Week 6

Khalid has grown into a 15 year-old boy who one would say, "you can't miss" coming *down the street. He is 6'4" tall and still has growing left to do. The doctors expect him to get to be 6'8" or taller. His mother doesn't know what to make of how tall Khalid is - no one in her family was so tall! He has mastered sign language and communicates effectively with it. It has taken longer for his mother to master sign, and she still struggles to communicate with her son.

Khalid has every intention of playing football for his high school. He doesn't see his hearing impairment as an obstacle, but it's difficult to say whether or not others do. In spite of his size, there are hesitations about allowing him to play for the team. After all, this is the team that has won the state championship for 4 years running, regularly sends its players to top colleges and calls several NFL players graduates of its program.  Khalid thinks he is good enough to be one of those graduates in the future.

While sports has become important to Khalid, his grades haven't always been the best. He was held back a year in middle school and is slightly older than most of the other kids in his grade. In spite of all of the instructional accommodations for his hearing impairment, he still struggles with basic math.

* Discuss any assistive technology devices that might aid Khalid in playing football on the high school team.

* What are typical developmental milestones for a 15 year-old boy? From the standpoint of physical development, how "outside of typical" is Khalid's height? 

* Describe 4-5 goals that one could find on Khalid's IEP. Assume that transition planning has started to occur for him in the 7th grade (he repeated 6th grade).

* How does one balance helping Khalid to be motivated to attain a dream with the realities of how difficult it is to "make it" into the world of a professional athlete? What alternative plans would you put in place, and how would you help Khalid see the value in exploring alternatives?


DECISION POINT:

Does the high school allow Khalid to suit up for the team?

Week 5

Khalid is now 9 years of age and has been diagnosed with a hearing impairment. His hearing has gradually gotten less effective since diagnosis, and he has started to learn to sign. 

* Write a narrative “interview” in which you communicate with Khalid in an effort to get to know him.

* Write a narrative “interview” in which you talk with Khalid’s mother about him.

* Who is Khalid? What kind of child is he? What might someone expect upon meeting him for the first time? Base Khalid’s imagined personality on what you know about he and his family so far.

Week 4

Khalid Nassar – Week Four

Khalid is now 6 years of age and is in the first grade. His mother has continued to struggle, and, in spite of a helpful counselor in the community, she cannot seem to escape the grip of a major depression. Her feelings are compounded by the fact that the Nassars are one of the few families in their area that practice Islam. Mrs. Nassar’s traditional head covering often draws stares from many of the people who have lived in her town all their lives.

For his part, Khalid seems to be getting worse by the day. Mrs. Nassar does not know what to do. School has helped somewhat, but Khalid is just plain inattentive. That, and he has to have the TV turned up so loud – he refuses to turn it down when asked. He has a strange tendency to pull at his ears. Mrs. Nassar knows he is just being difficult.

* What are the major developmental milestones for a 6 year-old?

* What might be going on with Khalid?

* What steps should the school take to attempt to address Khalid’s difficulties? Assuming that Khalid has similar difficulties in school, what are some pre-referral interventions that the school could implement? If Khalid does not respond to those, what happens next in the process of Special Education?