Running head: EXPERIENCE INTEREVIEW 1
Experience Interview
Kiara Harris
EDUC 521
Liberty University
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Part 1: Demographics
Name of the person you are interviewing: Tonya Lawson (mother)
Name of the individual with the disability: Justice
Describe the disability: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Age of the individual with the disability: 10
Describe the relationship between the family member and the individual with the disability:
Justice and her mother Tonya have a great mother-daughter relationship. Tonya goes above and
beyond to make sure Justice is comfortable, and in good spirits.
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Part 2: Questionnaire Interview
1.How did you learn that Justice 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?
This paper describes the detailed interview between the interviewer and Tonya Lawson,
the mother of Justice an eight year old African American female who was diagnosed with
ADHD on August 6, 2008. They found out Justice was ADHD during a doctor visit.
Tonya, Justice, and Ella were present when the doctors told them that Justice has ADHD.
Ella is Tonya’s mother and Justice’s grandmother.
Tonya stated “the advice I would give to professionals who need to explain to parents of a
child with special needs is to be sensitive to the child and parent’s needs, use terms that
the parents and child will understand, provide them with written information that they can
take home to review, and let them know that you are there to support them during this
difficult time.”
2.How did you feel when you received the diagnosis?
Tonya stated that she was hurt, angry, felt like it was all her fault that Justice had been
diagnosed with ADHD. She also said that she cried for days, questioned her abilities as a
parent, she shut down. Tonya said she did not know what to do, she never knew anyone
with a disability, and that she did not want her daughter to have a disability or have other
people judging her daughter because of her disability.
3.Have your feelings changed since the initial diagnosis? Describe.
Tonya stated that her feelings have changed since her daughter initial diagnosis of
ADHD. She expressed that she is no longer angry about Justice having ADHD, and that
she now knows that God does not make mistakes. She says she has to be strong for her
children and that as long as Justice is happy she is happy. Tonya stated that support from
the community and educating herself about ADHD changed her feelings about ADHD.
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She said she has met a lot of [professionals that are helping her and her family better cope
with Justice’s disability.
4.What have been the positive aspects of having a child in the family with a disability?
Tonya said the positive aspects of having a child in the family with a disability is the
family have developed a closer bond, they spend a lot more time together, partake in
different family activities, and have all taken the time to educate themselves about ADHD
and how they can help Justice. She said all of their family activities are centered on her
daughter Justice.
5.What have been the problems or challenges you have experienced having a child with a
disability?
The problems Tonya experienced once Justice was diagnosed with ADHD were finding
the right professionals to help her daughter and Justice’s teachers. They live in a small
town and finding professionals to help Justice cope with her ADHD was hard at first until
Tonya reached out for help from community organizations. Tonya stated that during
Justice’s initial diagnosis of ADHD, she was still being taught in a general education
setting, Justice needed one on one help but was not receiving it in the general education
setting, the teachers did not understand and were not sensitive to Justice’s needs. She
stated that she spent a lot of time at Justice’s school speaking with administration and
Justice’s teachers about putting her in a classroom where she would benefit the most.
6.How did your other children react to learning that his/her brother/sister had a disability?
What impact has _____________had on them? (if appropriate)
Tonya said after learning of Justice being diagnosed with ADHD she knew she would
have to tell her two sons that their sister now has a disability. She did not know how they
would react to the news or how she would even explain it to them. Tonya said she sat her
sons down and told them that Justice got some bad news when she went to the doctor
today and that she has been diagnosed with ADHD. She said she explained to them the
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best way she could about ADHD and how it would affect Justice. She also explained to
them that Justice was still their little sister and that everything would be ok. Tonya said
her oldest son Jamal was very upset and was crying he wanted to know why this was
happening to his sister. James her middle son, did not show a reaction, he hugged and
kissed his little sister on the cheek and told her he would always be there for her no
matter what. Justice’s diagnosis of ADHD has not had an impact on them, they still treat
Justice the same as they did before she was diagnosed.
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 you need more assistance?
Justice’s mother Tonya stated that she has gotten a lot of support from the community and
her family members. Her mother Ella is her biggest supporter she comes over and
watches the children so that Tonya can go grocery shopping or just to do something for
herself. She states that she has met a lot of parents of children with ADHD in a parent
support group. They have even gotten their children together for play dates. Tonya states
that she has begun pursuing an online degree in special education so that she can better
understand special education services and disabilities. Tonya stated that time management
is her biggest problem. Trying to make sure Justice is comfortable, helping her with her
homework, work, school, taking care of home, and helping her other children there is not
a lot of time left for anything else. She said she could really use some assistance with
helping Justice with her homework and helping Justice become independent.
