Disability Issue

[zuzu_]

I'm teaching a section of research-intensive composition that involves significant in-class peer workshopping. I am running into a problem with one student.

This is the third class the student has taken with me (development comp, comp 1, and now comp 2). Student has disclosed disability of autism and anxiety. I have successfully worked with many students with autism and actually have special training in teaching students with autism from a previous job. I suspect this student has other issues as well. In-class, the student is pretty much "freezes" and cannot talk or do anything, such as in-class writing. For example, I might have an hour-long writing exercise, for which I ask students to aim for 500 words, and Stu will write two sentences.

Stu's final essays are terrific--usually As. But anything he does in class is pretty much nonsensical. He also has a severe stutter and is unable to have a conversation. Frankly, I suspect his parents are writing his essays. However I cannot prove this, and there is certainly a chance he may be able to achieve a lot more in a different environment at home. In any event, there is nothing to be done about this.

I usually assign partners for peer workshops, and I don't know what do with this student. I have tried having peer workshops, but he is unable to do them in class because he cannot talk or write well enough to meaningfully. I allow him to write feedback at home, which sometimes turns out OK and sometimes is just nonsensical or like 10% complete. He passes the course because these assignments are low stakes compared to his essays, which are excellent.

My other students are polite, but I hate depriving the other students of a meaningful peer workshop. Also, Stu is clearly panicked and miserable during these sessions.

WWFD?

[mamselle]

What did the disability office say when you described this to them?

M.

[zuzu_]

We are a tiny school, and thus our disability office is virtually non-existent. Just a part-time staffer to handle paperwork. I have more training/experience working with people with disabilities than this part-time staffer does. (I've also run this by my spouse, who has an MEd in Special Education and many years experiences with secondary kids with disabilities). I'm doing OK with this student in class 90% of the time, but I'm just looking for ideas for how to make this peer workshop activity less painful for all involved.

[archaeo42]

A friend of mine has a young son with autism and ADHD. They recently posted a link to this Twitter thread that I found really enlightening about how planning works (or doesn't work) for someone on the spectrum. I know you mention having previous work experience with autistic students but thought this might be useful to share.

https://twitter.com/sayitslp/status/1187509381736226816?s=19&fbclid=IwAR3PoCcHf4dGovgFfqLFqaFWE7-0DU1K8ZaJKPdObWzbgo8ybor_OPFIjSc

[downer]

Seems to me that a small school is liable to being sued under ADA if it doesn't provide support for students with disability. This student needs a trained specialist.

[zuzu_]

Seems to me that a small school is liable to being sued under ADA if it doesn't provide support for students with disability. This student needs a trained specialist.

Technically, the part-time person is trained, but I'm just being frank and realistic about their skills and capabilities. The part-time person does their best--they actually have a significant disability themselves (not neurological or cognitive), so this person is sympathetic to the need for accommodations and well-versed in advocacy. This person simply does not know how to facilitate a peer workshop in a composition course with someone who is unable to speak or offer written feedback.

I think the student likes my class/teaching, because even though we are small, there are multiple composition instructors and he has chosen to have me as an instructor 3x in a row. I do have experiences with students with autism, but this student is very different than any other one I've had. I can definitely work with the not-talking issue, but it's the not-writing feedback for the other student that's causing the biggest problem. I don't know that the student is capable of critically analyzing another piece of writing.

Also, as I noted before, the student is likely to pass the class because the essays (which make up the majority of the grade) are excellent. He will "succeed" in the course in this respect. I'm just trying to make these in-class experiences more positive for everyone.

[Caracal]

Have you talked to the student about this? It seems like it might be worth asking them about their difficulties with this. You could ask if they would prefer doing that kind of writing at home on their own time. It seems like it might be easy enough for you to modify the assignment to make that work and then the student could just not have to come to class on those days. You'd want to be careful that you weren't stigmatizing the student, but if you put it within a larger conversation about writing style and work while emphasizing the excellent quality of the student's writing out of class, I think you could manage...

