Running head: EXPERIENCE INTERVIEW
Experience Interview
Katherine England
EDUC 521
Liberty University
Experience Interview
Name of person you are interviewing: Marsha and Justin Reeser
Name of individual with the disability: Cole Reeser
Describe the disability: Autism
Age of the individual with the disability: 11
Describe the relationship between the family member and the individual with the disability:
Mother and Father
Parent Interview
Cole was 2 1/2. Went to the local school district for the diagnosis. Contacted the Early On
program and had him diagnosed. He wasn’t developing like a typical 2-year-old so we
had concerns. We would ask them to take the time to explain what the diagnosis means
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1. How did you learn that Cole 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?
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using words that are easy to understand. We’d also like them to take time to explain the
types of autism/diagnosis-being able to explain that all children with Autism are different.
2.How did you feel when you received the diagnosis?
Very emotional. We went through multiple miscarriages before Cole was born and were
wondering if the infertility drugs caused his Autism diagnosis.
3.Have your feelings changed since the initial diagnosis? Describe.
Yes and no. We are more aware of what the diagnosis is and we are able to help other
parents through the diagnosed. We have learned to adapt to his diagnoses.
4.What have been the positive aspects of having a child in the family with a disability?
The group supports have been outstanding for Cole. We feel very supported with Cole.
Autism Alliance of Michigan has been a great support.
5.What have been the problems or challenges you have experienced having a child with a
disability?
Haircuts, fingernails, trying new foods, general hygiene. Just learning how to manage his
disability. Making changes/transitions. Non-verbal/communication
6.How did your other children react to learning their brother/sister had a disability? What
impact has Cole had on them? (if appropriate)
Cole has a younger brother, Alex. He acts very much like the older brother. He takes care
of his brother. We like to refer to him as a “life coach”. Cole and Alex have a very special
bond. We love the way they interact and motivate each other.
7.What kinds of support have been most helpful to you (family members, parent groups,
neighbors, other)? How would you prioritize your family needs and the areas in which
you feel that you need more assistance?
School has been a huge support for our family. A lot of our family has passed away so our
family support group is very small. We feel the most support comes our school system.
We would like to interact more with home and school. We’d like to see him in his school
environment and we’d like his teachers in our home environment. We’d like to see him
focus more on life-skills rather than so much academics, but every teacher is different and
has different expectations. We’d like if we could come up with goals together for our son.
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8.What have been your experiences in working with school personnel? What have they
done that has been most helpful? What have they done that was least helpful or even
harmful?
We have had wonderful experiences with school personnel. Everyone has been very
supportive in Cole and his academic journey. We have loved that his teachers have stayed
in contact with Cole and our family. The things that have been most helpful is that
everyone stays in contact. They have made sure that his needs are being met. The only
thing that has been harmful has been some of his transitions.
9.How could the school help your child transition to adulthood?
We would like to see more life-skills being taught early on and focus on his quality of life
rather focusing on so much academics. We’ve known for a long time now that Cole may
not have the cognitive ability to learn like everyone else. We feel like we’d rather have
him develop life skills in order to be more independent. It is also very hard to think of
Cole transitioning to adulthood right now at his age. We take things day by day in our
house.
10.If I were to be Cole’s teacher next year, what advice would you want to give me so that
he/she has an optimal learning experience?
Really communicate with us as parents as to where his needs are. Listen more to what
parents have to say as we see what happens at home. We want him to learn life skills
more than academics because his development and cognitive ability is almost at a peak.
We want to see him be a functioning part of society and be able to manage himself more
than learning certain academics.
11.What would you want me to do/not do in terms of my interactions with you if I were
Cole’s teacher?
Really working together as a team. Being able to communicate openly about the goals
that we’d like to see Cole achieve. Being more specific and descriptive about what he’s
doing during the day.
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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?
Remember that every child is different. Being able to adapt to the child’s needs. Have
open communication with the parents and families.
Research-based Strategies
Interview Justin and Marsha Reeser was very beneficial to not only my schooling, but me
as a person to have a better understanding that we cannot define someone by their disability.
Justin said several times during our interview that he and his family have learned how to adapt to
Cole and his needs. Not one time did he mention that Cole was ever an inconvenience or
problem for their lifestyle. I have known Marsha and Justin for almost two years now as I have
been working in Cole’s classroom. The reason I wanted to interview them specifically is because
they never let Cole’s diagnosis stop them from living a “normal” life. They still take their kids
out and let them experience new things even though it might be hard for Cole. Almost every
week, Cole comes back to school with something awesome to tell us about his weekend. I
appreciate so much that they do not let his Autism stop them from creating new memories.
