Running head: FIELD EXPERIENCE INTERVIEW
Field Experience Interview
Juan Chan
EDUC 521-D13
December 17th, 2017
Liberty University
Part 1: Demographics
1.Name of person you are interviewing: Jennifer Huang
2.Name of individual with the disability: Ryan Lin
3.Describe the disability:
“He has Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. Ryan can’t stay focus on task even in a
short time nor remain silent in his seat.”
4.Age of the individual with the disability:
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“Ryan is 8 years old now and he is in 2nd grade.”
5.Describe the relationship between the family member and the individual with the
disability:
Jennifer is Ryan’s mother. She used to work as a secretary and now she stays at home so
that she can have more time with Ryan.
Part 2: Questionnaire Interview
1.How did you learn that he had a disability?
“It started when he was still in day care. The teachers said he couldn’t stay still
and wasn’t able to stay focus on task. Therefore, the teachers suggested us to test for it.
Later when he entered kindergarten, the teachers mentioned again that he had trouble
following instructions and finishing tasks. We were worried and so we brought him for
the test and we found out he had ADHD.”
2. (Who was present? When did this happen?):
“During kindergarten, we wrote a letter to school to request for an evaluation to
see if Ryan had ADHD. Then they went through a lot of tests and evaluation. They found
out that he had ADHD and suggested us to put him in a smaller study group instead of a
classroom that consists 30 students, so he can get more attention from the teachers. On
that day, I was there with Ryan’s dad, the principal of the school, Ryan’s kindergarten
teacher, a specialist, and a psychologist.”
3.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 guess I would suggest them to speak slowly and keep it simple. They talked a
lot about different types of disorders. We weren’t able to process all the terms at the time
even though we did a lot of research before. It was confusing. However, they were very
patient when we asked them to repeat again.”
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4.How did you feel when you received the diagnosis?
“It was complicated. I was happy that we finally confirmed the reason for Ryan’s
behaviors. Then I felt sad because I was hoping he doesn’t have any disability the whole
time. I was also worried because my youngest son was just born at that time. I don’t have
much time and energy to give extra attention to Ryan.”
5.Have your feelings changed since the initial diagnosis?
“Yes, I constantly prayed about it and talked with brothers and sisters in our
fellowship. There are many other families like us in our fellowship. I felt much comforted
when we share with each other. Also, Ryan made a lot of improvement last year in first
grade. Sometimes he could finish his homework by himself. He is a lot focused now than
before.”
6.What have been the positive aspects of having a child in the family with a disability?
“I would say it made me more patient and understanding. I used to blame Ryan
for not being able to focus on task and following the directions. However, now I know it
is not that he did it on purpose. He is also the victim of ADHD. I need to be more patient
and gave him time to grow. Also, the support from brothers and sisters in Christ is very
encouraging. I used to ask God why He had to do this to me. Why would He make Ryan
like this? Now, I am more willing to accept the fact that God is love and He cares.”
7.What have been the problems or challenges you have experienced having a child
with a disability?
“Ryan kept forgetting to bring things back home and that made me stressful.
Sometimes it is homework, sometimes it is a water bottle, and sometimes it is a jacket. I
have to waste a lot of time finding things for him or buying the same one he lost to make
him happy. He never listened even when I talked to him directly. It hurts me so much.
Sometimes I felt that he doesn’t love me even though I love him so much.”
8.How did your other children react to learning their brother/sister had a disability?
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“My daughter is fine. She is more understanding and caring for her younger
brother. However, my youngest son Matthew is another story. Maybe because I gave too
much attention to Ryan, Matthew always get jealous even though he is only two years
old. Sometimes he would get angry and keeps confirming with me that I am only his
mom, not Ryan’s whenever I say this is Ryan’s mom on the phone or conversation.”
9.What impact has ADHD had on him?
“Well, I would say the impact I worried most is that he couldn’t make friends with
others. He is doing fine academically. For most of the tests, he would get in the range of
90 percent. However, he likes to blurt out answers randomly and doesn’t behave in class,
therefore, he doesn’t have much close friend except the one that he had since
kindergarten. When he is in Sunday school, the teacher reported to me that he always
plays by himself instead of with others. I am afraid that if this going on, he will be really
lonely later.”
10.What kinds of support have been most helpful to you (family members, parent
groups, neighbors, other)?
“Last year when he was in first grade, the classroom teacher was very helpful. She
puts a lot of attention on him and that makes him feel that the teacher cares about him.
However, this year the second-grade teacher doesn’t even check his homework. So
sometimes Ryan would complain and says that the teacher doesn’t care about him. I
always tell him that maybe the teacher is busy but she does care about everyone. I also
received a lot of help from my fellowship. They constantly pray for me, Ryan, and my
family. I am really glad that I can have support from them.”
