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?
* Discuss any assistive technology devices that might aid Khalid in playing football on the high school team.
ReplyDeleteThere are many times throughout a football game that plays are started and stopped by a whistle blow, which Khalid would most likely not be able to hear, especially with a roaring crowd. For these instances you could use a few different Assistive Technology devices. You could use one of the two “Sonic Alert” systems or a combination of the two. One is the “receiver” which could have either a built in strobe attached to his person so that he can tell when the whistle is blown, or he could also use another receiver which has an audible adjustable tone and volume that could be put in his helmet. The second device is the Universal sound signaler, which can be used with or in substitution of the whistle. This may become a bit distracting to all the other players as well as the audience though since it would have to be extremely loud for Khalid to notice. (Sonic Alert, 2009)
Another option for Khalid is for the team to become familiar with sign language. Khalid should be able to pick up on the signs provided for certain plays if someone just took the time to show him what they mean since he is used to using signs on a daily basis. Sign Language for his team may be a hard mission to accomplish since high school students already have pretty packed schedules every day. There are a few systems to help people learn basic ASL though. (Mayer-Johnson, 2011)
Another Assistive Technology option was the iCommunicator. This device is able to turn speech to text, speech or text, to sign as well as Speech or text to computer generated voices. This may be a very useful product in communicating with his teammates and coaches. You could utilize this device when in the huddle during time out; Khalid could watch the text or sign language as the captain calls out plays, you could easily have this on an iPod or iPad. (Microsoft)
Finally, depending on the type of hearing loss that Khalid has, you could consider a hearing aid, just so that he is able to at least make out when a whistle is blown. This may not be the best option as a hearing aid can only be secured to a person so much and the microphone may be blocked by his helmet. The hearing aid could also potentially get knocked off since football is such a high-contact sport. (Miracle-Ear, 2011)
Mayer-Johnson (2011). Sign Language Learning- Sign Language Tools. Retrieved from http://www.mayer-johnson.com/category/sign-language/
Microsoft. iCommunicator, Product Information. Retrieved from http://icommunicator.com/productinfo/index.html
Miracle-Ear (2011). Hearing Aids. Retrieved from http://www.miracle-ear.com/choosehearingaid
Sonic Alert, Inc. (2009). All Signaling Systems. Retrieved from http://www.sonicalert.com/products-signaling-systems-all.html
* 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?
ReplyDeleteAt 15 years old, boys are close to completing their physical growth. Around 15 or 16 years of age, boys' voices will lower and facial hair will appear. Boys may continue to gain height and muscle. Intellectually, teens are better able to solve problems, think about their future, appreciate opinions of others and understand the long-term effects of their decisions. Teens at this age tend to use these skills inconsistently and might do things without thinking first. At this age, typical development shows improvement with organizational skills and time management. During this time it is common for teens to explore in order to find their identity, and to challenge school and parental rules.
Emotionally, older teens are more self-confident and more able to resist peer pressure. They begin to have strong sexual urges, and they become more aware of their sexual orientation. Teens start to spend less time with their families and prefer to spend more time with friends or alone. They try to make close friends and commonly join a group based on their interests. They want to take control over more aspects of their life, and they are usually excited but at the same time overwhelmed by the possibilities for the future.
An average boy's height is 67 inches, or 5 feet 7 inches tall. Teen boys from the age range of 14-15 years old fall into the 50% percentile and are an average height of 63-66 inches. Boys at 72 1/2 inches tall, or 6 feet and a 1/2-inch, are taller than 97 percent of all other boys in America. Since Khalid is 6’4”, he is already taller than more than 97% of other boys at his age.
http://www.education.com/reference/article/teen-development-fifteen-seventeen-years
http://www.livestrong.com/article/370690-the-average-weight-height-of-a-15-year-old/
* 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).
ReplyDeleteAn Individualized Education Program determines the path of education a child will follow. In order to qualify for an IEP one must require assistance in educational areas due to delayed skills or a disability. At nine years of age Khalid was found to have a hearing loss that was progressively getting worse with time. Khalid struggled through the first few years of school, while both his parents and teachers were entirely unaware of his hearing condition. He appeared to be acting out, often distracted, and falling far behind his peers. When the news came of Khalid’s hearing deficit, his parents and teachers worked together to find ways to provide Khalid with the necessary supports. Khalid was quickly introduced to sign language and soon made substantial progress, but as of sixth grade Khalid was not at the same levels as his peers. Khalid repeated the sixth grade to ensure for his success at later academic levels.
Khalid’s IEP measured his level of performance and was re-evaluated annually to assess the level of improvement he has made. When he repeated the sixth grade new goals where created for his IEP. Sixth, seventh, and eighth grade are important transitional years when preparing for high school and even further into the future. At this stage of schooling Khalid and his teachers have become more aware of his strengths as well as his weaknesses and these have been further incorporated into Khalid’s IEP. A few goals that can be found in Khalid’s Individualized Education Program are as follows:
1. Khalid will work to successfully complete sixth grade and remain on track throughout his middle school career.
2. Khalid will work to master sign language and produce effective communication prior to moving on to high school.
3. Khalid will meet regularly to monitor his academic progress in, specifically in mathematics, submitting assignments weekly to guarantee his understanding and increased knowledge in the subject area.
4. Khalid will become more involved in extracurricular activities to establish and foster social relationships among his peers.
DECISION POINT:
ReplyDeleteWe think that the high school should allow him to play on the team. There has been a deaf player at Gallaudet, and two in the NFL, which proves that it isn’t impossible for a deaf athlete to reach the professional level. There are many opportunities for this to work on the field and this is a positive way to allow someone with a disability to move up in the world rather than be hindered. I believe ultimately that the school shouldn’t hold him back and I don’t think it really comes down to laws and rules. He is a person and player just like any other high schooler dreams to be and I believe that the coach should be willing to suit him up and accommodate to him since he is such a strong asset to the team.
* 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?
ReplyDeleteI think that a good way to balance motivation to attain any goal is being organized and really doing your research. That way you not only have the real facts of reality but you also have opportunities to find other things close to your dream that you might also be interested. Being realistic with Khalid is certainly necessary in helping him to achieve these goals. His IEP is something that keeps him on tract in school, something organized in a similar matter may help him to achieve his goals outside of school. There are numerous mentor programs with students that have interest in athletic areas can be match up with older athletes that have more experience in the area. His coach as well as other teachers in school may have advice for Khalid on the nest steps he should take in order to attain his dream. It is important to look into options for hearing impaired individuals on a sports field. Coaches and players can work with Khalid to make up visual signals to communicate on and off the field. Being hearing impaired does not alter Khalid’s athletic ability yet it may potentially put him in dangerous situation on the field if he cannot hear what is going on around him.
If Khalid has such a strong desire for the sport he may want to first start playing at the college level to see what the experience is like, if he has success there he may want to continue in his journey to obtaining a stop in a NFL team. Khalid could not “make it” as a professional football player, he could study health sciences and be an athletic trainer for professional athletes. He also could go semi- pro. However he may also find that this dream of his is one that may not ever be reached. He could potentially become a coach for younger children or high school students and use his skills to improve the game for others. He may even be able to get a job one day within the NFL but possibly behind the scenes, where he still gets to do something he enjoys.