School Psychologist's Journey: Consultation Logs & Reflection Paper, Lecture notes of Learning disability

Download School Psychologist's Journey: Consultation Logs & Reflection Paper and more Lecture notes Learning disability in PDF only on Docsity! Consultation Logs & Reflection Paper Melissa Morris Texas State University School Psychology Program Submitted in Partial Requirement for SPSY 5386  -­‐  Consultation  and  Professional  Issues  in  School  Psychology   Fall  Semester  2014 Session Number: 1 2 3 Name: Melissa Morris What is your consultee handing over? A task? A question? A Feeling? She feels her student should be referred to special education. The student is currently receiving Tier 2 supports and is getting ready to be referred for an evaluation. She just wants to make sure that she has tried everything she can prior to making the referral. Analyze your last consultation session with respect to the following: How was the problem presented by the consultee? In what words? She stated that her student was “the sweetest girl from the Solomon Islands.” She described the girl as having “very little memory ability and a very poor ability to retain information.” She stated that she would “explain something and walk her through a problem. Then I’ll walk around the room to help other students and when I come back, she has completely forgotten everything we worked on.” She also stated that the student doesn’t remember things day to day. What were the verbal and nonverbal responses given by the consultant? I allowed the teacher to speak throughout a majority of the session. I asked some guiding questions like: “Tell me about your student,” “What are your main concerns?” “What would you like to see happen?” I also nodded in response to statements. What are the internal assumptions that guide the presentations made by the consultee? She stated that the student is from the Solomon Islands and she doesn’t believe that very much English is spoken at home. She isn’t really sure how long she has been in America either as the parents aren’t very involved with the school district. She believes that her student has a learning disability, but wants to try a few more interventions before the referral is sent for evaluation, but she is not sure what to try next. What are the internal assumptions that guide the presentations made by the consultant? I was merely trying to get as much information about the student, her family, how the teacher interacts with the student as well as the current and past interventions that have been used. I have also been told that this teacher is phenomenal, so I was assuming that she has tried a lot of really good interventions. What was the primary phase of consultation reached during this session? Problem Identification and Analysis Always try to be helpful—Was this session helpful? In what way? Yes, it was helpful because it allowed the teacher to talk about her feelings about the upcoming special education referral and she was able to talk through the interventions that she has tried and her perceived effectiveness. Access your ignorance—What is my ignorance/bias for this problem/intervention? I wish I knew more about the Rti and PTSST process. I was a lifekills/low incidence teacher. When I got my kiddos, they had already been through this entire process. I am not that familiar with the specific details in the process. Everything you do is an intervention—What “interventions” occurred? I asked her to think about what made the past interventions even the slightest bit successful. Then I asked her to think about what other people have tried or what she has tried in the past that is similar. It is the consultee who owns the problem and solution—What is the indication that the consultee does/does not own the problem? She still believes that the decision to refer is up to the PTSST meeting, but she did state that her “data and opinion are important.” She still believes that the student should be referred. Go with the flow—How or when did I go with the flow? I once again took a “back seat” approach. I let her do most of the talking and if I could tell that she was thinking hard about something, I tried to be comfortable with silence for a few seconds. Timing is crucial—What opportunities presented themselves? What actions were not possible because of the timing? I asked her to tell me what she remembered from the last time we met. This allowed me the opportunity to ask her to reflect on what it was about the interventions that she has tried that made some of them “slightly successful.” Be constructively optimistic—How did I take advantage of providing challenges to the representations of the problems? I asked her to think critically about the interventions in the past and challenged her to compare them to other interventions that she hasn’t tried yet. She thought of two interventions. The first she has never tried before: reminders posted on her desk. The second she has, but it has been a long time: peer buddy to help remind her what to do. Everything is a source of data, learn from mistakes—What were my errors? What did I learn? Sometimes I had a hard time not offering my opinion. When teachers talk about interventions with other teachers, we usually just offer suggestions—I had to not revert to old habits. When in doubt, share the problem—In what context did I, or would I, share the problem? As I said on my last log, I would share the problem with anyone she wanted or allowed me to. I would also, of course, share the problem if it ever involved any sort of abuse. Session Number: 1 2 3 Name: Melissa Morris What is your consultee handing over? A task? A question? A Feeling? She believes that the PTSST team made the right decision in moving forward with the referral for evaluation. Analyze your last consultation session with respect to the following: How was the problem presented by the consultee? In what words? She said that she has been trying to provide the interventions she came up with in the last session, but that the student showed “very little progress” and that she is “happy she will be getting extra help.” What were the verbal and nonverbal responses given by the consultant? The teacher was happy with the final decision of the PTSST team, but she wanted to continue to try these interventions because they may be ones that, if slightly successful, she could continue in the resource or special education placement. What are the internal assumptions that guide the presentations made by the consultee? She still believes that the evaluation will show that the child has a learning disability and that she will either receive inclusion or resource support and that both would be good for her. What are the internal assumptions that guide the presentations made by the consultant? I think that the child should receive inclusion support first since it is the LRE. What was the primary phase of consultation reached during this session? Closure Always try to be helpful—Was this session helpful? In what way? Yes, the teacher was able to talk through the PTSST decision and decided that she did think referral was best for the student. She stated that she enjoyed just being able to talk through her decisions with someone else. Always stay in touch with the current reality—What is the current reality for the consultee regarding this problem? She knows that the student will start the evaluation process and could possibly