Interview Assignment - This is a large part of the grade! IF you can follow this format I received PDF

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This is a large part of the grade! IF you can follow this format I received an A! ...

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Running head: Interview Assignment

Interview Assignment Kayla Hillmann Liberty University

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Part 1: Demographics

Name of person you are interviewing: Amber Matyi Name of individual with the disability: Isaac Describe the disability: Autism, Learning Disabilities, Sensory Disorders Age of the individual with the disability: 10 Describe the relationship between the family members and the individual with the disability: Mother is extremely supportive, takes him to all of his appointments and fights with the school system to get him IEP’s and the things he needs. Father is present and a wonderful, but always working extremely hard to support his family. Grandparents are all supportive as well. He has a close knit family.

Part 2: Questionnaire Interview

How did you learn that Isaac has a disability? (Who was present? When did this happen?) If you were giving advice to professionals who need to explain to a parent that his/her child has a special need, what would that advice be?

“I would most definitely tell them to take it easy! Our doctor didn’t hold anything back, he came right out and said it. The way he explained it made it sound like we were signed up for a long life of stress and trials! While it is stressful yes, while there are trials yes, victories are numerous! That is the most important thing, as a professional please do not make families feel as though

3 they will have a burden attached to them for the rest of their lives!.” (Matyi A, personal communication, October 24, 2019)

How did you feel when you received the diagnosis?

I won’t lie, I was overwhelmed. I did not know if I was prepared for this. I had already had a daughter who was diagnosed with Autism and that was a daily challenge in itself. I was not ready for another challenge. I was constantly tired and exhausted, frustrated and stressed, it was hard to handle all of my emotions. It took me quite a while to process this. I remember crying on the way home and asking God why he was doing this to me, and I remember him speaking into my life telling me, because I know you can handle it my daughter. That I did. I wiped my tears, held my son a bit closer, and let him know we would do this together. That is what we have done since day one. (Matyi A, personal communication, October 24, 2019)

Have your feelings changed since the initial diagnosis? Describe.

Absolutely! I am not nearly as stressed. I have an idea what a day is going to be like just by being used to the behaviors I have seen in his sister. If anything I feel as though this has made me even more of a mama bear. We have had quite a few issues with the school system and since I have gotten used to handling things I never thought I’ve had too, I make it clear that I don’t allow people to mess with my children or their well-being. (Matyi A, personal communication, October 24, 2019)

4 What have been the positive aspects of having a child in the family with a disability?

I’ve always been an advocate for the underdogs. I have something I can actually advocate for that I actually have experience with. Not only that, but these children have taught me things that I had never known before. They have taught me how joyous victories are, they have taught me that I need to praise my Savior even in the storms. They have most definitely taught me patience. There are so many positives, even during the most stressful day, just one simple victory feels amazing! It always seems to come when you feel like scolding God for giving you more than you can handle. (Matyi A, personal communication, October 24, 2019)

What have been the problems or challenges you have experienced having a child with a disability? One of the biggest challenges has been school. Isaac has a few learning disabilities and his teacher humiliated him in class and refused to give him a little bit of extra time for an assignment. It led to bullying by some of the boys in his class. It had gotten so bad that every night we were having a meltdown. It made it difficult to even want to wake him up in the morning for school. At one point my husband had to take him into school screaming and crying and leave him in the front office. It is such a challenge because as a mom your heart breaks, but you know that going to school is what's best for the child. (Matyi A, personal communication, October 24, 2019)

5 How did your other children react to learning their brother/sister had a disability? What impact has __________ had on them? (if appropriate) I don't think any of the other children if noticed. Hannah is always off in her own world. The funny thing is watching the two of them interact together. Hannah is so bossy. When Hannah walks around putting on concerts for herself, Isaac will walk around holding his ears screaming, “Hannah IT'S SO loud.” Watching them play and interact together makes my heart soar. Hannah will protect her brother no matter what. There are no negative impacts. They stick together. It most definitely affected Hannah in the sense that she finally had something to protect, she tells us Isaac gave her a purpose. (Matyi A, personal communication, October 24, 2019)

What kinds of support have been most helpful to you (family members, parent groups, neighbors, other)? How would you prioritize your family needs and the areas in which you feel that you need more assistance?

Having support from my mother has been fantastic. I have three children, all of them Special Needs. Once a week she takes all three kids so that I can have a break and not have to stress about whether or not I’m going to lose my mind. She learns all of the activities and things we do with each child that have been taught to us by professionals. One of the areas I think we need help is having my husband home more often. It is very overwhelming at times having to do this alone. While we understand that he is doing his best to support us, we are struggling by not having our dad and husband here. I always make sure that each child gets to every appointment on time. Having a crazy schedule can be stressful, but we always make it work. (Matyi A, personal communication, October 24, 2019)

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What have been your experiences in working with school personnel? What have they done that has been most helpful? What have they done that was least helpful or even harmful? I shared the story about Isaac’s teacher publicly humiliating him. It was very frustrating. It took every part of me not to go to the school and be nasty right back. BUT I know that is not what God wanted me too. Some teachers do not realize the impact that they make on students and they have a very bad attitude. There are some teachers who personally take children under their wings and help them in a positive way. Isaac has gotten very close with his principle. While I was there, she told him in front of me that anytime he needed help or to talk, her door was always open. She told him she would drop whatever she was doing to be there. From what Isaac has told, she has. She takes arms for him quite frequently. I have had good and bad experiences with the school system.

