WEST - E Study Guide with Complete Solutions
6th grade student with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is having
significant difficulty getting started on a long-term writing assignment given by her
English language arts teacher. The student tells her special education resource room
teacher that she feels overwhelmed by the assignment, cannot find any information
about the topic, and thinks she might not write the report. How should the SpEd teacher
handle this situation (most effective)? - ANSWER-working with the student and the
English language arts teacher to break down the assignment into smaller, more
manageable parts
6th graders Alfie and Honesty ride the same bus. Honestly constantly teases Alfie. Alfie
is embarrassed because he believes she is berating him. The bus driver told their
teacher it was possible that Honesty is actually interested in Alfie, but doesn't express it
well. The best form of conflict resolution would be for the teacher to: - ANSWER-
Suggest to Alfie that Honesty's teasing that he might have a calm, assertive
conversation with her and tell her he doesn't like it and insist she stop. (By encouraging
Alfie to act on his own, it shows him he has primary responsibility for taking care of
himself. By offering social strategies, he learns a set of skills that will serve him
throughout life. If Honesty continues to tease him, he can ask a teacher to step in, but
doing so without his invitation is inappropriate.
A 10th grade student with post-traumatic stress disorder will soon return to school after
receiving 6 weeks from inpatient psychiatric care. The student is stabilized, but
unrelated stressors have the potential to trigger angry outbursts and symptoms of
depression. What strategies should the special education teacher implement first to
prevent the student from experiencing unnecessary anxiety? - ANSWER-establishing a
predictable routine for the student with advanced notice of changes
A 12th grade student with a physical disability has experienced 2 severe episodes of
depression within the past year and is currently taking an antidepressant medication. As
the student approaches graduation and the transition from high school to college, it
would be most important for the student to: - ANSWER-learn how to access counseling
services as needed
A 12th grader with mild autism has received special education and speech-language
services since kindergarten. Based on this information, the student is likely to have
greatest difficulty with which aspect of adulthood? - ANSWER-establishing and
maintaining quality interpersonal relationships
A 3rd grade boy is new to the school. His teacher has noticed he happily plays with
other children, redirects his attention without upset when another child rejects his offer
to play and doesn't mind playing on his own. However, the boy doesn't pay attention
when academic instruction is given. He continues to speak with other children, draws, or
distracts himself. The teacher reminds him repeatedly to listen and follow instruction.
When he does not, she moves him to a quiet desk away from the others. When isolated,
,the boy puts his head on the desk and weeps uncontrollably, or stares at a fixed spot
and repeats to himself, "I hate myself, I hate myself. I should be dead." During these
episodes, the teacher cannot break through to the student; his disconnection seems
complete. The teacher has requested a conference with his parents, but they do not
speak English and have not responded to her offer of a translator. The - ANSWER-
Immediately refer him to the counselor. (The boy is exhibiting serious emotional distress
suggesting either abuse or neglect at home or elsewhere. While his behavior may seem
manipulative, the fact that the boy is unreachable once he's in the highly charged
emotional state in which he repeats, "I hate myself" suggests emotional trauma. The
fact the child is socialized with peers, playing with them when invited and not takin
rejection personally, suggests his emotional distress may be caused by an adult who
has convinced him he is unworthy. A trained counselor is the best choice.)
A 4 year old child has difficulty sorting plastic cubes, circles and triangles by color and
shape, doesn't recognize patterns or groups and doesn't understand the relationship
between little/big, tall/short, many/few. The child enjoys counting, but does not say the
numbers in proper order nor recognize the meaning of different numbers. This child
most likely: - ANSWER-Dyscalculia. Dyscalculia defines a rang of difficulties in math,
such as the inability to understand numbers' meanings, measurements, patterns,
mathematical terms and the application of mathematic principals. Early clues include a
young child's inability to group items by size or color, recognize patterns or understand
the meaning or order of numbers.
A 4th grade teacher is concerned that an English language learner's academic
achievement is significantly below grade level. The prereferral team decides to try
providing the students with an aide to translate assignments. The teacher is also asked
to keep anecdotal records regarding the students informal verbal interactions with
classmates. The pre-referral team's actions are likely to be most useful for providing
information about: - ANSWER-whether the student's academic difficulties are related to
language differences
A 5th grade lead teacher and special education teacher have scheduled a parent
conference to discuss the behavior problems of the student. They anticipate the boy's
mother will be anxious and defensive as she has been at previous conferences. The
best approach for the teachers to take is to: - ANSWER-Begin by welcoming the mother
and discussing her son's academic improvements. Stress that the teachers, the mother
and child share goals for the student's success. Explain the behavior problems and ask
if the mother has insights to share. It's important to keep communication open.