be changing educational placement in the next few months. She will vote to support a change of placement because she thinks it is what is best. She hopes that the parents will be supportive since they are from a completely “different place.” Access your ignorance—What is my ignorance/bias for this problem/intervention? As I said in the last consultation log, I wish I knew more about the Rti and PTSST process. Because I was a low incidence teacher, I was never involved with the specifics of the meetings. Everything you do is an intervention—What “interventions” occurred? I told her that I admired her working really hard to make efforts to make changes for the student, especially when it was so close to the referral date. I told her that not everyone would have done that. It is the consultee who owns the problem and solution—What is the indication that the consultee does/does not own the problem? She stated that the placement and allocation of services is now up to the ARD team to decide. She can provide her input, but placement isn’t her decision anymore. Go with the flow—How or when did I go with the flow? She was not as talkative this time as she has been in the last few sessions. I had to provide some more guiding questions than I normally do. Timing is crucial—What opportunities presented themselves? What actions were not possible because of the timing? We ran out of time to discuss how she thinks things will change for her student. She has stated in the past that she thinks the outcomes will be better for her once she starts receiving more intensive interventions. Be constructively optimistic—How did I take advantage of providing challenges to the representations of the problems? I don’t think I really challenged her today. We just talked through how the interventions were working and what steps were going to be next for the student. We also talked about how she felt about the changes—which might have been challenging. Everything is a source of data, learn from mistakes—What were my errors? What did I learn? I learned that the consultee will enjoy and be grateful for just having someone to talk through problems or ideas with. I was thinking that my contribution was pretty negligible, but she informed me that she has really enjoyed having a “sounding board.” When in doubt, share the problem—In what context did I, or would I, share the problem? During this meeting, we talked about the next steps for the student and how she felt about them. I don’t foresee needing to share that with anyone since it wouldn’t affect programming or anything. It was more like a discussion this time. to continue to use the collaborative consultation model, but occasionally I may need to use more of an expert model. I may need flat-out offer advice if, during the collaborative consultation model, the sessions seem to be at a standstill or we can determine an intervention that might work. Otherwise, I plan to continue to use this model. Another challenge that I experienced was not asking too many questions. I wanted to keep asking questions as they were popping into my head, but I had to remind myself to let my consultee hold the power. I had to sit back an remind myself that the consultee is driving the conversation and the direction of the sessions, with some guiding questions from me. This was not too difficult, but it was something that I did need to remain mindful. As I am continuing to become a better School Psychologist and gain experience, I am sure that this will get easier. Another realization that I came to while consulting with the teacher was that she really appreciated my time. She appreciated that I set time out to meet with her and talk about her student. I could tell that she was very motivated to provide the best possible outcome for her student and she just needed a “sounding board” to work through some things. She was very good at talking and comfort between us was established rather quickly, so that was a plus. I was surprised to find out that she looked forward to our consulting sessions and that she actually remembered specific things that I said during them. This made me feel like our sessions were worthwhile and valued. I think that consultation is an everyday part of service delivery. A School Psychologist is constantly working through a question to determine any array of things in a school. Obtaining background information on a student is consultation. Observing a student in a class and talking with the teacher afterward is collaboration and consultation. The nature of the job is that you work closely with other school personnel to make educational decisions in the best interest for the child. In order to do that, all of the people involved in the child’s life must work together and that is the essence of collaboration and consultation. This project afforded me the opportunity to practice my interviewing and consulting skills. I met three times with the teacher formally and then we also discussed many times in passing. I did learn that I needed to set specific time requirements to our sessions as my consultee had a lot to say and would continue to talk for long periods of time unless boundaries are set. This case was also very unique as it involved a child from the Solomon Islands. I have not had very much experience working with this population. I plan on keeping in contact with the teacher to find out about the child’s progress and next steps through the special education referral and placement process. I believe that I will be a good consultant when I am a practicing School Psychologist because I have the ability to listen to what other people are saying and empathize. I can put myself in their shoes and try to understand things from other perspectives. I am a very patient person and am willing to make time so that other people will feel valued and validated. These are all important skills for a consultant to have since consultees may be hesitant to come to you for advice and guidance. It is important for a consultant not to judge a consultee’s behavior. One of the questions on the reflection sheets required me to address my own bias. I didn’t really understand why that question was included until just now. It is important for consultants to be aware of and control their own biases in the consultation process so that your consultee doesn’t feel judged like his or her opinions and thoughts are unimportant. A consultant is meant to work collaboratively with others to solve problems and make the best possible decisions for students. It is important to remember that children are children. They have thoughts, feelings, motivations and desires too. In this profession, too often children are thought of as cases or problems or headaches. No matter how the child acts or responds, it is important to remember that, as School Psychologists, we are charged with the job of providing the best educational experience for all children; an education that addresses their academic, behavioral and emotional concerns in order to better prepare them for life ahead. I will try to remember that the children I serve are not merely cases, but they are children and they should be viewed holistically. Through consultation and collaboration, I can work with other professionals to maximize a child’s educational experience and enable them to be as successful as possible. The best possible outcomes will be achieved when all people are working together.