Running head: EXPERIENCE INTERVIEW
Experience Interview
Demetrice Watkins
Liberty University
Part 1: Demographics
Name of person you are interviewing:
Amanda Freeman
Name of individual with the disability:
Anthony Freeman
Describe the disability:
“He has a mild case of Autism”
Age of the individual with the disability:
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“I’ve always felt that he was developing at a slower rate than others. He was officially diagnosed
at 5 years old. He is now 11 years old.”
Describe the relationship between the family member and the individual with the
disability:
Anthony is Amanda’s son.
Part 2: Questionnaire Interview
1.How did you learn that Anthony has a disability? (Who was present? When did this
happen?) 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?
“Like I said, I’ve always felt that he was developing at a slower rate. When he started
kindergarten, the school informed me that he wasn’t developing socially and
recommended that we take him to see a professional. We scheduled an appointment about
a month later. His father and I were present when he was diagnosed”.
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 would advise the professional to be patient and try to empress empathy… that’s about
it”.
2.How did you feel when you received the diagnosis?
“I was a little upset, and also a bit relieved. I’ve always known that something wasn’t
right with Anthony, but I’d hoped for it to be nothing. However, I was happy that it was
something that wasn’t too severe”.
3.Have your feelings changed since the initial diagnosis? Describe.
“No. Not really. I’m happy that I have an understanding of what is happening with
Anthony. He is actually doing really well in school right now. He still has tendencies to
act a little awkward in social situations, but he’s made a few friends. He’s also starting to
develop an interest in sports”.
4.What have been the positive aspects of having a child in the family with a disability?
“Nobody wishes for their child to be disabled. However, I now have the knowledge to
help someone else who may not be as informed on this particular disability”.
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5.What have been the problems or challenges you have experienced having a child
with a disability?
“There’s been the issue of trying to explain to my child why he’s considered different.
Also, I’m not really a very patient person, but I’ve had to be very patient with this
process and that has been extremely challenging for me”.
6.How did your other children react to learning that their brother had a disability?
Anthony is an only child.
7.What kinds of support have been most helpful to you (family members, parent
groups, neighbors, other)?
“From his teachers and counselors, to just about the whole school system, everyone has
been very supportive. Of course, I have family that would do anything for Anthony and
me. I can’t really ask for much more”.
How would you prioritize your family needs and the areas in which you feel that you
need more assistance?
“Anthony’s issue isn’t really that severe, so everything kind of flows normally”.
8.What have been your experiences in working with school personnel?
“As I said earlier, everybody has been great. We’ve been very fortunate in that aspect. I
know that some families usually have difficulties with school personnel, but my
experiences with them have been great”.
What have they done that has been most helpful?
“They’re there every day working very closely with and keeping me informed throughout
the process”.
What have they done that was least helpful or even harmful?
“Nothing. Everyone has been wonderful”.
9.How could the school help your child transition to adulthood?
“If they continue to do everything that they’re doing the way that they currently are, then
I think that my son will be just fine”.
10.If I were to be Anthony’s teacher next year, what advice would you want to give me
so that he/she has an optimal learning experience?
“Be patient with him, get a thorough understanding of his disability, and listen to him”.
11.What would you want me to do/not do in terms of my interactions with you if I were
Anthony’s teacher?
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“I would tell you to be sure to keep informed of EVERYTHING! I want to be involved
with the entire process”.
12.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 would tell you to just have patience. I think that patience is the most important
characteristic that a teacher can have when dealing with children with disabilities”.
Part 3: Summary of Research-Based Strategies
According to his mother, Anthony suffers from mild autism. As Ms. Freeman stated in the
interview, Anthony’s case hasn’t been that severe. Thus, many of the difficulties commonly
associated with this disorder do not apply. However, from the information that Ms. Freeman
shared, I think that peer tutoring would be very beneficial for Anthony. According to the text
(2015), peer tutoring is defined as an instructional strategy in which a child with disability is
paired with a student who has been coached by the teacher to provide specific help (Kirk, S.,
Gallagher, J., & Coleman, M). I believe that Anthony would benefit from this due the fact that he
was having trouble interacting with other students. Having another student engage with him
would help with the social awkwardness that he usually displays. Ms. Freeman also expressed
that Anthony is a bit slower at understanding complex problems and situations. According to the
article “Improving Problem-Solving Performance of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders,”
problem solving requires an individual to take timely action for successful functioning in a
particular setting and consists of identifying a problem and possible solutions, deciding on
different actions, and choosing the best solution (Yakubova and Doughty, 2015). I feel that a task
analysis strategy would help him tremendously with this issue. As stated in the text (2015), a task
analysis is a process of breaking a large and complex task into manageable pieces so that these
can be accomplished in sequence (Kirk, et al). I think that this strategy would help Anthony with
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his understanding of how to accomplish bigger and/or more complex tasks, which would, in turn,
also help with his intellectual development. Finally, I feel that Anthony would benefit from
incidental learning. Incidental learning is learning that occurs when the information is not being
explicitly taught (e.g., the social norm of standing 2–3 feet away from individuals we do not
know well is “learned” but not usually explicitly taught). For students with disabilities explicit
teaching may be needed for skills that are usually learned incidentally (Kirk, et al., 2015).
Anthony has a problem with identifying social norms, and how to interact socially. With this
approach, I feel that he would benefit by seeing firsthand how one is supposed to interact in
those situations.
Although Anthony’s situation is not severe, it is always beneficial for the student when a
teacher practices patience and has a thorough understanding of the problems that afflicts the
student.
Part 4: Conclusion – Reflection and Discussion
When initially speaking with Ms. Freeman, I got the feeling that she was not really taking
Anthony’s disability that seriously. However, after further discussion, I realized that she was just
happy that his disability is a less serious issue than it could have been. According to Ms.
Freeman, Anthony seems highly functional and capable of developing a skill set that would
allow him to be as successful as someone without his disability. I was happy to hear that Anthony
is doing well in school and making friends, especially given the fact that he is very socially
awkward and can’t seem to pick up on some social norms. I am also grateful that he seems to
have very knowledgeable teachers and receive enough support for him to continue to develop at
a rate that he is comfortable with. Although Anthony’s case is not that severe, he seems to have
teachers that are very patient with him. Many of the struggles associated with children with
autism spectrum disorder require many supportive measures that most of these students fail to
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receive. I feel that with the support from Ms. Freeman and the rest of Anthony’s teaching staff,
he will not have this problem.
I personally feel that Anthony is very lucky to have the support system that he has. I think
that the most interesting part of the interview is how Ms. Freeman demands to be kept in the loop
in regards to EVERTHING that happens with Anthony when he is out of her care. The most
important thing for a child who’s suffering from a disability is a mother/family full concerned
and support. Ms. Freeman seems to be the driving force behind Anthony’s development. I feel
that because of her support for him, he will continue to develop and grow into an amazing and
productive individual.
References
Kirk, S., Gallagher, J., & Coleman, M. R. (2015). Educating exceptional children. Stanford, CT:
Cengage Learning.
Yakubova, G., & Taber-Doughty, T. (2015). Improving Problem-Solving Performance of
Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental
Disabilities, 32(1), 3-17. doi:10.1177/1088357615587506
