I have put this on my other thread but thought I may aswell leave it here too! It's huge! Have also left off the first two paragraphs, they are just his details and date etc.
George has a number of professionals involved with him; Paediatrician, Speech and Language Therapist, Educational Psychologist, Family Health Visitor, Early Years Inclusion Teacher. He is also awaiting assessment by an Occupational Therapist, and awaiting an appointment with an Audiologist. He attended an eye examination on January 8th 2011 where it was determined he doesn?t have any significant eye problems. He was diagnosed with a speech disorder by his Speech and Language Therapist on February 23rd 2011, and is currently on her waiting list to start therapy.
George, and his parents are to hear which primary school George will be attending from September 2011. Once his place is confirmed, George will be placed in a long and relatively relaxed transitional process, to help him be better prepared for school, on the Educational Psychologist?s advice this could include extra visits and taking photographs of the school to show to George during the summer holidays. Parents are awaiting a report from George?s Speech and Language Therapist, once they have received the report they will be requesting a Statutory Assessment, with a view to having a suitable Statement of Special Educational Needs in place for when George starts school.
In line with George?s Educational Psychologist advice George?s targets are detailed below.
Developing Fine Motor Skills:
Target: George needs to become consistent with hand use.
Specifics: Parents and nursery need to encourage George to choose which hand he want?s to use. Since George already shows he prefers to use his left hand first, and then swaps to the right when his left tires, it may be best to concentrate our efforts on encouraging him to use his left hand. We can do this by, passing him things into his left hand, and encouraging him to let his left hand rest rather than swapping.
Measurability: We can measure George?s progress by timing how long he will keep a pen (for example) in his left hand, and see if through the measures we?ve put in place, he gains any longevity in his left hand use, a tabled report would be best to show any increase in usage.
Achievability: From the information we do have about George?s well being, we know he does have Hypotonic limbs, this may make this particular target more difficult for George to achieve, but until we have word from any of the medical professionals involved with George, we have to assume that this is a target worth aiming for.
Realistic: In terms of the nursery staff?s time, it isn?t thought to be unrealistic. Parents are more than happy to promote left hand use at home.
Time limit: The target will be met when George is able to keep a pen in his left hand for 10 minutes or more. Unless medical reasons prevent a longer left hand preference, we would hope George is able to meet this target by June 2011.
Target: George should be encouraged to draw facial features onto a pre-drawn oval, or other material suitable such as a paper plate.
Specifics: We need to give George the opportunity to increase his pen control, we can do this using a mini-topic of ?All about me?, letting George look at himself in a mirror and encouraging him to talk about what he can see, leading onto creating a self portrait using different types of pens and pencils, and paints. Also drawing different types of faces, happy, sad, etc.
Measurability: We can measure George?s progress with pen control by comparing each drawing with the last, and by seeing how he shows a happy face, or a sad face. George will need to consistently show he has drawn the smile or the sadness to achieve the target. This will mean forming a dated file of his drawings to be able to compare correctly.
Achievability: Again, George?s Hypotonia may have a bearing on this target, though for now, we have to assume this target is also achievable.
Realistic: This is something that can be encouraged through normal play, at home and nursery.
Time limit: The target will be met when George can draw a number of different faces that are clearly different to each other. We will review this target in April, with a hope of seeing some improvement.
Target: Complete simple tracking activities
Specifics: George should be encouraged to ?take? a dog to the bone, or a train to the station etc., with pencil tracking within 2 parallel lines. This again is about pen control.
Measurability: We can measure George?s progress by observing any improvement in keeping the pencil within the lines, once he can keep a steady line, then we can introduce either a narrower path to follow and/or a more complicated path to follow around obstacles etc. Again a dated file will have to formed to keep track of progress.
Achievability: Same as above, until we hear otherwise regarding the Hypotonia, we have to assume this target is achievable for George.
Realistic: Again this target can be easily introduced to George in general play at home and in nursery.
Time limit: This target will be met when George can follow a narrow, complicated path, that turns left and right, up and down, and diagonally in all directions. Progress to be reviewed in April, with hopes of seeing some improvement.
Developing Communication Skills:
Target: To broaden the range of purposes for which George uses language.
Specifics: We need to provide George with the opportunity to talk more about a range of subjects, this could be that we take pictures of things he is doing, make them into a Learning Story, and then later ask him to tell us about them. We need to encourage George to describe to us what he is doing at any given time, this will give him the broadest range of subjects, and therefore maximum opportunity to increase his language usage.
Measurability: We should start to see George using new words, and in a varied manner.
Achievability: George very much enjoys having someone listening to him on a one to one basis, with a little encouragement to change the course of the conversation from the few subjects he is able to talk about for hours, this target is very achievable.
Realistic: George may need some one to one time with a member of staff at nursery to sit and really listen to him. We know George has a speech disorder which makes a lot of his speech either difficult to decipher, or impossible to comprehend. It will take up an amount of time from a staff member, though this is in George?s best interest to help him broaden his language skills. Parents are happy to meet his needs at home.
Time limit: This target will be reached when George has more varied language usage. Target to reviewed in April, with hope that improvement has been noted.
Target: Enhance the clarity of his speech
Specifics: Although George is under the Speech and Language Therapist, who will obviously be able to give us her expertise once his therapy starts, to work on clarity alone, we could encourage some rhythm games and add one sound to each beat. Working on small groups of sounds at a time, achieving clarity in each group before moving on to the next. Making use of clapping, drums, different musical instruments, etc.
Measurability: We can measure George?s progress by seeing if the rhythm games do help him to pronounce each sound/word more clearly, using check sheets to record how he is progressing with each sound. Nursery and family to each work on the same sounds.
Achievability: George enjoys singing and playing instruments, parents are sure George would respond and improve.
Realistic: Rhythm games can easily be built into general play, at nursery and home.
Time limit: Target to be on going until George?s Speech Therapy commences, which is as yet, to be confirmed. We will review how George is progressing with his speech clarity in April.
Target: Developing the Grammatical Aspects of George?s Spoken Language
Specifics: To help George understand the difference that past, present and future makes to our spoken words. E.g. George may say ?I didn?t knowed that? we need to encourage him to say ?I didn?t know that? etc. We could use another mini-topic to help George, on things in the past, or what may happen in the future. It will give George many opportunities to hear the correct way these words are spoken, and give us many opportunities to discuss this with George. We could use Thomas the Tank Engine as a theme, and show him the way the program and stories have changed over the years, and ask him how he thinks it may change again in the future.
Measurability: We can measure George?s progress by scribing what he says, dating the sheet, and comparing it to previous scribes.
Achievability: George may struggle to understand what we are asking of him, he has deep set habits in his language and to break them is going to prove difficult, however, any improvement has to worth seeking.
Realistic: This may take some time on a one to one level, from both nursery and home. Parents are happy to accept this.
Time limit: Again, until George?s Speech Therapy commences. On going reviews, to discuss new approach to target in April.
The key to reaching these targets is time spent with George on a one to one level, he responds to and works best when he has complete attention. George is very eager to please, as every professional who has had involvement with him has commented on, we need to use that to George?s advantage, to ensure he develops these skills outlined in this Targeted Learning Journey, so we can move onto the next set of targets to give him the additional help he needs, therefore helping him to fulfil his potential.