The document describes Hannah Guerin's senior thesis project which aims to create an after-school club called "Jumping the Hurdle" for middle school children with language learning disabilities in NYC public schools. Hannah's project involves developing a manual for the club that will help SPED teachers implement it in their schools, with the goal of running the club once a week for 3 hours to provide support and skills building for students with language learning disabilities.

1. LEAD: A Club for Children with Learning Disabilities
Hannah Guerin
Senior Seminar & Thesis: Section on Social Innovation
Faculty: Lara Penin, Jon Jelen, and Eduardo Staszowski

2. Problem Statement
When I was in pre-school both my parents and teachers knew that I had some learning
differences, in 4th grade I was tested at Boston’s Children’s Hospital and diagnosed with three
Language Learning Disabilities.
The problem with Language Learning Disabilities is that most do not have a name or concrete
description like Dyslexia, this makes it more difficult to identify and be aware of
students disabilities. Additionally, the fact that students have these disabilities puts them at
a disadvantage for being able to speak up. A combination of these problems led me to find an
intervention where I could help build students communications skills so that they can make
known to their teachers where their problem areas are.

3. Primary Research: Interview Time Lines
U.S. Average LD Timeline Randi Sylvia’s LD Timelime
Pre-school Kindergarten 1st Grade 2nd Grade 3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade 6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade 9th Grade 10th Grade 11th Grade 12th Grade College Pre-school Kindergarten 1st Grade 2nd Grade 3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade 6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade 9th Grade 10th Grade 11th Grade 12th Grade College
1 Out of 5 people Children with In the U.S. 5% or 44% Of parents 35% Of children Only 13% of Teachers/ parents Federal testing This trick helped Randi’s mom The charter There was a Randi stopped Randi carried the
in the U.S. has ADHD compose 4 million of who noticed with LDs drop students with noticed a LD by the school in Randi when it moved her to a school meeting with asking for extra Charter school
some form of a 10-15% of the school-aged their child was out of high LDs have spelling and came to Charter school. classrooms were teachers so that help because she way of learning
LD & receive school age children in public learning at a school. attended a Learning the math. gymnastics This fostered her extremely small everyone could knew how she though high
special population & 1/2 school are slower rate 4-year alphabet when learning creative side so that teachers be one the same learned and how school and
education. of the children classi ed as waited a year or 1 In 3 students post-secondary everything was 1st/2nd Grade: since it was could do page of how to maneuver college.
This equals 4.6 who receive having a LD. more before with LDs drop school within 2 backwards Randi’s mom was mostly hands on one-on-one style Randi learned. around her
million SPED. doing something out of high years of leaving especially B’s & very involved projects. teaching. learning
Americans. about it. school versus the high school. D’s with her learning obstacles.
1 in 10 the disability so that
general she could MCAS
population. advocate for her accommodations
and help her at
home.
“Students with “Researchers “Additional “LDs have been “50% Of children “Simple “5 Ways where “I used to write “In gymnastics I “I never liked Charter school “Sometimes I “My mom was “I really don’t like “When I can’t
LDs express more have found that di culties linked to greater under the age of psychological LDs and my d’s couldn’t gure asking my taught her how over think things constantly public speaking gure out how to
loneliness, feel students with experienced by anxiety in 15 who interventions can emotional backwards so out my left from teachers for help to speak up for and get stressed reassuring me because I can’t put into words
less integrated in LDs, as early as in depressed children.” committed have a positive concerns meet. when I spelled my right and because they herself out.” that I wasn’t the get the right what I am
school, and were 3rd grade, have children with LDs suicide in LA e ect. Teachers -LDs may lead to my name it came other kids would confused me so I only one with words for what I thinking... I think
victimized more a negative in the classroom -Magalt & Zak county over a 3yr can take the time emotional out Ranbi... My make fun of me.” just tried and these types of am trying to say.” that is the most
often than other academic self may be due to (1984) period had been to talk with a distress brother would gured it out for problems.” frustrating part
students concepts that the stress and diagnosed as student about -LDs may raise or make fun of me, myself, but this of my LD.”
-physically maybe frustration being learning his/her exacerbate to this day he all changed once
assaulted. generalized from caused by their disabled.” frustrations or existing calls me Ranbi. I I went to the
-Had their low self-views in LD.” anxiety.” emotional hate it .” Charter school.”
