Serving Adults with Special Learning Needs
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How Many Strikes
Before You’re Counted Out?
by Christine Goulet Spin
Meet Samuel
When I first met Samuel, our first challenge was simply making eye contact.
What few conversations we were able to muster consisted of Sam responding
with the shortest possible answers. At the time, all I knew was that
he had a history of substance abuse, he was currently participating
in a drug rehabilitation program at a homeless shelter, and he had
no medical assessment or treatment of his psychological state. I thought
working with him would be my most difficult challenge, yet since he
was also socially withdrawn, he seemed to have little interest to exchange
with those around him. His reading skills were at the beginning literacy
ABE level. Furthermore, the pronunciation and limited vocabulary in
his casual register would perhaps further hinder his progress as I
saw we would have to introduce new words and a grammatical structure
into his vernacular.
We first began the steps of obtaining medical coverage for Samuel, and
hence, an appointment with a doctor for his physical and mental health
assessment. We soon learned that Samuel, at a mere 32 years old, was
dealing with more than a few strikes. He had a compounding history of
violence, physical abuse, and alcohol and cocaine addiction. We also
understood that he was diagnosed with mental retardation and schizophrenia.
How could we possibly accommodate for all of his coexisting issues in
a classroom environment? Was there truly a possibility he could learn,
retain, and apply skills we taught in the classroom? And finally, was
there any hope for introducing this young man into society with more
success than he had in the past?
Accommodating for Multiple Disabilities
With my coworkers, I constructed a classroom instruction curriculum and
environment which we hoped would accommodate the learning needs of
any student suffering from a combination of multiple learning disabilities
and mental and physical health issues. We teach utilizing various research-based
practices: we approach phonics instruction using many Orton-Gillingham
methods, and we shape multi-sensory experiences gleaned from Bridges
to Practice tools to appeal to any learning style. There are tactile,
oral, and aural exercises, all designed for Level 1 & 2 readers.
We also instituted breaks to help maintain participation and focus
without losing student attention in the midst of each lesson. We then
created a regimented schedule so that any student would know what to
expect sequentially each day. We begin each lesson at the same time,
and the class reads a graphic organizer together, describing what we
will do at each step of the lesson.
We believe that this system addresses many of the obstacles our students
face. Learners who need structure are accommodated by the regimented
schedule; students with attention deficit issues are tended to with frequent
breaks and changes in activity. Those who have different learning styles
will inevitably be able to relate in some way with the various methods
and tools used in each activity. We also create a system of “sequence.” Our
students learn to follow and form steps to reach a goal. It is also inspiring
to note that we have observed them applying these new skills to their
lives outside of the classroom.
Building Confidence
I am now a firm believer that the first barrier to overcome is the low
level of self-confidence in any student, regardless of their mental
function or learning ability. At this point in the life of someone
who is homeless with low literacy skills, he or she has heard and experienced
all too often the feeling of failure. It is a difficult transition
to believing after all these years that one has the propensity to excel
at anything. Hence, we praise even the smallest accomplishments in
our class. I assign responsibilities in the classroom each day from
getting the classroom set up for lessons to helping decorate the walls
with our projects. When we work together, I thank them for their contributions,
and they compliment each other on their hard work. The students’ faces
and attitudes reflect a great sense of accomplishment. All of them
began taking new responsibilities on their own. This positive reinforcement
and trust we bestow on them seems to make their sense of responsibility
for the class even stronger, and it proliferates into their lives outside
of the room.
Consequently, I observed that there seems to be a direct link between
their building confidence and their progressive abilities in class. Perhaps
the best result from building confidence in the education sphere is the
dramatic reduction in “guessing”. Their attempts to decode
words, no matter the struggle, are truly a momentous advance for these
learners. Even while they are taught sturdy phonological processes by
which to decode and cognitively process words, sentences, and thoughts,
their ingrained nature of guessing often overtakes their propensity to
utilize their newfound skills. They have deftly managed through life
for thirty to fifty years by guessing. Taking them out of that comfort
zone and watching them make valiant attempts at applying their new skills
is immensely rewarding for both them and me.
Samuel Hits it out of the Park
When Sam began class in May, he began by sitting quietly near the back
of the room. His responses were few and his focus was spotty at best.
In order to try to rein him in on a social level, I would make light
of the stories we read in class in my exchanges with other students
during class, and I gave constant praise, in front of everyone, to
each student at least twice per lesson activity. After sharing a few
laughs, I could feel Samuel beginning to warm up to the other students
and to me.
The learning process was long and often frustrating for the both of
us. Sometimes the material seemed above his head, and I worried that
I had chosen something too advanced. Other times I knew he understood
the material but was not using the skills we practiced daily in class.
Many students guess with words that may appear similar to what they are
trying to read. Samuel would guess with nonsense sounds, calling out
words that had no meaning. Despite all this, we maintained our patience
level with ourselves and with each other, and we labored through. I focused
on building his confidence and created exercises to promote a “sequence” skill
in his thought process. One day, something clicked. Both his social and
literacy skills accelerated and he began making marked progress on a
constant basis.
By August, he was helping other students with directions around Houston
and aiding fellow learners in opening up programs on the computer. He
began changing today’s date every morning on the board for the
class in September. Almost automatically, he now sets up the projector
and graphic organizer for each session. On a literacy level, he began
successfully following along with the oral reading. Before, he would
sit stone-faced while we tried to recount instances in a piece of reading.
By October, Samuel was suddenly recalling and answering questions in
class. Additionally, for anything he could not remember, he sifted and
navigated independently through the chapters to find the information.
Soon, not only was he initiating his own learning with our software programs,
but he even identified when he had mispronounced a word due to both the
context of the sentence independently, and by his own learned decoding
skills.
Samuel’s astonishing advances on both an educational and a social
level proved to me that no matter the strikes thrown at a person, there
is a way to overcome most obstacles. With a nurturing environment and
accommodations to learning, one has the opportunity to rebuild their
life. Even in a multi-level classroom with multiple needs, we can develop
confidence, foster learning, and help the most needy resume a dignified
and independent life.
About the Author
Christine Goulet Spin is the literacy instructor in SEARCH Homeless Project’s
Adult Education program in Houston, Texas. She has worked for two years
with students struggling with homelessness, substance abuse, learning
disabilities and mental health disorders. Mrs. Spin is a member of the
field test team for the Texas Adult Education Standards Project. She
is a graduate of Boston University.
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