Individual Assistance Plan for Billy Chelsea Ridge Grand Valley State University

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Introduction Billy is a sixth grade student at a local middle school. Through the work with a local school, an interview was made possible to assist him with some of the struggles he is having in and outside of the classroom. Billy, with parental consent, was interviewed to assist in the development of the assistance plan. Along with the student interview, a teacher interview and a classroom observation assisted in the development of the student assistance plan. Presenting Problem Billy struggles with the transition to middle school. He experiences challenges with almost all of his classes in some way. Also, he causes disruptions in class. Billy has been suspended in the past. His lack of organization affects his classroom success. Per the interview, Billy struggles with certain friends, which can have unsavory responses. Per the teacher interview, Billy can spend time rolling on the floor during class. He was observed without shoes in the hallway and did not bring any materials to the observed class. He was sent to his locker to retrieve his binder and a writing utensil. He took some papers with him from class and returned with nothing. At that point, the teacher sent him to his locker again. After speaking casually with this teacher, it became apparent that he has been provided multiple binders and folders throughout the school year. Unfortunately, he is not able to maintain these binders and bring them to the appropriate classes. He does not have sufficient support from home. His father is available via email but only came in for a conference when threatened with legal ramifications. Underlying Problem Billy has been diagnosed with ADHD. It is unclear as to when the diagnosis took place, but the student is aware of his condition and the medication associated with this disorder. Due to

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family circumstance, he does not consistently receive medications. The medication is sufficient enough to modify his classroom behavior so that he can stay in class. The student needs to develop organizational skills and coping mechanisms to assist him both in class and within the community. His current family situation may not be able to support him throughout this process though they should be involved. Purpose, Goals, and Rationale Billy could benefit from support from the school counseling department. Currently, he is not meeting all of the standards set forth by the American School Counseling Association (ASCA). Billy could improve his skills in the personal social domain, PS:C1.10 Learn techniques for managing stress and conflict and PS:C1.11 Learn coping skills for managing life events (American School Counselor Association, 2012). Also, in the Academic Domain, Billy needs to specifically work on A:A2.1 Apply time-management and task-management skills and in the Career Development Domain, A:A2.1 Apply time-management and taskmanagement skills (American School Counselor Association, 2012). Since Billy would benefit from work in all three of the major domains of the ASCA National Model, it is important to develop a functional plan to support him. The goals of this plan will be to focus on three major areas that he or his teachers have expressed is an area of concern for the students success. Billy can improve academically through work with time and task management. Also, his academics would benefit from assistance with organization. Finally, a major component of this plan will be to improve Billys classroom behavior in order to support growth in both his academics and social areas of concern. The three major aspects of the plan will support Billy as he matures.

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Baseline Data Gathering a sufficient amount of baseline data is important to working with Billys situation in order to process areas of improvement. Primarily, the baseline data will be gathered from his grades and teachers. Teachers would be asked to record when Billy brings materials to class. This is an important step for him to improve his grades. Without proper materials, Billy is unable to study properly or complete homework. In addition to academic data, behavioral data will be important to access as well. It has been mentioned that Billy struggles with punctuality. This data is easily obtained by the schools online computer attendance system. Along with punctuality, Billy has experienced incidents in the classroom and with other students that have resulted in behavioral referrals. This type of data would need to be requested in order to set a baseline and to work to improve. Intervention Strategies According to Carter, Walburn, and Erford, a large number of strategies exist to assist students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), depending on their specific needs. For Billy and other students with ADHD, the process to establish consistent routines, rules, and procedures is integral in their success (Carter, Walburn & Erford, 2010). This strategy is referenced to assist with impulsiveness, distractibility, and can assist at home with any behaviors that may need to be positively reinforced (Carter, Walburn & Erford, 2010). Having an adult that consistently assists Billy as he begins to acquire these skills would be ideal. He seems to want to please those around him as well as be successful in school. If someone is available to assist him initially with follow-through on goals and procedures, it would be beneficial. Students with ADHD benefit from frequent progress checks (Carter, Walburn &