possessions speci c -Peek (1985) concerns
stolen/removed academic -Fristad (1992) -LDonline (2009) -Emotional issues
subjects.” may mask a
-Sarbornie (1994) childs LD
-Hieber et al., -Emotional issues
(1982) may exacerbate
LDs
-Conversely,
emotional health
may enhance the
performance of
children with
LDs.
-LDonline (2009)
Continuous Federal Testing Continuous Federal Testing
Lauren Bagnall’s LD Timeline Hannah Guerin’s LD Timeline
Pre-school Kindergarten 1st Grade 2nd Grade 3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade 6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade 9th Grade 10th Grade 11th Grade 12th Grade College Pre-school Kindergarten 1st Grade 2nd Grade 3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade 6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade 9th Grade 10th Grade 11th Grade 12th Grade College
First test on Got taken out of Lauren had her Lauren went back First time my Teachers thought I took a Reading I went to my local I had my rst test Teachers came to Tutoring in Got re-tested at SPED teachers I worked on It would have
reading and Spanish to have rst Federal to her high parents and that I had a test but I still was pediatrician Dr. and Boston, got Boston Children’s reading and Boston Children’s helped but most advocating for helped if advisors
writing. an extra resource testing done. school to get teachers noticed hearing problem not diagnosed Gold en, he diagnosed with 3 Hospital to meet writing by a Hospital. of the time were myself (speaking took more of an
room. re-tested for that there was because I wasn’t with my learning noticed that I had language with my doctors teacher. I met busy giving their up in class when I interest in their
Lauren’s teachers Resource room all college something “o ”. able to disability. a learning learning to learn how with her twice a attention to the don’t understand students to help
and parents It takes longer for throughout high pronounce disability and disabilities. e ectively teach week for a year students that had something and me throughout
noticed that her her to process school. She has to Learned that she letters or words referred my me in the and a half. LD and no getting extra help) college.
reading skills when she reads work on her has Dyslexia, she correctly. family to Boston’s Dukes county classroom. i.e. motivation to do
were below and writes. advocating skills never knew what Children’s paid the give me the big well in school.
grade level. She since it wasn’t as her learning Hospital di erence of my picture of the
had di culty one-on one as disability was all testing bill. project.
reading out elementary throughout
loud... The words school. elementary &
would get mixed high school
up.
“I’m never “My mom “My mom always Testing was “I hated group “I never saw Lauren was more “I need constant “I got taken out of “The worst part “I need constant “I’ve always been “College
satis ed with reassured me a told me I was my frustrating for work because I myself traveling able to advocate reassurance from Spanish class to of my LD is not reassurance from my hardest critic, accommodations
myself.” lot! She taught worst enemy and Lauren, she knew felt behind alone or taking as for herself, both my have another being able to both my I’m always trying didn’t really help
me that is was OK to stop being so when she was everyone else, I many risks as I especially this teachers and my resource room communicate teachers and my to improve but because what I
“I am my hardest to ask for extra hard on myself, wrong but she especially didn’t have in the past year going back parents. “ where I worked what I’m parents.” even when I need more than
critic, I’m always help.” because at the couldn’t change like group labs two years.” to college (took on reading and thinking, it gets make great extra time is a
‘beating’ myself end of the day I it. which is my two years o ) “I hated taking writing. This was really frustrating strides it still isn’t support system.”
up for not ”I thought asking was always trying favorite subject in the federal tests, upsetting because its right good enough.”
understanding for extra help was my hardest and SAT school.” Got re-test so they were because I did not there.” “It is frustrating
certain things.” a waste of time that's all I can do.” accommodations. that she could extremely long want to be because I’m
and it was just She got extra get out of a and stressed me “di erent” than knowledgeable
“Being called easier for me to time although required out “ my friends.” but I can’t express
names like SPED gure it out she didn’t always language, she that to others or
did not bother myself.” need it, took didn’t, ended up at least that's
me.” away the stress of taking the class how I feel. ”
“I hated reading
out loud and time limits. and withdrawing
“During the “In college I
asking questions because it was
federal testing I turned a corner,
in class because I too hard for her.
was really I’m now more
stressed and would either mix content with
up words or it “Two years ago I
frustrated myself and
would take me turned a corner
because it was an con dent, which
longer since I had where I became
all day process.” allowed me to
to sound out more con dent take more risks.”
some words.” and doing things
I never would
have before... I
don’t know why
this is.”