We talked several times in our interview about all of the great supports Cole and his
family have received over the years. Cole was diagnosed with ASD when he was 2 ½ and since
then they have received great support from the school system. There are many types of supports
available to children with disabilities. I would like to touch on the school supports that are in
place because Justin and Marsha talked so highly of the schooling system. We discussed several
times Cole’s academics. Justin and Marsha both feel that Cole is pretty close to hitting his peak
as far as his academic learning goes. We as teachers have told them several times that we give
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Cole work that is appropriate for him and his learning abilities. “The academic lessons that the
child with autism receives can be planned in advance by a team of teachers and aides so that they
fit the child’s own developmental level. The assignments can be short and not complex, so that
the child can see progress and success in these appropriate tasks” (Kirk & Gallagher, 1979). We
have explained to the parents that yes, we will push their child to their full potential, but we will
never push them to the point of feeling failure. It is our goal as educators to maintain a positive
learning environment where kids are safe and comfortable to learn.
Another strategy and support put in place for Cole is his speech device. Cole has Non-
Verbal Autism so he uses a device to speak. He has made great gains with this device over the
past few years. Cole started out using the PECS system in his early childhood program. This is
similar to the video case we watched about Tyler. “One of the supports put into place was using
the PECS system which uses pictures in order to communicate the needs and wants of the child.
Tyler was expected to touch and put in order the things he wanted to communicate by using his
specific PECS board that was created for him. They noted that this has greatly helped him learn
to communicate using his words as well which is great” (personal writing) “Sometimes a
communication board is used so that basic communication is established between child and
adult. The child can communicate basic needs and feelings, and the adult can respond in kind”
(Kirk & Gallagher, 1979). Cole has made great gains using his device and we will continue to
push him to communicate more using the few words he has and using his device.
The last strategy that I would like to discuss is from an outside source. This source is
about integrating interactive visual supports. In our classroom, we do a ton of activities with our
SmartBoard. We love using it because it gives the students the ability to get up and move and
interact with academics and their peers. “High-tech devices for augmentative and alternative
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communication can also help children with special needs build language skills over time. These
tools typically include speech-generation functionality, eye tracking, and other advanced
features” (Hayes, 2010, pg. 664). We have used this for social stories, academics, games, and
many other things. Integrating interactive visual strategies and supports has not only helped Cole
continue to grow and develop, but has also helped many students show growth.
Conclusion
I thoroughly enjoyed this assignment. I have had the great privilege working with many
parents of special needs children and the Reeser’s have been a great example of a supportive
family. They have advocated for their children and will continue to do so. Something that I
appreciate greatly about them is that they do not let Cole’s diagnoses stop them from going
anywhere or doing anything. They allow their children to experience all types of things
throughout life and help them transition through even though it might be difficult. I had the
opportunity to listen to a conversation between Cole’s mother and another student’s grandmother
about how this specific family does not go many places because their child with Autism has great
difficulty in adjusting to the change so they just don’t go. This grandmother was blown away by
Marsha (Cole’s Mom) as she told her about something they had just done during the weekend.
She explained to grandma that yes, sometimes things are hard and there are meltdowns, but we
just work through them and support Cole through it.
The conversation between two family members of a special needs child was so
encouraging to hear. That conversation has encouraged this student’s Grandma to try new things
at a slow pace with her grandson. He has now been to 3 new restaurants and tried new foods. I
am grateful to experience working with these students and their families over the last 2 years and
I cannot wait to work with a different group this coming Fall. I am also grateful for the
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opportunity to interview this family and really hear what their experiences have been with his
schooling and different support systems. They have given me great encouragement to keep going
and pursue what I really feel that God has placed on my heart. I am extremely passionate about
the classroom and I pray that the Lord will continue to bless my heart as I work with these
precious students.
Matthew 7:24 says, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them
into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (NIV). This verse really spoke
to me when I read it. It is a constant goal of mine to be careful to listen to the word of God rather
than the word of mine. I have truly felt called to teach and no matter how difficult or low-paying
it may be, I really believe that God blesses those who listen to his words. I am grateful for
growing up with a family and a great support system around me to encourage me to do what I
feel I am called to do. I pray that I can encourage my future students to do the same and that I
will be the best support to them and their family that I can be. There are many great
organizations around that support families of special needs children and I would like to do my
best to be aware of many so that I can give parents the resources that they need to give their child
the best quality of life they can have.
References
Hayes, G. R., Hirano, S., Marcu, G., Monibi, M., Nguyen, D. H., & Yeganyan, M. (2010).
Interactive visual supports for children with autism. Pers Ubiquit Comput Personal and
Ubiquitous Computing, 14(7), 663-680. doi:10.1007/s00779-010-0294-8
Kirk, S. A., & Gallagher, J. J. (1979). Educating exceptional children.
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