Somebody Else’s Kids
In Torey Hayden’s Somebody
Else’s Kids, a teacher is faced with the task of teaching four unique kids
in her special education class. Boo, is
a small autistic child who only speaks when repeating others. Lori is a seven year old girl who suffered a
brain injury. Tomaso is an angry ten
year old boy who refuses to believe that his father is dead, and Claudia is a
bright twelve year old who has been kicked out of Catholic school because she
is pregnant. Each student struggles with
their own problems, but work together to try to overcome their challenges. While reading the book, I began to think
about what would happen if Lori was in my class and what modifications and
accommodations I would make to help Lori both fit in and learn the most that
she can in my classroom.
On a slightly unrelated note, you should all go and
read Somebody Else’s Kids by Torey
Hayden. It’s an eye opening book that
glimpses into the world of Special Education.
It’s a great book and I can’t wait to read some of her other books!
Lori Sjokheim is a seven year old girl who begins the
year part time in Torey’s class, focusing on reading and writing skills. Lori and her twin Libby were taken from their
biological family due to abuse in the home.
She and her sister are placed with Mr. and Mrs. Sjokheim and lose their
mother a few years later. Because of the
abuse from her early childhood, Lori suffered from a concussion and fragments
of bone had created lesions in her head.
Lori is a bright young girl who is very outgoing. If a person met her on the street, they
probably would not pick up on any learning disabilities. Lori is an extremely caring young girl, who
is both inquisitive and thoughtful. She
is very self conscious about the issues that she has with reading and writing,
and is rather protective over the other kids in class. All she wants is to be in the first grade
class and be normal like her sister (Hayden, 1981).
While it was never mentioned by Hayden, I would guess
that the disability that Lori has is due to a traumatic brain injury. A TBI is an injury that can result in memory
loss, as well as physical and mental problems that can have a dramatic impact
on the life of the person. This injury
can cause physical changes, like headaches, fatigue, and slowed reactions, as
well as cognitive changes, including difficulties with thinking, remembering,
concentrating, reasoning, processing, and learning new material. Lori is frustrated by her brain injury. Besides reading and writing, she is a “normal”
girl. Whether it’s due to boredom in
class because she cannot read or an attention deficit disorder, Lori is
unfocused and is rather hyperactive in the classroom.
If Lori was in my math class in high school, I imagine
that she would still have hyperactive and attention deficit issues. I think that by high school, Lori can probably
read, but at a lower level, possibly at the level of a second or third grader. This would cause issues in math. I would guess that Lori would struggle from
not being able to read the textbook, any articles, word problems, or even
directions on a worksheet.
An Individual Education Plan can be introduced in the classroom
for a child that has one of the following: autism, blindness, deafness,
emotional disturbance, hearing impairment, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities,
orthopedic impairment, other health impaired, special learning disability,
speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, or visual impairment
(Understanding Special Education, n.d.).
Because of Lori’s brain injury, it is highly likely that she would have
an IEP in place by the time that she reached high school.
I would assume a class like Algebra could prove to be
a difficult class for a student like Lori.
Lori struggles to remember and differentiate letters, so when letters
and numbers are combined in Algebra, it might be a challenge for her.
There are numerous basic accommodations that I would
provide to Lori in my classroom. She
would have extra time to complete assignments and take tests. I would place her towards the front of the
class. Lori would be able to take breaks
and use a calculator. She would have a
mathematic formula sheet that she could use as reference. Lori could also take the tests in a separate
quiet room so that she could focus better.
I think that in a case like Lori’s, I would try to
incorporate reading the directions out loud in the classroom. Lori can understand the words said, it is
reading that is the problem. By having
other students or myself read out the directions, Lori would understand the
directions without having to read them herself.
Lori would be exempt from reading aloud in front of the class. I would also make more of an effort to
provide more oral instructions, instead of just written (Accommodations Guide,
2015). I would also try to have more
manipulatives in the classroom.
Manipulatives would be a good way for Lori to learn, as you don’t need
to read or write to use them.
Lori would most likely be able to have an audio record
or lectures so that she can play them back later. This would help her to remember what happened
in class without being forced to take notes.
Depending on the severity of Lori’s disability with
reading and writing, she might have to have a scribe of some sort. Similar to Torey Hayden appointing Tomaso as
Lori’s official reader, Lori might have a paraeducator or some other aide in the
class to help read to her, as well as write for her on class assignments and
tests. It might also be the case that
any assessments and exams might be given orally, so that I could grade Lori’s
understanding on the topic and not her ability to write.
There are some definite drawbacks to having a student
like Lori in my class. I think that one
major issues that she poses is her hyperactivity, as well as her attention
deficit disorder could be a major disruption to the class. I don’t think that she would do it on
purpose, but Lori gets off track so easily that it makes it easy for her to
distract the class.
Another drawback is that there is a lot of time
involved in the accommodations and modifications for Lori. Lori likes spending one-on-one time with her
teachers, getting to know them. Teachers
have over thirty students in each class and are overwhelmed with not having
enough time for their students. I worry
that I would not have enough time to give Lori the help, support, and time that
she really needs in the classroom. At
the pace that Lori works, it would be beneficial for her to get an outside tutor
who can spend time with her in addition to the time she would spend with me.
Lori might have some social issues in my class,
too. Because she struggles with reading
and writing, she might struggle to fit into the classroom. Her disability might alienate her from the
rest of the class, as it did when she was in first grade, in Somebody Else’s Kids. I think it might also be difficult for her to
grow up and compare herself academically with her twin sister. I worry that this might not help her anxiety
and could make her more conscious about how she performs in the class. I do worry about her getting teased in my
classroom. It’s also a concern of mine
that the class might be upset with any accommodations or modifications given to
some of the students. They might think
that it is unfair that some students get more help than others.
I think that having a student like Lori in my class
would be a beneficial experience for both of us. There is so much that I can learn from a
student like her. I would be lucky to
have a student as perceptive and caring as Lori. Her personality would easily brighten up my
day and I think that working with her would be a rewarding experience.
References:
Hayden, T. (1981). Somebody
Else’s Kids. New York, New York: Putnam.
Accommodations Guide for Students with Brain Injury.
(2015). Retrieved from http://www.brainline.org/content/2011/10/accommodations-guide-for-students-with-brain-injury.html.
Understanding the 13 Categories of Special Education.
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.understandingspecialeducation.com/13-categories-of-special-education.html.
