Shared Reading: Informal Assessment with a Student with Significant Disabilities

Case Example: Exploring Shared Reading with a Student who has Significant Disabilities

"Michael" age 12

Michael has autism and appears to have high sensory integration needs. He likes to use the computer to view phonics programs and likes to listen to music. Michael does not speak and currently has no reliable alternate or augmentative communication system other than a few signs. He uses a visual schedule to prepare for transitions and appears to understand the Boardmaker symbols on the schedule. Michael has one-to-one support for all activities except for listening to music with headphones or using a familiar computer program (e.g., early reading phonics game). He looks at easy picture books when an adult reads them to him and sometimes points to pictures upon request (e.g., Where's the horse? Point to the horse.) Michael is reported to frequently display challenging behaviors.

Below is an excerpt from field notes describing informal assessments with Michael related to shared reading.

Viewing and Reading Powerpoint Book

It is Michael's turn on the computer. His paraprofessional opens a program and he puts on earphones. Michael appears to be attending to the program. The adult is nearby, but not directing each step or leading this. It looks like he is doing a program practicing letters and sounds-like a kindergarten level practice phonics program. I go get my laptop and open it up. I open up a powerpoint "book"/ slideshow. It has easy text-one sentence per page. The text is predictable and rhythmic. But it has realistic photos and shows the journey of a box shipped by UPS. I sit down at the computer next to him with my laptop, but say nothing. I put the story in slideshow view and begin to look through it. I pay no attention to Michael. I am curious what he will do.
Within 10 seconds he is craning his neck, leaning into my space to see what is on my computer screen.
I speak to him in the same tone I would use for my daughters, one of whom is his age.
Oh did you want to check this out, Michael?
I reposition the laptop so he can see the screen.
This is something a friend of mine made for a kid I know. His name was Danny. He was really interested in delivery trucks.

He is looking at the screen. I begin to track the text with my finger and to read it aloud in a quiet voice. I can't watch to see if his eyes are tracking the print, but he is definitely paying attention.
I hit the space bar to advance through the next few slides, pointing to each word as I read each "page"/slide.
The next time I finish a sentence he is reaching. I point to the spacebar.
Ok-go ahead
He is not aiming too carefully and hits keys. I take his hand and support his forearm-
Try again-
He hits the space bar

We go through the whole thing this way. Me pointing and reading, he looking, listening (I think) and hitting the spacebar with some support. There are about 20 slides in all.

The timer beeps as I am considering another slide show to view.

After a short transition and break, we try another reading activity with a nonfiction trade book. It is about a late 2nd grade reading level.

Shared Reading: Expository Trade Book article

I am thinking about what else Michael and I might do. I search a bookshelf in the classroom for a text we might share. I find a nonfiction picture book on animals. I open and skim it. A different animal is profiled every two pages. The pictures are realistic. The text is short, two paragraphs on one page and a box with a few more facts on the facing page. I skim a couple of entries. I want to try to share some reading and writing with Michael around some content. This book can work.

I go back to his desk. I have the book, the white board and marker, and my laptop. The timer goes off. Michael sits down beside me. He signs, "more."

You want to write some more. We will. Here's what we'll do.
I write on the white board, speaking as I create the list.

First, we're going to read.

1. Read a book.

Then we are going to write.

2. Write

He reaches for the laptop.
I put it aside and point to the whiteboard.
We will write some more Michael. I promise. But first we're going to read. Then we will write again.
I set my laptop on the floor. He seems ok about this, even though he wants to write.

I show him the book and talk to him about it-in a normal, mature conversational tone:
Check this out. This book is about different wild animals. It has a lot of information and facts about them. We're going to read about one.
I open to the table of contents. I read through some of the animals listed.
Then I open to the page on elephants and write on the white board as I say,
Do you want to read about...

Elephants

Then I open to a page about dolphins...Or do you want to read about...Dolphins.. (I had skimmed these articles.)

He points quickly to elephants.
Ok-let's read about elephants.
I erase the white board and sketch out a graphic organizer-talking through it as I construct the parts of the web.
Ok Michael, let's think first about what we are going to read about elephants...
I write elephants in the center:

How elephants use trunks
What elephants eat

Elephants

How long elephants live

We are going to read about how elephants use their trunks (I add this to the web)
What elephants eat (I add this)
How long elephants usually live (I write this on web)
Okay-so as we read, let's think about these things and what the book tells us about each-
How elephants use their trunks, what elephants eat, how long elephants live.
Let's see..
I present the book and take his right hand again. Can you give me a pointer finger again? I help him isolate his index finger. I hold his hand and help him to track the print with his finger as I read aloud softly. At the end of the first paragraph which was about elephants' use of their trunks, I stop and present the white board. Ok-what did the book tell us-I point to the part of the web-about how elephants use their trunks? Let's pick 2 examples to write down here on our board.

I restate 3-4 examples from the reading, summarizing:
We read that they use their trunks...
To pick things up
To eat
To spray themselves with water
To breathe -
Like here in this picture-look-it said they can even use their trunks like a snorkel to breathe when they are underwater-that's what this elephant is doing I this picture...Michael looks at the picture. Where is its trunk? Michael points to it in the picture. Yeah-he's swimming underwater here, but his trunk is above water...
What do you want to add to our web? I read from the white board

How elephants use their trunks
I present choices-writing key words
Pick things up
Breathe
Eat
He points to "breathe."
Ok-I write breathe on the graphic organizer. Yes-one thing elephants use their trunks for is to breathe.
Let's write one more example.
I read again
Do you want to say that another thing elephants use their trunks for is to..."pick things up".... or to "eat?"
I point to each choice on the board.

Michael points to "pick things up."
Ok-I write it on the white board in the part of the graphic organizer about using their trunks. He watches me write, eyes definitely on the white board.

Let's read some more. I refer to the graphic organizer one more time first, pointing to sections and saying,
So we read about how elephants use their trunks. As we read some more, we're going to pay attention to what this book tells us about what they eat and how long they usually live.

I present the book. We read another paragraph about what they eat. Again I support Michael's finger to track as I read to him at a normal fluent pace. We repeat the steps with the white board...Through the same process he chooses two more examples which I add to the graphic organizer about what elephants eat-grass and leaves. It's more work than the first time, but we get them down and he has participated in making the choices. But we are losing some momentum. I know I am pushing him with the reading stuff.

He is moving around more, leaning on me and making some noises. I suspect he needs some sensory input. Do you need a squeeze, buddy? I give him some firm pressure-three times. It seems to help.

(At this point, I decided not to press Michael to complete reading the article and the third part of the graphic organizer. I decide to move on to writing because he enjoyed using the laptop earlier.)

Are you ready to write?
He signs, "More."

I pick up the laptop. We transition to a shared writing activity on the computer, related to the elephant piece we just read.

One significant priority for Michael is to work with a speech therapist who has expertise with assisted and augmentative communication to pursue options to support his ability to communicate. Based on this informal assessment, he is willingly engaging with a digital text with teacher scaffolding and support. Literacy learning need not wait until the augmentative communication piece is solved. 

(More about Michael in Shared Writing Informal Assessment Example)