Susan Hart

DIFF 504, June, 2014

Introduction Person Centered Plan: Patricia Roatch
Patricia Roatch, is a ten year-old girl born on October 4, 2003. Patricia
lives at home in South Buffalo with both parents, and younger sister, Delaney
(5 years-old). She has a large and close-knit extended family that is made up
of two sets of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and 11 cousins ranging in age
from 2 to 13 years old.
Because her mother is a carrier of Fragile X Syndrome, Patricia was tested in
utero for the Fragile X gene. By having this gene, her mother had a 99%
chance of passing this gene onto her children. Patricias test came back
positive for a full mutation of the Fragile X gene. Fragile X is the most
common inherited cause of intellectual disabilities. It is also the most
common known cause of autism. Fragile X is caused by a defect in a single
gene located on the X chromosome. This gene, called FMR1, shuts down and
fails to produce a protein vital for brain development. Because males only
have one X chromosome, their symptoms tend to be more severe. Females
have two X chromosomes, where one X is usually unaffected and will
compensate for the X that fails to produce the FMR1 protein. Symptoms
usually include intellectual disabilities, ranging from mild to severe, attention
deficit and hyperactivity, anxiety, unstable mood, and autism.

After Patricia was born and began to grow, there were no delays in her
physical or mental development. She hit all of her milestones at or before
average range. At age two, her parents took Patricia to see a genetics
counselor at Childrens Hospital in Buffalo. The counselor saw no significant
concerns correlated with the Fragile X gene. When Patricia started school,
she performed at grade level, excelling in reading, writing, and spelling. Not
until 4th grade were there any concerns about her academic progress.
Patricia is currently in a 5th grade general education classroom at
Discovery School in South Buffalo (BPS 67), where she has attended school
since pre-k. She has not repeated any grades, and is currently one of the
younger students in her class due to her late birthday. She was tested for
special ed. Services in 4th grade and did not qualify for an individualized
education plan (IEP). Areas where Patricia scored below or just at average
level were tests measuring math facts and computation. There were also
concerns with Patricia coping with anxiety, learning new concepts, and
performance during timed testing. Patricia would get overwhelmed with
school work, predominantly math, where she would shut down and believe
that she could not correctly complete her work. Auditory processing when
given directions, and following through on a task also seemed difficult for
her. There were concerns with her organizational skills as well. Her needs
were addressed with implementing a 504 Plan; where she has more exposure

to learn new concepts, small group instruction during math lessons, and
testing accommodations.
Patricia is involved an extra-curricular activities outside of, as well as
organized through school. Patricia has been taking gymnastics for the past
four years at Gymnastics Unlimited. She dances on the Discovery Dance
Team through UB Center of the Arts. Through a grant, UB has given the
students of Discovery the opportunity to learn dance at school for the past
two years. She joined the school swim team this year, and came in second
place in a freestyle event during swim finals. She also is a member of the
school newspaper where she is responsible for writing articles. She has a few
close friends and is active on the weekends with family activities. Her family
owns a cabin in Stockton, NY where they spend many weekends over the
summer.
Rationale:
Her parents recently listed their home for sale and are contemplating
moving out of the Discovery School district for the following school year.
Because of the upcoming move, coping with anxiety, difficulty with learning
content in school, and her reserved, shy-like demeanor; Patricia seemed to
be a perfect candidate for the person centered plan.
Patricia will be leaving the only school she has ever known, filled with
students that she has grown with, to transition into a new school district
where she will enter middle school. To make the transition easier for her, the

MAPS plan was chosen. The plan will gather her family, friends, and
educators together to discuss the needs that should be addressed and to
discuss a plan that can be implemented to assist Patricia academically and
socially.
Pre-planning:
Patricia and her mother met with myself (the facilitator of the meeting)
2 weeks before the scheduled date. It was discussed with Patricia the
purpose of the meeting and her preferences on those that should be invited
to attend. Patricia suggested a few friends, and stated that she preferred her
teachers not be present. To fulfill her request, teachers were asked questions
that would be addressed at the meeting, prior to the meeting date.
Guests were invited via text message. A group message was sent
asking for specific dates and times that would meet the needs of those
involved. The meeting was scheduled, and a final text message and phone
calls were made to discuss meeting content. The location was mutually
convenient and took place at Patricias grandparents home. All parties
involved gave consent to use their names in the plan. Patricias MAPS
meeting was held on Tuesday, June 10th at 5:45 p.m. Those in attendance
included:
Susan, Jess (facilitators)
Amy, Patrick, Delaney (mom, dad, sister)

