MIKE: A CASE STUDY OF A SENIOR HIGH STUDENT

MIKE: A CASE STUDY OF
A SENIOR HIGH STUDENT

by
Janet Duncan

Introduction

In a medium-sized high school (student population approximately 1200), located in Ottawa, Ontario, the staff and students have welcomed a student who has a developmental disability. Mike (a pseudonym) has been attending his neighborhood high school for the past three years. Previously he attended a segregated school for students who have developmental disabilities. Since his family had always had a strong presence in their local community, it only made sense to Mike's parents that he attend his local school. After preliminary plans were made, that dream became a reality for Mike in the spring of 1986.

Background Information

Initially Mike's parents were told by several concerned professionals that their son would not benefit from attending a regular high school program. Mike had a reputation of having a temper and being too affectionate (in high school he would undoubtedly be "all over the girls"); he also needed speech therapy. Physically Mike is very handsome, and is in good condition after many years of playing sports in local community leagues. Another major concern was that other students would tease him, which would give him an opportunity to display his temper. Mike's parents thought that what he needed most of all, was to have proper role models, and to develop his friendships with people his own age who did not have a disability.

Because of their dissatisfaction with their school board's response to their request for integration, the parents decided to send Mike to a parochial high school in their own neighborhood which did accept all students, regardless of disability.

Who Is Mike?

With the help of an outside facilitator, several meetings were held in Mike's home, and in his new school, to figure out what Mike's school day would look like (using MAPS-McGill Action Planning System). Mike and his parents always attended these meetings. The school personnel who attended these meetings included the principal, the resource teacher, some interested teachers, and a school board consultant (special education). All of the people were committed to having Mike succeed in his new school environment.

The first meeting was focused on the question of: "Who is Mike?", and finding out what his talents and needs were. Mike's parents led the discussion by sharing their vision of Mike's future, which includes having a good job, and living on his own in an apartment. Some of Mike's strengths were: responsibility, good self esteem, leadership, and following instructions. A few needs were also discussed: temper, teases, too affectionate, interrupts others, and he needs to learn how to ride a bus on his own. A list of descriptors helped the group to determine how Mike's program would take shape.

Mike's New Schedule at School

The team and Mike decided that he needed to do the following things at school: participate in intramurals, improve reading skills, have a locker, attend industrial arts classes, develop writing skills, work with computers, attend religion class, attend physical education, improve money handling skills, join the drama class, and attend a literature class.

This school is divided into two terms (or semesters) and each day contains four periods that are approximately 75 minutes long. Homeroom period is 30 minutes in length. Mike's current grade ten curriculum includes the following courses:

TIME	SEMESTER ONE	SEMESTER TWO
8:45-10:00	Keyboarding	Literature
10:00-10:30	Homeroom	Homeroom
10:30-11:45	Drama	Religion
11:45-12:30	Lunch	Lunch
12:30-1:45	Physical Education	Physical Education
1:45-3:00	Vocational Education	Vocational Education

In keyboarding Mike learned to use a standard keyboard for typing, as well as specific computer skills on a MacIntosh computer. He followed the teacher's instructions for the class, and when he required additional help, a teacher's assistant or a classmate would provide him with that help. During homeroom class the students receive the morning announcements, attend assemblies, take attendance, and complete work that has been assigned to them. At this time Mike received additional help with math skills (using a calculator, writing cheques), and language skills (reading and writing, and filling out application forms), with the help of a teacher's assistant.

In physical education, drama, and religion, the curriculum did not need to be modified to any great extent. Mike participated in group work in all of these classes, and he wrote tests that all the other students wrote. The only difference was that Mike was given additional time to complete the tests, and on occasion he was tested orally.

The Canadian Literature course gave Mike an opportunity to hear rich language, and to improve his own diction. The teacher employed a co-operative learning style which enabled Mike to participate in group work and projects to the fullest extent. The speech and language pathologist met with the teachers to discuss Mike's goals for speech development. These speech goals were embedded skills in all of his classes, and were monitored by the consultant.