8.What has been your experience 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?
Tonya stated that overall her experience with school personnel has been good, it started
out bad, but now it is better. Helping Justice adjust in the classroom setting has been the
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most helpful thing the school personnel has done. The least helpful thing the school
personnel has done was during Justice’s initial diagnosis they were insensitive to her
needs and was not providing her with the instructional support she needed.
9.How could the school help your child transition to adulthood?
Justice’s mother stated that the school could do a lot to help her daughter transition to
adulthood. They could encourage independence amongst the students with disabilities;
provide them with job training, classes about finances, hygiene, and how to take care of
their homes.
10.If I were to _be Justice’s________ teacher next year, what advice would you want to give
me so that she has an optimum learning experience?
Tonya said the advice she would give me if I were Justice’s teacher next year is to be
patient with her and to always be sensitive to her needs and learning style. She also said
do not take pity on Justice, she is smart young lady that so happens to have ADHD.
Justice’s mother also said for me to help Justice succeed academically and socially and to
help her gain independence.
11.What would you want me to do/not do in terms of my interactions with you if I were
Justice’s teacher?
Tonya stated that as Justice’s teacher she would like for me to communicate with her
daily about Justice’s academics. She wants to know what areas Justice is excelling in and
what areas she needs help in. She also stated that she would like to have a parent teacher
conference once a month if time permits so that we could sit down and go over Justice’s
academic plan. I ensured her that since Justice receives special education services, the
IEP meetings is where she and myself would meet with other professionals to discuss
Justice’s academic plan.
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?
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She said she would like for me and my classmates to understand that even though the
children have special needs, they are still great kids who deserve a great education. They
deserve teachers who are going to have their best interest at heart, and who are going to
help them succeed academically and socially. She also remembers to be sensitive to their
needs and to be patient with them.
Part 3: Summary of Research-Based Strategies
A teaching principle that could benefit this family would be direct instruction.
According to our textbook direct instruction focuses on the details of the instructional
process (Hallahan, Kauffman, & Pullen, 2015, p. 135). Direct instruction from her
teachers would help Justice succeed in her academics, and she would be able to learn the
material to complete her homework independently. Another proponent of direct
instruction is the teacher uses task analysis to break down academic problems into
components so that they can teach the parts separate, and then teach the students to put
the parts together to demonstrate the larger skill (Hallahan et.al, 2015 p.135). Another
teaching principle that could benefit this family would be peer tutoring. Justice’s mother
Tonya stated in the interview that she wanted assistance with helping Justice with her
homework and that she wanted Justice to develop socially, peer tutoring will help Justice
develop socially and she will have someone to help her with her homework. I also believe
cognitive training is another teaching principle that will benefit Justice and her family.
Cognitive training is comprised of three parts: changing thought processes, providing
strategies for learning, and teaching self-initiative (Hallahan et. al, 2015, p. 132). Justice’s
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mother Tonya stated that she wants Justice to be more independent and to be able to make
her own decisions when she’s older. Cognitive training will help Justice achieve those
goals. All three of these teaching principles will benefit Justice and her family, because
they will be helping succeed in all areas of her life.
Part 4: Conclusion-Reflection and Discussion
This experience interview assignment was an eye opening experience. I learned so much just
from sitting and talking with Justice and her mother Tonya. It was amazing to see how positive
they are and how strong their faith in God is. Most people shut down or are negative because of
certain situations that have occurred in their lives, but Justice who is only ten was smiling,
laughing, and all around very positive even though she has ADHD. I admire Justice’s strength
and resilience. She continues to live her life as if she has not been diagnosed with ADHD. She is
not letting the disability define her, she’s defining it. The family opened up to me during the
interview fully expressing their thoughts and feelings about Justice having ADHD. I could tell
that the love and support from her family helps Justice deal with the diagnosis. This interview
left me feeling appreciated for the life I have. It also taught me be to be thankful for the good and
the bad and to not compare my struggles with others. Someone else in this world may be dealing
with greater burdens than I have. I am very thankful for the opportunity of being able to
interview Tonya Lawson, Justice’s mother; it was astounding to witness her strength and faith.
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References:
Hallahan, D.P., Kauffman, J.M., and Pullen, P.C. (2015). Exceptional learners:
Introduction to Special Education (13th Ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson
Kirk, S., Gallagher, J., & Coleman, M. (2015). Educating exceptional children (14th ed.).
Stamford, CT: Cengage.