How could the school help your child transition to adulthood? Along with all of the doctors and therapists who are helping Isaac, school is helping Isaac learn his social cues and social skills. Just like any student, children are being prepared for the outside world. It is important that we as adults within the school systems help children realize that life is not always going to be the same. While in high school my teachers used to tell me college professors will not care if you are there or not. That actually turned out to be untrue, but besides the point when you have teachers who care and poor their all into you, you become more successful and it is easier to transition into adulthood. (Matyi A, personal communication, October 24, 2019)

7 If I were to be Isaac’s teacher next year, what advice would you want to give me so that he/she has an optimal learning experience? The good news is that I never have to tell you to be patient with him. You always are. But for any child that has a disability do not ever make them feel ashamed of it. Praise them, love them, and let them know you will support them. Make it so that you are the teacher they can come to if they are struggling or have a problem. (Matyi A, personal communication, October 24, 2019)

What would you want me to do/not do in terms of my interactions with you if I were Isaac’s teacher? Well he is your nephew, I’d ask that you do not treat him as your nephew within the classroom. I’d ask that you treat him like the other children, just be mindful of being patient. Isaac has a fragile soul and personality, I’d ask that you still protect it. Protect it from others who may not see it as such. (Matyi A, personal communication, October 24, 2019)

I am just learning about students with disabilities and how to work effectively with them in my classroom. What other information would you like me—and my classmates—to know about working with children with special needs? I used to be a teacher, the first thing I’d tell you to do is get to know your students. If you have eight students in your class or forty eight students. Get to know them. When you know them you are able to learn what type of learner they are, what strategies work to help them learn. You make them feel more confident in who they are because someone does or tries to understand them. Have patience, those small victories you have will be the moments you remember for the rest of your life. (Matyi A, personal communication, October 24, 2019)

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One of the strategies we learned about it in another class was pre-teaching general education students so that they would be able to follow along and understand what was happening with the other children. I truly believe that by doing that it will raise their ideas and understanding of what is happening with the children. It will make working in cooperative groups much easier. For instance, when I had that boy in eighth grade who had Asperger’s Syndrome. I was young and had no idea what it was. I wasn’t outright mean to him but I didn’t understand that by simply saying hello or sitting with him would make his entire day. It took his mother coming to our school to talk about his disorder for me to understand. Now, Cameron is a doctor! I truly believe that if Isaac’s peers were taught previously about his disorder they would have been more willing to help him. Promoting social acceptance for students will only create a more effective learning environment for students. According to McNary, “Expert teachers know that it is essential to consider the individual student. Often, by considering the needs of one student, a teacher can positively impact an entire class. For example, if a teacher notices that an individual student needs to have written directions read aloud due to a processing delay, the teacher may discover that the entire class performs better when she reviews the instructions orally with the whole class prior to beginning an assignment.” (McNary et al., 2005) According to an article on Autism Speaks it suggests that we pair students with others who are a positive role model. My goal would be to pair someone like Isaac with a child who does not care what others think. I’d like to have him paired with someone who will be patient and allow him to take his time to understand whatever is being taught. The article says this, “Students with autism may not be socially savvy; therefore, if a student is being bullied or tortured quietly, he is likely to react or respond – but may not do so in a way that seems appropriate or is easy to recognize. Consider the student’s communication difficulties and make every attempt to fully

9 understand the situation before reaching judgment regarding fault or behavior.” (Autism Speaks, 2018) I used an article that Mrs. Matyi gave me that shared some behavioral strategies for autistic students. The very first strategy was this, “Let the child know what will happen next. For example, “After you finish the puzzle, it is time to brush your teeth”, or “In five minutes it is time to turn off the computer and start your writing assignment.” For some children it is helpful to set a timer so the child can keep track of how much time is left. So in the example above “In five minutes it is time to turn off the computer and start your writing assignment” you would set the timer for five minutes. Some children need reminders as time is winding down to 2 minutes, 1 minute, etc. For children who have trouble understanding the concept of time or numbers, a visual timer can be helpful because the child can see how much time is left.” (Wise, 2017) She explained to me that this worked with previous students that she has had, as well as with her own children. I most definitely will implement that into my teaching methods!

In conclusion this was an eye opening assignment. While learning how Mrs. Matyi truly felt when finding out her children had disabilities to seeing the fire and feistiness of a mama bear, it encouraged me to figure out ways to be an inclusive and effective teacher. It is my only hope that I will be able to impact students and promote social acceptance. While hearing Mrs. Matyi share about Isaac’s situation with bullying and how he didn’t want to go to school because of it, it broke my heart. It was inspiring to know that as teachers we have the ability to push students to work together and support each other. There are so many effective ways to create this effective learning environment and it just about figuring it out and specifically understanding your students.

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References Autism Speaks. “Teachers: Strategies for Success.” Autism Speaks, Jan. 9AD, https://www.autismspeaks.org/tool-kit-excerpt/teachers-strategies-success. McNary, S. J., Glasgow, N. A., & Hicks, C. D. (2005). Interacting with Students. In What Successful Teachers Do in Inclusive Classrooms: 60 Research-Based Teaching Strategies That Help Special Learners Succeed (pp. 1–26). Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781483328928.n1 Wise, Rachel. “15 Behavior Strategies for Children on the Autism Spectrum.” IBCCES, 22 Mar. 2019, https://ibcces.org/blog/2016/07/15/behavior-strategies/.

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