Allison
Allison is an eighteen-year-old student with a specific learning disability in reading
comprehension and written expression. She is a friendly student who has several
friends and interests outside of school. Allison’s oral expression skills are strengths
for her as are her interpersonal skills. Academically she has maintained B’s with
a C in Chemistry during her 10th and first half of 11th grade school years. She
met her IEP goals for the past school.
Allison is the fourth of seven children. She says that her responsibilities at home
included caring for her younger siblings and doing light chores around the house.
Her older sister, Jessie, graduated from college and is finishing up her first year
teaching first grade at an elementary school not far from their family home. Allison
likes to go to her sister’s classroom after school and on the weekends to help her
sister make materials for lessons. Allison decided that she wants work with pre-schoolers
or kindergarteners, but she is not sure if she wants to be classroom teacher.
Allison likes to work out at the gym with her friends, and plays softball on a county
league. She loves movies and shopping with her sisters. Frequently, she has not
completed her homework this semester so her parents are concerned about the impact
that her newfound independence will have on her grades at a university. They are
concerned that she doesn’t have the organizational skills to effectively manage
her study time as well as her social life. Allison has told her friends about her
disability status. She views her disability as a challenge, and she realizes that
her organizational skills could be a barrier to achieving her goals. She has committed
herself to making changes to become more organized but has yet to be successful
in using a planner and getting her assignments done on time.
Her parents are also adamant that she attends a university that offers she needs
to obtain a degree in child development. At her last IEP meeting, they expressed
frustration that her older brother began taking courses that were related to his
career plans; only to later find out that the degree he hoped to complete was not
offered at his college. Allison’s teachers have suggested that Allison meet with
a counselor at the college campus to prior to the first semester to ensure that
her college coursework is well-planned and that she has support to make decisions
about her courses and to assist her in organization.
This document was produced under U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special
Education Programs Grant No. H326J050004. Marlene Simon-Burroughs served as the
project officer. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions
or polices of the Department of Education. No official endorsement by the U.S. Department
of Education of any product, commodity, service or enterprise mentioned in this
publication is intended or should be inferred. This product is public domain. Authorization
to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. While permission to reprint this
publication is not necessary, the citation should be: National Secondary Transition
Technical Assistance Center (2007) Indicator 13 Training Materials, Charlotte, NC,
NSTTAC.
