairment
William 15 Caucasian 42 c
Deaf, Language Impairment, Moderate ID,
Multiple
Speech Impairment
Louis 12 Caucasian * Moderate ID Language Impairment
a WISC-IV b SB5 c UNIT
* IQ score not available
each day, Sarah was observed working independently
on academic worksheets or actively
participating in group activities. Her personality
could be described as bubbly as she spoke
freely through her comments and questions.
Ellen. Ellen was a 14-year old, 7 th grade
female identified with a moderate intellectual
disability (IQ 52) and a language impairment.
Ellen’s most recent IEP noted she was
able to read some basic elementary level sight
words but experienced difficulty identifying
words she had not memorized. Most of Ellen’s
school day was spent with the classroom staff
and students. She engaged in functional activities
on a weekly basis including math and
reading in the classroom, prevocational tasks
within the school and community, as well as
instructional outings to various sites within the
community (e.g. grocery store, library, and
restaurants). Ellen participated weekly in
some general education classes such as choir.
In terms of literacy, Ellen was exposed to ageappropriate
materials such as magazines and
an adapted newspaper (News-2-You ® ), literacy
supports such as books on tape and picture
communication symbols, and instructional
materials such as simple language-oriented
reading and writing worksheets. Ellen was a
relatively quiet and shy young lady but was
observed to be both willing and eager to work
when asked.
William. William was a 15-year old male in
the eighth grade. He received special education
services for students with multiple disabilities
and was identified as having a moderate
intellectual disability (Stanford-Binet IQ
42), experienced a hearing disability, and
speech and language disabilities. William’s
most recent IEP indicated he was able to in-
dependently read some elementary level sight
words. Verbal communication was very limited
for William. He used a speech-generating device
(Dynavox), as well as gestures and a limited
verbal vocabulary (yes/no) to communicate.
The majority of William’s day was spent
with the classroom staff and students engaged
in functional activities such as academics in
the classroom, prevocational tasks within the
school and community, as well as instructional
outings to various sites within the community
(e.g. grocery store, library, and restaurants).
In terms of literacy, William was exposed to
age-appropriate materials such as magazines
and an adapted newspaper (News-2-You ® ), literacy
supports such as books on tape and
picture communication symbols, and instructional
materials such as simple language-oriented
reading and writing worksheets. Although
not always clear, William was very
reliant on and fairly efficient in navigating
and using his speech generating device to
communicate in single word utterances typically
to answer a question or make a comment.
Although relatively quiet, William demonstrated
a good sense of humor and was willing
and eager to participate in school activities
when requested.
Louis. Louis was a 12-year old 7th grade
male diagnosed with Down syndrome. His disability
labels included a moderate intellectual
disability and language impairment. Louis has
recently lived in three different states over the
past four years thus his official IQ score and
school records were unavailable. His most recent
IEP indicated that he was able to read
and comprehend basic elementary sight
words. Louis spent most of his school day with
the classroom staff and students in functional
362 / Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities-September 2012