Communication and Interpersonal Skill Assessment for a Student in the 6th Grade
Communication and Interpersonal Skill Assessment for a Student in the 6th Grade
The educational community has adopted its own system on the classification of mental retardation. This education system postulates three main levels used in categorizing school age children suffering from mental retardation based on their predictable ability to learn. The first category involves children who are educable. These children have the ability to learn basic academic knowledge and skills but their condition cannot allow them to precede beyond forth grades. The second category is children believed to be trainable. These are students who can learn limited educational skills and have the ability to be self reliant. Last is the untrainable that are student in residential places and totally need full support. Assessment of a child with mild mental retardation can help in evaluating the social and cognitive ability of a student such an assessment aims to evaluate the adaptive or the daily functioning of a student in aspects, such as, social interaction, behavioral concerns, family, school, and classroom roles and ability to use the available resources (Stichter, Conroy, & Kauffman, 2008).
Child assessment involves the systematic use of indirect and direct procedure for documenting the resources and characteristics of a child. The assessment process puts into consideration different instruments and procedures for evaluating and identification of a child’s development status, confirming a given diagnosis, prescription of treatment, and intervention. Various instruments cannot be suitable to the cultural differences of students, and this may result to mislabeling and misdiagnosis. However, though, assessment leads to various valid uses. They help to evaluate the effectiveness of a give program, measure change and provide information on basic standard for evaluation of the ability of each child.
Assessment of social skill for a student with mild mental retardation in 6th grade
Parents and teachers have to understand that no single method of educating and assessing students fit all. This is because students with disability do not posse the same level of understanding and their behaviors vary. Therefore, teachers need to choose the most appropriate material and strategy for assessing students with mild mental retardation. They have to ensure that they make the appropriate accommodations and modifications so as to fit the students learning styles and needs. This means that the way materials or content are presented need to be changes to fit the specific needs of a student. Some students may need repetition of instructions; others may require larger fonts than the normal ones. Others may need oral testing and not written, and others may need a place will fewer activities and with no noise (Wilson, & Conyers, 2011).
The assessment of social function among students with mild retardation is to evaluate the social competence of an individual with cormorbid and MR psychopathology. This is a student in the 6th grade. The assessment of the student social skills will aim at identifying the need for this child to be trained so as to gain social skills. Various methods such as sociometric techniques and checklists and rating scales can be used to identify the social risk behaviors of this student. The psychometric and normative characteristics of social behavior can be evaluated through the use of behavior rating scale. The teacher can assesses social behavior of the 6th grade students through a combination of both the observed and unobserved behaviors that have an acceptable performance level. Scale for school adjustment and social competences can be used by teachers. This is a three point scale for rating that helps in assessing frequent behavior of the student. These are scales that are appropriate for assessing social behavior for grade 6 students with mild mental retardation (Wilson, & Conyers, 2011).
These scales will help to identify and classify the appropriate program and intervention that best suits the student. This is a type of program that will help the grade 6 student. By examining the form a behavioral perspective, the identified critical characteristics will mean that different assessment methods should be used depending on the ability of the method to generate the functional behavior analysis. The right method of evaluation of social behavior will depend on the extent on the procedure assessment provides the sequential, antecedent, and consequential data on the conditions of a given type of behavior. There is no standard method or test that exists for assessing social behavior and skills. However, the direction of the assessment, the appropriate method and intervention (Wilson, & Conyers, 2011).
Direct observation one of the most s successful methods in assessing the social skill of communication. This is done in a multiple setting and in the why the student communicates with his peers and adults. The teacher and parents should work together in providing individualized support to the student. Therefore, emphasis should be on the mainstream and inclusionary education because this will give the student a chance to work in an integrated social environment and to experience the challenging environment at first hand (Wilson, & Conyers, 2011).
Communication of a child plays a crucial role in the academic achievement of the student. For the student to attain academic success, he or she has to be proficient in communication and language. The student will be able to match his ability in communication to teaching and learning style in the classroom (Council for Exceptional Children 2012). A student with the challenge of communication can attain high academic success and be socially successful. However, this is possible through learning the classroom learning pattern, language, and the social pattern used. It is essential for the teacher to emphasize on classroom interaction and to choose a language that is most appropriate to the student.
The teacher has to establish a single strategy and technique that can be effectively used to the specific needs of the student. This means that it is essential for the teacher to plan for an inclusive and differentiated instruction that will fit the student. The teacher can make use of various operant intervention procedures that deal with the observable antecedent and overt of events that are related to the behavior. Behavior control is through the use of punishment or reinforcement contingent on the observed behavior. It is possible to modify social behaviors such as communication through antecedent conditions control such as role plays. This strategy will help the student observe the best form of communication that be applied in real life (Strichart, & Mangrum, 2010).
This means that the manipulation of the consequences and antecedent behaviors are among the best procedures in an intervention strategy. It is essential to note that some children have difficulties in communication and interpersonal relationships because of the lack of positive social exchange in their social environment. It is possible to establish antecedent control of the social behavior through establishing positive social interactions. This helps the teacher in minimizing the time for monitoring and instead to focus on procedures (Strichart, & Mangrum, 2010).
Cooperative learning is also a suitable strategy that will assist the student with communication problem and one who lacks interpersonal skills. This is a method that focuses on the manipulation of various conditions to present positive social interaction. Cooperative learning is placing the student in a group where he or she can learn with other students. This small group can help the student has one to one communication with the members as they work together in accomplishing an academic task (Strichart, & Mangrum, 2010).
Another strategy involves the use of social reinforcement. This is an intervention in which the parent or teacher or caretaker to reinforce the right social behavior of the student. The involvement of the parent or teacher is required to ensure the effectiveness of this strategy. Lastly, social skills can be modified differential reinforcement after the desired behavior is presented. This means that when the student has managed to pronounce a word or used the right words in the right social context, he is awarded. This gives the child encouragement and will in the next time use more words in their appropriate context. This, therefore, leads to the development of better communication skills
Reference
Council for Exceptional Children (2012) Communication Disorders. Retrieved on http://www.cec.sped.org/AM/Template.cfmSection=Communicative_Disorders&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cf
On Dec 14th 2012
Stichter, J, Conroy, A & Kauffman, J (2008) an introduction to students with high-incidence disabilities. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Merrill/Prentice Hall.
Strichart, S & Mangrum, C (2010) Study skills for learning disabled and struggling students Grades 6-12. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Merrill.
Wilson, D. & Conyers, M (2011) Thinking for results strategies for increasing student achievement. (4th ed.).
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