Sunday, November 21, 2010

Preliminary Benchmarks + comments at end

I received Nikko's 1st trimester benchmarks update. I reviewed it and will post below, then follow with comments:

Each first semester benchmark is marked with achieved, making progress, introduced or not introduced.

Academic
By June 2011, Nikko will perform the following fine motor skills in 4 out of 5 trials:
1) copy and draw circle, cross and square
2) copy and draw an 8 body part person
3) copy and print first name.

State standard addressed: Use drawing and writing skills to convey meaning and information.
Present level of academic achievement and functional performance related to the goal: Nikko is able to copy and draw straight horizontal and vertical lines.
Benchmark or short-term objective: By November 2010, Nikko will perform one of the above stated skills.
Progress Report: Making Progress
Comments: Able to draw a circle and cross but square is emerging.


Functional
By June 2011 with visual cues as needed, Nikko will perform all steps of both the arrival and departure routines in 4 out of 5 trials.
State standard addressed: Show some initiative and independence.
Present level of academic achievement and functional performance related to the goal: Nikko can take off his coat and back pack and place them in the designated locations on most days, needing occasional reminders.
Benchmark or short-term objective: By November 2010, Nikko will perform all steps of the arrival routine using visual cues as needed.
Progress Report: Achieved


Functional
By June 2011, Nikko will be able to cut out preschool projects within ½ inch of the lines with verbal cues as needed in 4 out of 5 trials.
State standard addressed: Coordinate movements to perform complex tasks.
Present level of academic achievement and functional performance related to the goal: Nikko requires instruction on how to put on scissors correctly and then can repeatedly snip.
Benchmark or short-term objective: By November 2010, Nikko will be able to cut along an 8” by ½” straight line with less than 2 errors.
Progress Report: Achieved


Academic
By June 2011, Nikko will spontaneously use 4 word utterances to express his wants/needs in the classroom setting in 4/5 trials.
State standard addressed: Communicate needs, ideas and thoughts.
Present level of academic achievement and functional performance related to the goal: Nikko is inconsistently expressing wants/needs in the classroom with single words/signs/gestures. He often needs adult prompts to use his words.
Benchmark or short-term objective: By November 2010, Nikko will spontaneously use 2 word utterances to express his wants/needs in the classroom setting.
Progress Report: Making Progress


Academic
By June 2011, Nikko will demonstrate 3/3 of the following skills:
1) identify 5 emotions
2) demonstrate understanding of object function
3) demonstrate understanding of big/little, hard/soft, over/under, behind, top/bottom in 4/5 trials.

State standard addressed: Listen with understanding and respond to directions and conversations.
Present level of academic achievement and functional performance related to the goal: Nikko demonstrates understanding of happy. He is not demonstrating understanding of object function and prepositions.
Benchmark or short-term objective: By November 2010, Nikko will demonstrate 1/3 of the following skills: 1.) identify 5 emotions 2.) demonstrate understanding of object function 3.) demonstrate understanding of big/little, hard/soft, over/under, behind, top/bottom
Progress Report: Achieved.
Comments: Demonstrates understanding of object function with pictures.


Academic
By June 2011, Nikko will answer yes/no, who, what, where questions accurately in 4/5 trials.
State standard addressed: Communicate information with others.
Present level of academic achievement and functional performance related to the goal: Nikko is able to choose between two items with objects or picture choices. He is not yet answering yes/no or “wh” questions.
Benchmark or short-term objective: By November 2010, Nikko will answer yes/no, who, what, where questions accurately when given picture cues.
Progress Report: Making Progress.
Comments: Nikko is able to answer “what” questions but only with picture cues.


Academic
By June 2011, in the classroom setting, Nikko will demonstrate 3/3 of the following skills in 4/5 trials:
1) ask for help appropriately
2) respond to greetings from others
3) protest appropriately in 4/5 trials

State standard addressed: Communicate needs, ideas and thoughts.
Present level of academic achievement and functional performance related to the goal: Nikko requires adult prompts to ask for help and respond to greetings. He continues to whine or cry to protest.
Benchmark or short-term objective: By November 2010, in the classroom setting, Nikko will demonstrate 1/3 of the following skills in 4/5 trials: 1.) ask for help appropriately, 2.) respond to greetings from others, 3.) protest appropriately.
Progress Report: Making Progress
Comments: Nikko continues to need adult prompts to ask for help, greet others and protest appropriately.