11. How would you prioritize your family needs and the areas in which you feel that
you need more assistance?
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“I am a housewife. I stay at home and do housework. I put all my attention on
Ryan. I drop him off and pick him up every day from school. I do homework with him. I
spent most of my time with him. However, my youngest son is only 2 years old.
Therefore, I think I may need more strength and time to give some attention to Matthew
as well.”
12.What have been your experiences in working with school personnel?
“It was alright. Every time when I asked questions in regard to Ryan, they are
very patient and helpful.”
13. What have they done that has been most helpful?
“They cared about Ryan. They put him in small classes so that Ryan can have
enough attention from teachers.”
14. What have they done that was least helpful or even harmful?
“It is good that they put Ryan in the small classroom, however, the students there
were very violent. Ryan learned a lot of bad behaviors from them. The teachers didn’t do
anything to prevent it.”
15.How could the school help your child transition to adulthood?
“Not sure about that. Ryan is only at 2nd grade now. I don’t know about that.
Maybe later when Ryan enters middle school, I will know.”
16.If I were to be Ryan’s teacher next year, what advice would you want to give me so
that he has an optimal learning experience?
“He will only trust you if you spent a lot of time with him. He had a friend who
was in the same class with him ever since kindergarten and that is why he is so close to
him. He needs a lot of attention. If you sit down and do work with him, he would finish it
with you. However, if you just let him do it on his own, it would never be done.”
17.What would you want me to do/not do in terms of my interactions with you if I were
Ryan’s teacher?
“I would say just be friends with him. He loves to play with little kids because
they are not threatening to him. However, when it is bigger kids, he will get shy and
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violent. So, I would say just be friends with him and let him know that you care about
him. You are not a threat to him.”
18.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 guess it would be understanding. Kids like Ryan always doesn’t behave and
make a lot of trouble. But it is very important to know that it is not out of their control. It
is the disability forcing them to do that. They are good kids indeed. So, you should be
more understanding and patient with these kids. When they make the mistakes, help them
instead of blaming them.”
Part 3: Summary of Research-Based Strategies
Ryan, as the second-grade student, has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit
Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) since kindergarten. According to Kirk, Gallagher, and Coleman
(2015), students with ADHD have symptoms of inattention, hyperactive, and impulsivity in
multiple settings to a degree that is maladaptive and inconsistent with the developmental level of
the individual. His mother reported that he wasn’t able to focus on task and sit still for class.
Furthermore, she mentioned that Ryan blurted out answers randomly very often and he had hard
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time making friends because of his behaviors. Therefore, I would suggest following three
research-based instructional strategies to help Ryan improve both academically and socially.
The first instructional strategy is to combine Response to Intervention (RtI) and Positive
Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). According to Kirk, Gallagher, and Coleman
(2015), the use of multi-tiered approaches (RtI and PBIS) not only could “reduce suspension,
expulsion, and dropout rates” for students with ADHD, but also could “facilitate the home/school
partnerships so important to the success of students with ADHD” (p. 225). Having universal Tier
I strategy in a general education classroom will provide Ryan with a consistent set of
expectations that are clearly and explicitly shared. Using Targeted Tier II strategy either within
the general classroom or in another setting will help Ryan with specific needs such as being on
task. Intensive Tier III on a special setting will help Ryan to interact with others in appropriate
ways (Kirk, Gallagher, & Coleman, 2015).
The second instructional strategy is to use scaffolded approach that “builds increasing
levels of autonomy for the learning” (Kirk, Gallagher, & Coleman, 2015, p. 228). In the first
level of “I do it”, Ryan would be able to watch the teacher to learn how to think and how the
process goes (Kirk, Gallagher, & Coleman, 2015, p. 229). In the second level of “Y’all do it”,
Ryan would be engaged in practicing the new skill within the small groups (Kirk, Gallagher, &
Coleman, 2015, p. 229). In the final level of “You do it”, Ryan would reach a confidence level to
work independently (Kirk, Gallagher, & Coleman, 2015, p. 229). The benefit of this approach is
that Ryan would be highly engaged and work hard toward mastery with a feeling of confidence.
The third instructional strategy is to promote self-regulation to regulate Ryan’s behaviors.
Challenges in executive functioning made it difficult for Ryan to regulate his behavior. When
teachers allow Ryan to choose one or two target behaviors to focus on improving by
“implementing a self-monitoring system”, he would be encouraged to have positive behaviors to
get rewarded for things such as extra time at computer playing (Murphy, S., 2014, p. 69). When
Part 4: Conclusion – Reflection and Discussion
The experience of interviewing Jennifer about her son Ryan, who was currently in 2nd
grade with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorders (ADHD), was an eye-opening event to me.
