Adolescence

1. Adolescence

2. Characteristics of Adolescence Freedom and Independence Self-consciousness Rapid Physical Changes Developing Sexualtiy Peer Pressure

3. Characteristics of Adolescents with Learning Disabilities • Passive Learning • Poor self-concept • Social and behavioral problems • Attention Deficits • Lack of motivation

4. Reasons Why Students with Learning Disabilities Leave High School % of LD Adolescents 49.7% 10.8% 0.5% 21.3% 17.7% 100.0% Reason for Leaving School High school diploma Certificate of Completion Reached maximum age Dropped out of school Status unknown Total ?

5. reading, spelling, and math. I Luv Mommi science, social studies, and health. Health Social Studies Science Problems Faced by Adolescents with Learning Disabilities 1. Severe deficits in basic academic skills such as 2. Generalized failures and below-average performance in content-area courses such as

6. Problems Faced by Adolescents with Learning Disabilities Deficient work-related skills, such as in listening well in class, taking notes, studying, and taking tests

7. Problems Faced by Adolescents with Learning Disabilities Inadequate interpersonal skills

8. Inadequate interpersonal skills

9. Inadequate interpersonal skills

10. Inadequate interpersonal skills

11. Inadequate interpersonal skills

12. Passive academic involvement and a pervasive lack of motivation Problems Faced by Adolescents with Learning Disabilities

13. Placement of Adolescents with Learning Disabilities Percent of Adolescents with Learning Disabilities 41% 40% 18% 1% Educational Environment Regular class Resource room Separate class Other placements Total 100%

14. Curriculum Models for Serving Adolescents with Learning Disabilities at the Secondary Level • Basic Skills Instruction • Tutorial Instruction • Functional Skills Instruction • Work-Study Programs • Collaboration Programs

15. Components of Effective Secondary Programs Explicit Instruction in “Survival” Skills Intensive Instruction in Reading and Mathematics Successful Completion of Courses Required for High School Graduation

16. The Transition Plan • Current levels of performance • Interests and aptitude • Postschool goals • Transition activities • Designate responsible persons • Review

17. Transition Legislation • IDEA 1997 has several new requirements that address transition (PL 105-17). The law requires that:

18. Requirements of the law • Beginning when the student is age 14 and then updated annually, a statement of transition service needs that focuses on the student’s existing program or courses must be written; • Beginning at age 16, a plan for specific transition services, including interagency responsibilities, must be created; • Beginning at least one year before the student reaches the age of majority, he or she must be informed of his or her rights.

19. Requirements of the law The law views transition as a set of activities that are based on the needs of the individual student and that are designed to prepare the student for the years beyond secondary school. To ensure that the student completes secondary school prepared for employment or postsecondary education, as well as for independent living, IDEA 1997 requires that an individualized transition plan be written for students with disabilities beginning at age 14 as part of the IEP (Individual Education Plan). Many school districts use an attachment to the student's IEP to indicate transition goals and activities designed to meet those goals. Other schools develop a separate individualized transition plan (ITP).

20. Educational Rights • Right to Education • Right to an Appropriate Evaluation and Classification • Right to an Appropriate Education • Right to an Appropriate Placement • Right to Related Services • Right to Extended School Year • Right Not to Be Expelled

21. Top-Down Approach to Curriculum Development Areas of adult functioning that Adult Domains require minimal degrees of competence and independence Events or activities typically Major Life Demands encountered by most adults in everyday life Specific competencies of local Specific Life Skills relevance needed to perform major life demands Curricular considerations for Organize for teaching life skills - function Instruction of educational setting

22. School-based activities Knowledge, Skills, Service, and Supports needs Demands Of adulthood Family-centered activities Personal fulfillment Self-initiated activities Adulthood Implications of the Transition Process

23. Accommodations for College Students • Extending time to complete program • Adapting the method of instruction • Substituting alternative course for required course • Modifying or substituting for the foreign language requirement

24. Accommodations for Students • Allowing for part-time rather than full-time study • Modifying examination procedures • Providing audiotapes of student textbooks • Providing note takers to help students with lectures • Offering counseling services

25. Medications

26. First-Tier Medications First-Tier Medications: Psychostimulants • These medications are usually tried first. As the most widely used type of medication prescribed for attentional and hyperactivity disorders, they are very effective for most patients. More than 75 percent of individuals with ADD improve with psychostimulants. The psychostimulant medications include Ritalin, Dexedrine, Cylert, Adderall, and Concerta.

27. First-Tier Medications • Research on ADD/ADHD suggests that the psychostimulant medication affects the brain in these individuals by increasing the arousal or alertness of the central nervous system.

28. First-Tier Medications • It is thought that these individuals do not produce sufficient neurotransmitters—chemicals within the brain that transmit messages from one cell to another across a gap, or synapse—and that the psychostimulants work by stimulating the production of the chemical neurotransmitters needed to send information from the brain stem to the parts of the brain that deal with attention. The psychostimulant medications appear to lengthen the children’s attention spans, control impulsivity, decrease distractibility and motor activity, and improve visual-motor integration.

29. First-Tier Medications • The duration of effect for Ritalin and Dexedrine is three to five hours. Consequently, unless a second dose is taken during the school day, the effects of a morning dose of either of these two medications will wear off during the course of the day. The psychostimulants Cylert and Adderall are taken in one daily dosage, and their effects are long-lasting. Concerta, a newer medication which contains Ritalin, is purported to last eight to twelve hours because it is released throughout the day.

30. Second-Tier Medications: Antidepressants and Other Medications • As noted, about 75 to 85 percent of children with ADD/ADHD show general improvement with psychostimulant medications. For those who do not improve, second-tier medications, antidepressant medications (Norpramin, Tofranil, Elavil, Prozac, Pamolar, and Wellbutrin), can be used. Also, an antihypersentive medication (clonidine) may be prescribed.