A 5th grade student who has a specific learning disability an
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has begun demonstrating disruptive
behavior in recent weeks. Despite various intervention efforts, the behavior has
continued. The student's team decides to conduct a Functional Behavioral Assessment
(FBA). The first step the team should take in conducting the FBA is to: - ANSWER-
define the student's behavior in measurable terms
, A 7th grader with mild intellectual disabilities is having considerable trouble with
Algebra. His stepfather is trying to help, but the more he drills the girl, the less she
seems to understand. The teacher suggests: - ANSWER-He substitutes more enjoyable
algebra activities for the math drills. Incorporating manipulables such as algebra blocks,
math games and applications of algebra to real-life situations, will make math both
greater fun and more relevant. When both parent and child will feel happy and
successful, which encourages her to embrace further learning opportunities.
A 9th grade SpEd teacher is giving students strategies for taking a Maze test. There will
be several paragraphs in which some words have been blanked out. There are 5
possible answers for each blank. The best approach is to: - ANSWER-Read all
answers; mark out any that are illogical. Next 'plug in' the remaining words and mark out
those that are grammatically incorrect or do not sound right. Finally, think about context
clues. (Maze and Cloze tests are related. In a Cloze test, the reader uses context clues
and familiar vocabulary to decide which words have been left out of a text. A Maze test
supplies a number of possible answers and the reader must select the correct one.
Possible answers can be syntactically possible but illogical, syntactically impossible but
make semantic sense and both illogical and grammatically impossible.)
A child has been losing strength in her muscles over a period of time. The loss is very
gradual, but the teacher is concerned and would like the child to see a doctor. The
possible diagnosis is: - ANSWER-Muscular Dystrophy. (There are 20 types of muscular
dystrophy, a genetically inherited disease that frequently first manifests in childhood. By
contrast, muscular sclerosis almost never appears in childhood. Cerebral palsy is not a
deteriorating disease, as is muscular dystrophy.
A classroom teacher has a student with learning disabilities that affect her ability to do
math. The teacher consults with the special education teacher and decides she will
modify the work the child is given by reducing the number of problems, let her have
extra time to finish, and provide her with a multiplication chart. The teacher is: -
ANSWER-Making appropriate modifications. Each child is different. In this case, she
has consulted with the special education teacher and concluded the child needs
multiple supports.
A curriculum-based assessment provides information primarily about a student's: -
ANSWER-progress in acquiring specific academic skills
A diabetic first grader is very pale, trembling and covered in a fine sweat. The teacher
attempts to talk to the child, but the girl's response is confused and she seems highly
irritable. She is most likely experiencing: - ANSWER-Diabetic hypoglycemia. (Diabetic
hypoglycemia, also known as insulin reaction, occurs when blood sugar falls to a very
low level. It is important to treat it quickly or the diabetic could faint, in which case an
injection of glucagon is administered.
A high school SpEd teacher will be leading Individualized Education Program (IEP)
team meetings that involve numerous service providers within the school and
6th grade student with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is having
significant difficulty getting started on a long-term writing assignment given by her
English language arts teacher. The student tells her special education resource room
teacher that she feels overwhelmed by the assignment, cannot find any information
about the topic, and thinks she might not write the report. How should the SpEd teacher
handle this situation (most effective)? - ANSWER-working with the student and the
English language arts teacher to break down the assignment into smaller, more
manageable parts
6th graders Alfie and Honesty ride the same bus. Honestly constantly teases Alfie. Alfie
is embarrassed because he believes she is berating him. The bus driver told their
teacher it was possible that Honesty is actually interested in Alfie, but doesn't express it
well. The best form of conflict resolution would be for the teacher to: - ANSWER-
Suggest to Alfie that Honesty's teasing that he might have a calm, assertive
conversation with her and tell her he doesn't like it and insist she stop. (By encouraging
Alfie to act on his own, it shows him he has primary responsibility for taking care of
himself. By offering social strategies, he learns a set of skills that will serve him
throughout life. If Honesty continues to tease him, he can ask a teacher to step in, but
doing so without his invitation is inappropriate.
A 10th grade student with post-traumatic stress disorder will soon return to school after
receiving 6 weeks from inpatient psychiatric care. The student is stabilized, but
unrelated stressors have the potential to trigger angry outbursts and symptoms of
depression. What strategies should the special education teacher implement first to
prevent the student from experiencing unnecessary anxiety? - ANSWER-establishing a
predictable routine for the student with advanced notice of changes
A 12th grade student with a physical disability has experienced 2 severe episodes of
depression within the past year and is currently taking an antidepressant medication. As
the student approaches graduation and the transition from high school to college, it
would be most important for the student to: - ANSWER-learn how to access counseling
services as needed
A 12th grader with mild autism has received special education and speech-language
services since kindergarten. Based on this information, the student is likely to have
greatest difficulty with which aspect of adulthood? - ANSWER-establishing and
maintaining quality interpersonal relationships
A 3rd grade boy is new to the school. His teacher has noticed he happily plays with
other children, redirects his attention without upset when another child rejects his offer
to play and doesn't mind playing on his own. However, the boy doesn't pay attention
when academic instruction is given. He continues to speak with other children, draws, or
distracts himself. The teacher reminds him repeatedly to listen and follow instruction.