Work Opportunities

Through vocational education at school, Mike has had the chance to work in various places: for the Mayor's office, delivering inter-office mail, and photocopying; McDonalds, where he held various duties; local grocery store, stocking shelves, and packing groceries; and working at a local elementary school with the custodial staff. Each job provided Mike with a variety of experiences, and he is now hoping to work for another small business. Each job typically lasted for the entire semester, with the option of continuing the placement if desired.

Mike's Friends

One of Mike's parent's concerns was that Mike had very few friends in his neighborhood and that as a consequence he was often lonely. Mike wanted to make new friends in the high school. To this end some teachers approached a couple of students who expressed an interest in Mike. Being fairly gregarious fellows, they thought that it would be fun to have Mike around their group. One student said that at first he wasn't too sure how nice he "had to be" towards Mike. He quickly reported back to his teachers that, "I don't have to treat him any differently than the other guys. He's just like one of the guys now." As was previously mentioned, Mike has a fondness for members of the opposite sex. The girls weren't sure if they should tolerate Mike's advances. Finally, one girl was heard saying, "For God's sake Mike, you just can't do that here! A handshake would be a fine way to greet me, but not a kiss!"

After School Activities

Mike has a job at the local grocery store during the week and on the weekends. He got this job partly through his work during a school placement for co-operative education, and also because the store manager valued his work and effort. Through his earnings at the store, Mike saved up enough money to go on a school trip to Washington, D.C., and to buy several other items for himself.

Now that he has more friends, and pocket money from his job, Mike often goes to movies with his friends, school dances, as well as sporting events. His parents commented that, "the phone is always ringing for Mike now," and his speech has improved dramatically, even to the point where he has picked up several slang expressions!

Staffing Model

The school administration felt that Mike might need help in addition to the help he would receive from his teachers and peers. Therefore a full-time teacher's assistant was hired to work under the guidance of the senior resource teacher. The resource teacher acted as a coordinator for Mike's IEP, planning meetings, and helped to modify the curriculum content along with input from the specific teacher for those courses. The teachers met on a regular basis to ensure that Mike's goals were being met. Meetings took place during school hours, when teachers had planning and evaluation time.

The teacher assistant's role was to help Mike make connections with other students. He felt that it was very important to give Mike an opportunity to learn things on his own, without the constant "shadowing" of an assistant. The assistant was always in the background, helping the teacher with other tasks and students. This was also true during vocational education; the assistant merely accompanied Mike until such a time that Mike felt he could do it on his own. The T.A. was also responsible for helping Mike organize his homework and assignments, and to meet with the teachers on a regular basis to discuss Mike's progress (along with the resource teacher). Tests were written during class time as usual, but if Mike needed additional time, the T.A. would assist him with the test in the resource room.

Mike's Future

Mike's school day looks markedly different today compared to three years ago. He has been given a chance to develop in ways that were unimaginable to many people. His self-confidence has soared; he has meaningful friendships; he takes the bus on his own; he has a real, paying job and he has dreams for the future. During another planning meeting with his teachers and parents, Mike said that he wants independence, to continue to work, to have an apartment with some friends, and to be happy. Judging by the way things are today, he will realize his dreams.

Conclusion

What can we learn from Mike's story? The first thing is that his parents had a dream for Mike's education that was quite different from the practice at the time. With help from some interested teachers, and the support of a principal, their ideas became a reality. This high school has a strong commitment to providing an education to anyone who wishes to attend, regardless of disability. This philosophy is clearly stated, and is endorsed by the administration and faculty.

We can also see how with some creative planning, flexibility, and determination, curricula can be adapted to meet the needs of all students, regardless of disability. Traditional math classes can be adapted so that a student can work on modified skills. Not everyone is a star athlete, but some students can keep score for other teams, or participate cooperatively. Virtually any goal can be met through curricular adaptations, along with the desire to make these changes.

Finally, friendships were the most significant improvement in Mike's life. Many students have said that their school's spirit and climate has been enhanced with Mike's presence. Indeed one student said that it was a privilege to have known Mike. According to Mike, there's no point in being in the community if no one knows that you are there.