[bopper]

Can you have some groups of 3 instead of all groups of 2?

[zuzu_]

Have you talked to the student about this? It seems like it might be worth asking them about their difficulties with this. You could ask if they would prefer doing that kind of writing at home on their own time. It seems like it might be easy enough for you to modify the assignment to make that work and then the student could just not have to come to class on those days. You'd want to be careful that you weren't stigmatizing the student, but if you put it within a larger conversation about writing style and work while emphasizing the excellent quality of the student's writing out of class, I think you could manage...

Yeah, I've tried just telling him to finish the peer worksheet. Most of the time, his feedback is nonsensical or like 10% complete. Once or twice, it was OK.

The student is unable to carry on a conversation out loud, even with me. But that's a good idea to email him and ask if he has any ideas for how to improve the peer workshops. I'll do it now.

Can you have some groups of 3 instead of all groups of 2?

Yes, but it's a 10 page paper, so in the groups of three, students provide feedback for only one other student's essay during class time. So we are still left with the problem of one student getting virtually no peer feedback on their essay.

[Hegemony]

Can you pair the student with someone else, or with two other students, and have them offer comments to each other online via your CMS site?  Either during class time or, if that doesn't work, asynchronously from home.

[spork]

Can you pair the student with someone else, or with two other students, and have them offer comments to each other online via your CMS site?  Either during class time or, if that doesn't work, asynchronously from home.

I hesitate to mention this, because it will sound, uh, not good, but if the student is not able to function in the face-to-face classroom environment, would the student be ok with temporarily leaving the classroom for an isolated environment and supplying peer feedback electronically (via LMS, or via email with you cc'd)? This will prevent his parents from writing the peer reviews in addition to writing his essays.

I will guess that there will be no improvement in the quality or quantity of peer feedback, but at least you will have attempted to accommodate the documented disability.

[larryc]

I kind of like Spork's idea, but not sure of the legal ground here.

My other thought is to pair this student with your best most compassionate student. Someone who does not need any peer review anyway, and who is willing to work with the student on the spectrum in a humane manner.

[zuzu_]

We did the first peer workshop today. This student actually IS at a different location in another room (it is a interactive TV distance learning class). I did pair him with a compassionate student, but I still feel like I'm stiffing that student a bit. It is a small class (9 students total), and frankly there is no student who doesn't need writing help.

I am only asking Stu to provide written feedback, but today he was able to write about two sentences (75 minute class) that essentially said "This paper looks good to me." I just can't tell how much of this is anxiety or if he does not comprehend the assignment.

In teaching composition, I don't assign on-demand writing, so I feel it would be unethical (if not illegal) to isolate this student due to my suspicions. Plus, these assignments are so low stakes it just doesn't matter for the grade. It's more just about making the class period a more positive learning experience for everyone.

[zuzu_]

Update: so today in class, I still hadn't received a complete version of the worksheet from the last workshop, so I did not assign Stu a partner and instead encouraged him to finish the previous worksheet. He was unable to do it in class, but told me he would work on it at home.

This afternoon, he emails it completed. Pretty well. His email says: "Ok, I've managed to finish up on the workshop, Mom found a lot of things that he could improve on."

I don't even know what to do at this point. I have an email out to his advisor, but I'm pretty sure this means his mom does his work sometimes and he sees no problem with it. I don't know who to kick this up to. Disabilities? Dean of Students? My dean? No one? (My chair is literally incompetent).

Of course this is a low stakes assignment, and even with the higher stakes essays, anyone is allowed to seek assistance from tutors. There is still a lot of gray area as to whether a academic dishonesty is occurring, but I strongly suspect it is.

[fleabite]

Maybe invite him in for an exploratory conversation based on the e-mail? Something like: Thank you for e-mailing me. You seem to get along better working at home. Could you tell me a bit about your work process?