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Erford, 2010). A dedicated adult would be able to provide these where it would be unfair to other students to request a classroom teacher to dedicate so much time to one student on a daily basis. The adult would also be able to provide prompts at appropriate times when the student can move out of their seat. These types of behavior cues would assist him throughout the day. After developing a list of cues and times, it would be appropriate for Billy to take responsibility for these actions. Billy is operating from the later preoperational stage (Vernon, 2007). Since he is at a transitional age in his life, it is natural for him to be at this stage. As he transitions through and eventually out of the preoperational stage, it will be appropriate for him to manage these coping skills and behavior management skills independently. Until he is able to manage these skills appropriately and independently, an adult advocate would be appropriate. If an adult advocate is not available, an older student could assist in modeling appropriate behavior along with working as an organizational coach. For Billys organizational issues, an appropriate strategy would be to assist him in developing proper organization. Billy should be taught proper organizational strategies. Providing Billy with color coded assignment folders in a binder would be helpful. Billy would have one folder for each class along with homework to do and homework completed folders. Throughout the day, Billy would compose a to-do list of what needs to be completed. Initially, it would be beneficial for an adult to manage this strategy for him, and slowly transition the responsibility to the student. The goal being that he would ultimately create these simple lists for himself. The ultimate goal of this plan is for Billy to be able to maintain these strategies on his own, for Billy to become an independent, successful student. Proposed Implementation Plan

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If the personnel are available to assist Billy, it would be ideal for someone to be available to advocate for him during most of his classes throughout the day during the beginning of this process. A school counselor will be available to teach him the skills and provide a framework for motivation. A reward system would be appropriate for him at this stage in his development. This framework would assist Billy in setting and achieving goals. At the same time, it would assist in the evaluation of his progress. Counseling Plan. This plan is negotiable and revisions may be made as needed. A. Long term goals for counseling: 1. Develop behaviors that improve student success in the classroom. 2. Improve organization to enhance academic success. 3. Develop proper task management skills. B. Short term goals for counseling: 1. Identify the patterns that are contributing to problematic behaviors in the classroom. 2. Implement new time management and organizational skills in the classroom C. Methods used to achieve goals: 1. Provide student with a framework for task management and focus in the classroom. 2. Establish consistent routines, rules, and procedure in school and at home. 3. Assess the characteristics of classmates that contribute to the problems causing conflict and tension in the classroom. 4. Provide the student with some basic organizational training and supplies. Evaluation Recommendation

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After Billy has been appropriately trained in the organizational and time management strategies, it is important to evaluate the success of these strategies. The evaluation will determine what modifications need to be made to Billys Counseling Plan. Using the frame work of the goal setting system will be a good way to monitor Billys progress. He could receive a sticker for every time he completes his to-do list and everyday he is able to complete all classes without causing a class disruption. The average number of stickers he is receiving per week should increase as he becomes more practiced in the strategies. Once he has met some of his goals, the expectation can rise and his goals can be adjusted. At this point, it would be appropriate to teach him additional strategies to assist him. Another evaluative measure will be to have teachers fill out a brief survey. They will record if they are seeing consistent changes in his behavior and anything successful they have seen in class. Also, a school counselor would check on Billys punctuality, grades, and behavior referrals to see if any positive changes have occurred in the past. Finally, checking in with Billy and evaluating his progress on a scale comparable to the scale he rated himself on in his initial interview would be a way to evaluate his progress. Ethical and Legal Issues When working with minors in the school systems, various ethical and legal issues may arise. In this situation it was necessary and appropriate to obtain a signed permission form from a parent and/or guardian to allow the recording of the student. It is also necessary to ensure that these recordings are deleted after the project is completed for the students privacy. Finally, the work with Billy will involve collaboration with parents and other professionals within the building. It will be important to reference ASCAs Legal and Ethical Standards to ensure appropriateness and privacy with all involved parties.

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Issues of Special Needs and Diversity Billy has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Hyperactivity Deficit Disorder. ADHD could make Billy eligible for special services in his school district under the subheading of other health impairments. Billy does not currently receive any special services for this disorder. Also, no diversity issues appeared to be present in this situation. Conclusion Billy is a student with a big heart and a willingness to please. Since his transition to middle school, he has struggled to be successful and adapt to all of the academic changes required once one leaves elementary school. Billy will benefit from some intervention and assistance in developing social, academic, and career skills that will benefit him throughout his life. With the proper intervention, we hope to see impressive improvements from Billy in the future.

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References

American School Counselor Association. (2012). The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs (3rd ed.). Alexandria, VA: American School Counselor Association. Carter, D. J., Walburn, P. L., & Erford, B. T. (2010). The Professional School Conselor and Leadership. In B. T. Erford (Ed.), Professional School Counseling (2nd ed., pp. 570-581). Austin, TX: pro-ed. Vernon, A. (2007). Working with Children, Adolescents, and their Parents: Practical Application of Developmental Theory. In J. Carlson, & L. J, Counseling the Adolescent: Indvidual, Family, and School Interventions (5th ed., pp. 451-472). Denver: Love.