As a mother of three, Jennifer used to have a secretary job, however, she chose to give it up after
Ryan was diagnosed with ADHD. This unconditional love where a mother is so willing to
sacrifice her career to take care of her children touched me so much. While admiring her courage
and selflessness, I was also glad to see how the life changing attitude that Jennifer had from
blaming Ryan for not being on task in the beginning to becoming more understandable and
patient towards his behaviors. She constantly prayed for Ryan and asked God for guidance
throughout the whole process. I was so encouraged by that and it reminded me of a verse from
the Bible saying that, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the
Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you”
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teachers give Ryan directions in a clear and straightforward manner through “declarative
language”, he would be more likely to follow the orders (Murphy, S., 2014, pp. 69-70). When
teachers “give frequent and immediate feedback”, Ryan would be more motivated to be on task
(Murphy, S., 2014, p. 70).
There are many other ways teachers can support students with ADHD to grow. However,
time, structure, support, and complexity should all be considered as elements of effective
instructional planning. Therefore, we as teachers should use differentiated instruction to let
students work on modified assignments, add more structure to the process of learning by helping
students use task analysis, provide several supports through direct instruction, peer support, and
assistive technology, and allow students to have creative thinking for higher complexity (Kirk,
Gallagher, & Coleman, 2015).
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(Deuteronomy 31:6, NKJV). With the strong faith in God, Jennifer showed me that God loves
and He cares.
The interview not only touched me but also educated me. I learned from Kirk, Gallagher,
and Coleman (2015) that students with ADHD have symptoms of inattention, hyperactive, and
impulsivity in multiple settings to a degree that is maladaptive and inconsistent with the
developmental level of the individual. Therefore, when Ryan’s mother described Ryan’s
behaviors at home and in school, I was able to turn my head knowledge from the textbook into
practice. Ryan’s behaviors of not being able to focus on task and being forgetful to lose things
were the symptoms of inattention. His inability to sit still during class was the symptom of
hyperactive. Him blurting out answers randomly was the symptom of impulsivity.
Furthermore, the interview also motivated me to work harder so that I could serve
students with ADHD better. Ryan’s mother mentioned that she learned to be more understanding
and patient through Ryan because he is also the victim of ADHD. There are many students that
are like him that couldn’t make friends with others easily. This is because the challenges in
executive functioning made it difficult for them to regulate their behaviors, which result in bad
social relationship with others (Murphy, S., 2014). Therefore, we as teachers should find
effective strategies to help them improve their behaviors.
In order to help students with ADHD improve academically and behaviorally, I learned
that teachers could apply many different strategies. For example, I could use self-regulation
strategy to allow students choosing one or two targeted behaviors to focus on improving. In this
way, students will be engaged to have positive behaviors since they would get rewards if they
reach their targeted behaviors (Murphy, S., 2014). Furthermore, I could also use “declarative
language” to make clear and straightforward direction to help students follow the orders
(Murphy, S., 2014, pp. 69-70). Teachers can use scaffolded approach to increase students’
autonomy for learning as well (Kirk, Gallagher, & Coleman, 2015). However, my favorite
FIELD EXPERIENCE LOG
Graduate student: Juan Chan Course: EDUC 521-D13 Semester/year: Fall/2017 School:
Christian Believers Meeting City/state: Flushing/New York
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strategy is to apply Response to Intervention (RtI). It is because having different tiered
approaches not only could give students with ADHD enough attention, but also could benefit
them from being in inclusive learning environments (Kirk, Gallagher, & Coleman, 2015).
In conclusion, the biggest impact of this interview to me was about love. No matter if it is
the unconditional love Jennifer had towards Ryan or whether it is the faithful love God had
towards His creation, I was so touched by all. As Christian teachers, we should also have love
when we are teaching, especially with children like Ryan. We need to be more understandable
and patient with them. Our love might run out because we are human, but we can always pray for
them and ask God to help us to be more like Jesus so that our love towards the children can
always be refilled by Him.
Total Time: 12 hours
Murphy, S. (2014). Finding the right fit: Inclusive strategies for students with characteristics of
ADHD. YC Young Children, 69(3), 66.
References
Kirk, S., Gallagher, J., & Coleman, M. R. (2015). Educating exceptional children. Stanford, CT:
Cengage Learning.
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School phone: 646-354-8452 Teacher: Priscilla Aguirre Grade/subject: 1-2 nd grade/
Bible
Special education setting/student categories: general classroom/ADHD
Graduate student duties:
Assist teacher to keep class in order and make sure everyone finished their classwork
Date Arrive Depart Hrs/Mins
December 1st 3:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. 3 hours
December 4th 3:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. 3 hours
December 5th 3:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. 3 hours
December 6th 3:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. 3 hours