Annette & Richard (grandparents)

Kay, Scott, Scott Jr., and Danrich (Aunt, Uncle, cousins who attend
Hamburg Schools)
Mike, Ann, Michael, William, Mason (Aunt, Uncle, cousins who attend
Frontier Schools)
Katherine, Sandy, Kadan, Marly (Friends - attend Frontier Schools)
AGENDA
1. 6:00 pm - Introductions name and relationship to Patricia; record
those in attendance
2. 6:15 pm - Overview purpose of meeting:
a. Patricias current placement at Discovery
b. Concerns and discussion of why the meeting is being held
c. Transition into the next school year (middle school, new
district, unknown staff)
3. 6:30 pm - Complete MAPS profile
4. 7:00 pm - Thank everyone for coming, invite them to stay for
snacks/refreshments
Meeting Reflection:
The overall meeting was successful. All parties were present, with the
exception of one family that was unable to attend. Patricia was in good
spirits and enjoyed the attention the meeting was giving her. Participants
were on time and the meeting took on a casual tone. The meeting took place
outside with a picnic-like atmosphere where there was a distinct calm,
comfortable environment, as all parties were close acquaintances.

We started the meeting off with introductions. Most of those in

attendance were family. After a description of the purpose for the meeting,
we continued to complete the MAPS outline. We listed those in attendance
and started with Patricias story (as addressed in the introduction). When we
began describing Patricia, we asked participants to call out the first thing
that comes to mind when they think of Patricia. Some responses were:
caring, helpful, nice, beautiful inside and out, big sister, and shy. Patricia
decided that she wanted to be the one to record the information, and took
the marker from her hand to write the responses herself.
As we moved to Patricias wishes and fears, most of our concerns
seemed to focus on social aspects. She was worried to leave her school and
start somewhere new. She often states that she does not want to leave her
school. Her mother felt that this may be due to the fact that she has
attended the school since she was 3 years old. Her mothers concerns were
for her to feel successful and to buildup her self-confidence. She fears that
Patricia will fall behind academically, and due to her shy nature, that she
may have difficulty making new friends and feeling comfortable in her new
school.
Patricias plan consisted of getting her involved with activities in the
community, activities in school, and to meet with teachers prior to the start
of the upcoming school year. Her mother plans to continue her involvement
in gymnastics. As a facilitator, I took an inventory of her community and

suggested two locations for gymnastics. This would allow Patricia to meet
girls in her area that are her age and that would potentially attend her new
school. Her mother may plan to enroll her at her current location to keep
some consistency into next year. I also recommended contacting a social
club in Hamburg called Willow Bend. The club has a swim team and tennis
lessons. This would provide Patricia with another opportunity to meet new
friends and to continue swimming on a team. I also suggested enrolling
Patricia in dancing as well.
I started a file folder with school information on Patricia that I
suggested her mother use to provide information to her new teachers. The
file includes her 504 plan, accommodations, learning styles, report cards,
notes from teachers, and other pertinent information that may help her
succeed in the upcoming school year. I also suggested to set up a time
where Patricia can tour her new school and meet some of her new teachers.
It would be ideal for her to have a student guide, or for her to mirror a
student for a day.
The overall meeting was a positive, non-threatening process that was
engaging and gratifying. I did not see the shy, reserved girl that I have been
a witness to in other social situations. When she is in a comfortable
environment, she lets her guard down and is more herself, more involved in
conversations, and assertive in being part of the group (she may have been
apprehensive inviting her teachers because of this). I thought it was good for

Patricia to see that she does have many people looking out for her, and
friends that genuinely care for her well-being. She often states that she
doesnt have a close group of friends at school and feels left out. This
meeting may have given her a new found sense of belonging, and possibly
looking forward to this upcoming change. I am hoping that a new school may
prove to be a positive transition and the start of a new chapter in her life.
Resources to implement goals for Patricia:
http://www.willowbendclub.com/ - swimming, tennis, and social club (cousins
are currently members)
http://www.hamburgschools.org/Page/2589 (registration)
Hamburg Middle School Counseling Center: 646-3250 ext. 5409
Hamburg middle school has a 6th grade swim team.
http://www.frontier.wnyric.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=124 (registration)
http://www.frontier.wnyric.org/domain/205 (school counseling information)
Only information for Swim on site is for varsity swim team.
Hamburg Dance Center: 648-6999
http://www.ixl.com/membership/ (Assistance in math computation, more
exposure to concepts)