I love you guys
Okay. I drafted this to the team about the Baseline Data Collection, let me know what you think:
"The data collection to establish a baseline sounds like a very good idea! We need specific information as when exactly DS's attention is failing as it simply can not be possible that he is "never paying any attention at all ever."
However, we have some concerns about how this will happen:
First, who will be collecting the data? This person needs to be objective but also truly understand a pretty obscure disability that is often misunderstood in general.
Secondly, we need to know the circumstances prior, during, and after in order to figure out what led to the behavior and how the behavior occurred. The behavior observed should be specific like "fails to place paper in basket," and "moves too slowly to get paper in basket" or something like that. Rather than simply "fails to attend to teacher direction." And when, exactly, is DS not "paying attention" or "following directions?" What are the circumstances surrounding this? Is the teacher talking to the class as a whole? If so, is there background noise? Is he trying to do something else (like packing up, putting things away, lining up) while trying to listen? Are the other kids walking around? What do DS's inattentive times look like and what is the functional significance?
Thirdly, we need to document how exactly the teacher(s) attempts to gain attention (and obviously which efforts are successful and which are not). Does she touch DS's sholder? Does he pay attention then?
Additional concerns:
Are the teachers putting into place what was included in the IEP as a result of last year's assessment? There were accommodations suggested by Dr. in her report, and some (all?) of those were added to the IEP, as a result of the BRIEF and NEPSY assessments (attention and executive functioning assessments) such as chunking, breaks, checking for understanding of directions, breaking multi-step tasks into smaller more manageable components, organization support, etc.) that she did last year. Are those accommodations currently being followed? When they are followed is attention still failing? Or are the accommodations not happening and attention is failing? I propose we discuss trying to make some concrete adjustments to help with the executive functioning issue based on Dr.'s evaluation last year and see how that helps with the "attention problems."
While we do need specific, thorough observation, I'd refrain from interpretation of the data prior to our meeting because inattention can be caused by all sorts of things including:
a. knowing (or believing you already know) the material so not bothering;
b. seizure;
c. pain - (I have more than once found myself talking to DS and he seeming not to hear me while banging on his ankle or banging his knee joint. When I ask to please pay attention he has said to me, "Just wait for a second mom, I am trying to get my knee (or ankle) back into place."
d. hearing issue-- some kids need to see the face of the person talking, some can't process sounds in a busy environment, some have difficulty processing auditory information, etc.;
e. motor planning difficulties - child who has difficulty with motor planning can't automatically figure out space and time on the fly. (do I get out of my chair while people are walking behind me? how do I avoid crashing into people going south while I am walking north? How do I get my paper out so everything else doesn't fall? How can I get it in the basket when I have to reach across this cup of water?)
f. avoidance of something not necessarily apparent to the observer like anticipation or noise, chaos, lunch or glue smells, a shadow or light, etc."