Academic
By June 2011, Nikko will attend to a 7 minute teacher directed activity with no more than one verbal or picture cue in 4/5 trials.
State standard addressed: Begin to understand and follow rules.
Present level of academic achievement and functional performance related to the goal: Nikko attends to preferred activities but it can be difficult to maintain his attention to nonpreferred tasks.
Benchmark or short-term objective: By November 2010, Nikko will attend to a 7 minute teacher directed activity with no more than 5 verbal or picture cues.
Progress Report: Achieved.
Comment: Met for preferred activities.


Academic
By June 2011, Nikko will do 3/3 of the following:
1) expressively identify 5 shapes
2) expressively identify 8 colors
3) count 10 objects with 1:1 correspondence in 4/5 trials.

State standard addressed: Sort and classify objects by a variety of properties.
Present level of academic achievement and functional performance related to the goal: Nikko is able to match colors and shapes and color naming is emerging. He will imitate counting objects but he is not yet doing it independently.
Benchmark or short-term objective: By November 2010, Nikko will do 1/3 of the following, 1.) expressively identify 5 shapes, 2.) expressively identify 8 colors, and 3.) count 10 objects with 1:1 correspondence.
Progress Report: Achieved
Comments: Has mastered 3/3 skills.


Academic
By June 2011, Nikko will engage for 5 minutes in simple pretend play using props (cars, dolls, trains, kitchen toys) for their intended purposed in 4/5 opportunities.
State standard addressed: Begin to share materials and experiences and take turns.
Present level of academic achievement and functional performance related to the goal: Nikko is playing in many areas of the classroom and is just starting to play for longer periods of time. He is not yet linking play schemes together.
Benchmark or short-term objective: By November 2010, Nikko will engage for 5 minutes in simple pretend play using props (cars, doll, trains, kitchen toys) for their intended purposes given adult set up and verbal prompts as needed.
Progress Report: Making Progress
Comments: Nikko is engaging with more play material but is not including other children yet in his play.

MY COMMENTS:
Nikko is working. It's hard. And it shows. He was able to achieve the two functional goals (arrival routine, cutting with scissors) but all the other goals seem to pose challenges involving communication, expression and attention. His speech is slow, of course, and he is not using more than 1-2 words. He also needs adult prompts to use his words. At home, I can tell that he is searching for the right words to request something. I can see some progress even today. We started out the day with him wanting a pop tart. I emphasized that it was a chocolate pop tart. Each time he wanted one, he would come up to me and wait, and when I squatted down to his level to ask what he wanted he'd start a jumble of sounds in the same vein as the bread and cheese sandwich request, but it would sound like "Dohdododluluhluh choc-lat poptart?" I would reward these attempts, of course. Object function and prepositions are a problem area. Yes/no and the wh questions are problems. Asking for help, greeting, and protesting appropriately are problems. Pretend play and playing with others is a problem. JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING IS A PROBLEM. What can I give Nikko to help enhance his mind? What can I give Nikko to help fuse those synapses that are misfiring or flitting loosely in his brain?

Tonight I hauled out my big box of photo cards from Lakeshore Learning and started quizzing the kids on food items, animals and some household items. I lost Nikko's attention somewhere in the middle of the food, probably after Pizza. He left the circle and played on his own with his toys, sometimes looking up when I asked colorfully, "What is THIS?" or "What IS this?" or "WHAT is THIS?" He wouldn't always respond to his name when I called out to him. Meanwhile, Ronin and Audrey were eager to name everything and receive high fives.

I think we should start looking into private speech therapy for Nikko. And I just ordered a book on Verbal Behavior that should arrive this week. Nikko needs MORE.

Ugh, this is getting depressing.

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