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The annual goal is to develop social communication skills through the following objectives.
- To develop communication skills through making the student initiate a variety of topics with others.
- To enhance communication through the student engaging in communication interaction through asking questions of others regarding topics initiated by others or self so as to sustain conversation and also learn how to take turns in conversations.
- To understand various verbal and non-verbal communication behavior like tone of voice, vocal volume, personal space and facial expressions by stating what they imply. The student will also need to make use of these communication behaviors for example to indicate that he needs more time to process information properly. It is also the aim of making the student have the ability to call the attention of the communicative partner before communicating.
2.
The learner is Mark who is 15 years old and very bright in his academics (Case study-Mark). He likes science ad numbers and is obsessed with washing hands so that he does not spread germs to others. He needs to be able to understand how people communicate so that he can know if he is really hurting others when he does not wash his hands. He also need to understand that if a student gets flu or is sick it is not his fault and this will be done through educating him how to associate with others.
The target behavior is inability to participate in other activities like playing with other students instead of playing with computers. In order to develop communication skills, the behavior will be performed using social stories, social scripting aimed at reducing the social demands of the situation, video tapes, photography and finding and using social relations.
3.
Factors considered when selecting the goal
Mark is a bright student and is very keen on numbers and science. His only problem is his inability to communicate with anyone else who has almost made him a social outcast in is class (Case study-Mark). He has no friends and is also not involved in any games. This has made other students pick on him through bullying like asking him to lick milk on his plate. Mark has everything else that a child of his age should have and the only thing lacking is communication skills. This is the reason as to why developing his communication skills is important so that he can effectively talk to others which will enable him to make new friends easily and develop more confidence in himself.
4.
The functions of the communication are so that Mark can be able o express needs and wants when the objectives are met. When others tease him, he will be able to defend himself appropriately. Gaining the skill will increase his social interaction including social etiquette so that he will be at ease with his classmates and his family. Through learning how to communicate, he will be able to exchange ideas with other students because in school there will come a time when the students will be divided into groups and he will need to become a team player and not an observer. The skills will help him in future when he graduates and even during employment.
5.
The long-term goals include:
- To increase social-emotional skills so that he will be able to identify emotional states and would respond appropriately to it.
- To develop social understanding skills so that he can participate in group setting effectively.
- To develop narrative discourse skills so that he will be able to relate information.
The long-term goals relate to the annual goal selected because they are all aimed at making Mark a better person in social setting so that he becomes more outgoing and creates new relationships with his teachers and peers.
References
Case study- Mark. Based on Ghaziuddin, N., Metier, L., Ghaziuddin, M., Tsai, L. & Giordani, B. (1993). Three Siblings with Asperger Syndrome: A Family Case Study. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2 (1), pp. 44-49
