Integrated Reflection 3 Phase 3 This semester was quite a challenge to me.

I was exposed to many knew things in practicum and in the classroom that tested my limits each and everyday. The second I found out I was placed in a Functional Life Skills classroom; I was nervous and excited at the same time. I was excited to get to experience something new- before this I had mainly worked with students with higher incidence disabilities. However, I was also nervous because I knew that this placement would bring me out of my comfort zone and require me to work on things I had never done before. This experience taught me the most about communication, and the importance of the ability to communicate your wants, needs and desires. When most people thing of communication, they immediately thing of things like, how can someone express their emotions, do they clearly articulate what they are trying to say. However, what people fail to think about is what about people who have no way to expressively communicate anything to you at all? How can we, as educators, teach students ways to communicate with the others around them, if they do not have the ability to use verbal or written speech? This very question was one I was posed with at the beginning semester. This is when I met a student who would change my life forever and challenge all that I thought I knew about communication. This student was an eighteen- year-old female who absolutely loved technology. She had an infectious laugh and an incredibly loud and vocal scream. However, those two sounds were the only sounds she had the ability to make. I decided to investigate her ability to communicate more thoroughly through the use of assessments and observations. The results of this can be found in my -Communication Program. I wanted to challenge the belief that because someone does not have the ability to speak the also do not have the ability to communicate. My results of the assessment proved to me that this student had little expressive language abilities, however, she had very strong receptive language abilities. I began to question- what if I could implement with her a system that would allow her an alternative way to communicate with others around them. It just so happened that I was taking a class that centered on AAC. That is when I heard about the PECS system (Pictorial Exchange Communication System). I decided to work in conjunction with the speech and language pathologist at my school in implementing this system with this student. I wrote an Instructional PECS program in which I outlined how I was implementing this program. This program not only required my time and patience, it also required me to focus on the foundations of my program to help me in implementing this program. I was required to follow a scripted procedure and use systematic prompting in order to be successful with the program. I decided to focus on prompting as part of my Professional Development goal. I wanted to make sure that not only was I being clear and concise with my prompt deliveries, but also age appropriate in the way I was talking to the students. It is easy to fall into the trap of using a tone more often associated with younger children when working with students with severs cognitive disabilities. I wanted to challenge myself to do the best prompting possible for all my students, but especially this one. I began working one on one with this student and the results were astronomical. The PECS Data, taken from the beginning of the intervention, shows that she was able to grasp the conception of the exchange right away, and showed persistence in

communicating her wants. We preformed a preference assessment to find highly reinforcing items she could requests and the results were promising. This student, who everyone said could never truly communicate her wants was generalizing and using this skill across staff and across environments. I was over the moon that she was able to hand me a picture. I thought the fact that she could show me what she wanted was the greatest gift anyone could have given me as an educator. Knowing I empowered her to do this felt like I had finally had my first big victory as a special educator. And then, on one of my last days working with her not only did she me just one picture, but she came over with I want and A magazine. An eighteen year old student, who had never before spontaneously communicated with another staff, handed me her first sentence of I want a magazine. This moment confirmed to me that as a teacher you could never ever put limitations on the possible outcomes and successes of your students. You must also strive to beat complacency and reach for the stars. What I learned this semester with these students has shaped my goals and dreams as an educator. I know I will be better because I learned the importance of setting the bar high, and always expecting more from your students.