Somebody Else's Kids

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.