Response to Intervention: The Benefits and Challenges

Good morning everyone! The weather outside is gray and wet, but the weather inside is sunny and toasty! I've been held captive by my warm bed while I blog and sip my cup of hazelnut Jane (the female version of "Joe").  I am sure there is a better place to be, but for some reason, I cannot think of it. 

As many of you know, I have a grandson, Giovanni, who is on the autism spectrum.  His language has been progressing lately in leaps and bounds, and every time I am with him, he astounds me with his expressive language.  From his early years when eye contact was absent, I am now more than blessed by his four-year-old self's ability to hold my gaze and talk about silly things.  Oh, the conversations we have!  However, I often wonder how he is fairing in school.  He is in a special education preschool five days per week, three hours per day.  He loves the interactions with the other children and is still learning how to play nicely with them. Aside from his sensory dysfunction and difficulty with peer interactions, how well he is learning and what he is learning are what plague my mind the most.  

I used to work in the school system doing occupational therapy and autistic students made up the majority of my caseload.  I understand Giovanni better than most because I treated sensory dysfunction in my school kiddos every day.  Swings, slides, therapeutic brushing, and a gamut of other approaches were used to amp up and calm down those who were plagued by it.  Giovanni has a Lycra swing now in his home living room and will ask for it when he feels the need to calm himself down.  The adjustment to the swinging has not been without its share of runs to the kitchen garbage can to toss up his most recent meal, however.  We have yet to use it for learning while swinging due to the meal tossing, but I am hopeful that the time will come soon.  

Giovanni is very intelligent.  He knew all of his letters (upper and lower case) and their sounds and his numbers at twenty months of age.  He recognized shapes and colors correctly at this age, also.  He has always been ahead of the game in his intelligence, which occurs with most students on the spectrum, but he has yet to write his name, even if it is shortened to "Gio".  He loves to paint abstractly, but purposefully he is limited. 

My goal has been to make him sensory bags, where he can practice writing his name, ABCs, and letters with his finger over a Ziploc bag filled with hair gel.  Seeing there is a gap in his learning ability because of sensory dysfunction is a Response to Intervention approach or RTI.  RTI is used as an early screening process to detect whether a student may need extra help academically.  If the screening process indicates there is a significant learning difficulty, more testing may be required.  This early detection process can benefit all students, but especially those who may qualify for special education services.  An IEP (Individualized Education Plan) can be established after testing to establish a baseline, set goals, and discuss and monitor progress as a team. 

The benefits of RTI are plentiful for students and teachers.  First, RTI helps teachers to identify the difficulties each student is having. Imagine teaching a classroom of kids with the same lesson plan, but only 3/4 can learn.  The other 1/4 will soon fall behind due to a lack of understanding and other learning difficulties.  RTI helps teachers tailor their lesson plans and provide strategies for those who are struggling.  These strategies are typically best practices used by other teachers with great success.  Secondly, RTI helps to build a network with other teachers at their school, especially when RTI is implemented, offering support and direction for fellow peers. 

Students receiving RTI learn more quickly because their learning needs are being met sooner.  The opportunity to slide further behind is halted with RTI.  Additionally, students are a part of the goal-setting process, therefore becoming active participants in their academic progression.  Students can celebrate their progress and are encouraged to continue to keep learning.  For these reasons, RTI is a more personal approach for students who are struggling with their learning.  

The challenge with RTI is that while learning is specific to each child, it is also time-consuming.  RTI programs may need to be provided in their own environment, may require additional educational specialists to implement, and may be costly.  These challenges require budget changes, time adjustments for teachers, and create separation from RTI students and their classmates.  An inclusive environment is not always inclusive if many students are being yanked out daily to address learning difficulties in RTI programs. While Giovanni has an active IEP, I am unaware of an RTI program in his preschool.  He receives Speech Therapy and ABA Therapy at his school, for which he is removed from his classroom to do so.  

Considering all of this concerning Giovanni's unique needs, perhaps I will whip up a set of lettered bean bags, designed to spell his name, for him to toss while swinging.  Combining my years of OT in sensory dysfunction and my love for sewing just may be a win-win for Team Giovanni!  The aforementioned sensory bags will also address his tactile defensiveness and allow Giovanni to write with his finger or the eraser end of a pencil.  In the OT world, we call this "Adapt and Overcome", but RTI in the teaching world is much more formalized and specific.  

Well, the sun is finally out and the day is calling me, particularly the laundry.  I hope this has encouraged you to change some things up for your kiddos.  You know them best and what they need to accomplish their academic and everyday life goals.  Trust your instincts and reach out to other homeschooling moms, teachers, etc. when you get stuck.  Happy Wednesday!!  God bless!!

xx  Kristine