When he does not, she moves him to a quiet desk away from the others. When isolated,
,the boy puts his head on the desk and weeps uncontrollably, or stares at a fixed spot
and repeats to himself, "I hate myself, I hate myself. I should be dead." During these
episodes, the teacher cannot break through to the student; his disconnection seems
complete. The teacher has requested a conference with his parents, but they do not
speak English and have not responded to her offer of a translator. The - ANSWER-
Immediately refer him to the counselor. (The boy is exhibiting serious emotional distress
suggesting either abuse or neglect at home or elsewhere. While his behavior may seem
manipulative, the fact that the boy is unreachable once he's in the highly charged
emotional state in which he repeats, "I hate myself" suggests emotional trauma. The
fact the child is socialized with peers, playing with them when invited and not takin
rejection personally, suggests his emotional distress may be caused by an adult who
has convinced him he is unworthy. A trained counselor is the best choice.)
A 4 year old child has difficulty sorting plastic cubes, circles and triangles by color and
shape, doesn't recognize patterns or groups and doesn't understand the relationship
between little/big, tall/short, many/few. The child enjoys counting, but does not say the
numbers in proper order nor recognize the meaning of different numbers. This child
most likely: - ANSWER-Dyscalculia. Dyscalculia defines a rang of difficulties in math,
such as the inability to understand numbers' meanings, measurements, patterns,
mathematical terms and the application of mathematic principals. Early clues include a
young child's inability to group items by size or color, recognize patterns or understand
the meaning or order of numbers.
A 4th grade teacher is concerned that an English language learner's academic
achievement is significantly below grade level. The prereferral team decides to try
providing the students with an aide to translate assignments. The teacher is also asked
to keep anecdotal records regarding the students informal verbal interactions with
classmates. The pre-referral team's actions are likely to be most useful for providing
information about: - ANSWER-whether the student's academic difficulties are related to
language differences
A 5th grade lead teacher and special education teacher have scheduled a parent
conference to discuss the behavior problems of the student. They anticipate the boy's
mother will be anxious and defensive as she has been at previous conferences. The
best approach for the teachers to take is to: - ANSWER-Begin by welcoming the mother
and discussing her son's academic improvements. Stress that the teachers, the mother
and child share goals for the student's success. Explain the behavior problems and ask
if the mother has insights to share. It's important to keep communication open.
A 5th grade student who has a specific learning disability an
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has begun demonstrating disruptive
behavior in recent weeks. Despite various intervention efforts, the behavior has
continued. The student's team decides to conduct a Functional Behavioral Assessment
(FBA). The first step the team should take in conducting the FBA is to: - ANSWER-
define the student's behavior in measurable terms
, A 7th grader with mild intellectual disabilities is having considerable trouble with
Algebra. His stepfather is trying to help, but the more he drills the girl, the less she
seems to understand. The teacher suggests: - ANSWER-He substitutes more enjoyable
algebra activities for the math drills. Incorporating manipulables such as algebra blocks,
math games and applications of algebra to real-life situations, will make math both
greater fun and more relevant. When both parent and child will feel happy and
successful, which encourages her to embrace further learning opportunities.
A 9th grade SpEd teacher is giving students strategies for taking a Maze test. There will
be several paragraphs in which some words have been blanked out. There are 5
possible answers for each blank. The best approach is to: - ANSWER-Read all
answers; mark out any that are illogical. Next 'plug in' the remaining words and mark out
those that are grammatically incorrect or do not sound right. Finally, think about context
clues. (Maze and Cloze tests are related. In a Cloze test, the reader uses context clues
and familiar vocabulary to decide which words have been left out of a text. A Maze test
supplies a number of possible answers and the reader must select the correct one.
Possible answers can be syntactically possible but illogical, syntactically impossible but
make semantic sense and both illogical and grammatically impossible.)
A child has been losing strength in her muscles over a period of time. The loss is very
gradual, but the teacher is concerned and would like the child to see a doctor. The
possible diagnosis is: - ANSWER-Muscular Dystrophy. (There are 20 types of muscular
dystrophy, a genetically inherited disease that frequently first manifests in childhood. By
contrast, muscular sclerosis almost never appears in childhood. Cerebral palsy is not a
deteriorating disease, as is muscular dystrophy.
A classroom teacher has a student with learning disabilities that affect her ability to do
math. The teacher consults with the special education teacher and decides she will
modify the work the child is given by reducing the number of problems, let her have
extra time to finish, and provide her with a multiplication chart. The teacher is: -
ANSWER-Making appropriate modifications. Each child is different. In this case, she
has consulted with the special education teacher and concluded the child needs
multiple supports.
A curriculum-based assessment provides information primarily about a student's: -
ANSWER-progress in acquiring specific academic skills
A diabetic first grader is very pale, trembling and covered in a fine sweat. The teacher
attempts to talk to the child, but the girl's response is confused and she seems highly
irritable. She is most likely experiencing: - ANSWER-Diabetic hypoglycemia. (Diabetic
hypoglycemia, also known as insulin reaction, occurs when blood sugar falls to a very
low level. It is important to treat it quickly or the diabetic could faint, in which case an
injection of glucagon is administered.
A high school SpEd teacher will be leading Individualized Education Program (IEP)
team meetings that involve numerous service providers within the school and