4. Time Line Descriptions & Findings
Support Systems &
Communication
Over the course of the semester I have gathered primary findings and visually
mapped them out. The primary findings are four separate LD timelines that mark
educational and emotional process in regards their learning disability. The LD
timelines are separated in grey and blue text, the grey indicates important moments
in the academic life and the blue indicates significant emotional moments/feelings in
dealing with their LDs.
After the four LD timelines were analyzed, it was very apparent that both, strong
support systems and communication skills are important for
children with learning disabilities in order to be successful in their lives. The
three individuals that were mapped specifically had mention that
they would not have been as successful if their parents were not as
supportive as they were throughout their young lives. For all three
individuals their parents were involved in every aspect of their education; whether it
meant constantly reassuring them of their strengths and fostering those strengths by
putting them in afterschool programs, taking time out of their days to meet with their
teachers to get updates on their academic progress, or sitting down with them
afterschool to work through difficult homework. It was also imperative for all
three individuals to be able to communicate to their teachers and
parents on where they need extra help. Lauren, for instance rarely
communicated to her teachers what she need help on until she got to college, it was
then that she started to feel more confident about asking for help.
“ My mother was always by my side helping me through the
difficult times of my LD. I knew that if I needed someone she
”
would and still will always be there for me. Randi
“ Once I started communicating to my teachers about what I
needed from them it terms of extra help I definitely saw an
improvement in my grades, but I also understood what was
”
going on in class. Lauren

5. Secondary Research
My secondary research from articles from various special education journals reconfirmed my
findings from my primary research. It is important for students with Language Learning
Disabilities to build strong communication skills, especially self-advocacy, since these skills
will allow them to speak up with they need help.
My secondary research also concluded that it is important for students with any type of
Learning Disability to have a strong support system, whether it is from their teachers,
family, or friends. When students with disabilities know that they have constant support it is proven
that they are more successful in their academics.

6. Expert Pitch
Project Description
This project is a manual for the club Jumping the Hurdle. Jumping the Hurdle is an after-school club for middle school
children with language learning disabilities in NYC public schools. The manual will be given to the SPED teachers at
annual teacher conferences. From there the SPED would take this club and set it up in their individual schools. The
idea with the manual is to help guide the teachers run the club while giving them the room to take things into their
own hands and change as they feel necessary. Jumping the Hurdle would run once a week, directly after school, for
3 hours. Jumping the Hurdle would be introduced to the SPED teachers at annual teacher conferences by Hannah
Guerin Consulting.
Project Benefits System Map
Immediate Benefits
1. These children participating in Jumping the Hurdle are addressing
certain social components that are lacking in the public schools for
children with LLDs
2. The children form bonds/friendships with the other children in Children’s
home
the club NYC public schools
3. The club’s offering is unlike anything else. Both the children i
and teachers will get benefits that they aren’t able to get in the i
classroom. M i
an
4. The club encourages actively ‘working’ on their LLD ua
i l
5. The club supports good attitudes towards learning and i
education.
6. The stigma attached to LLDs and even LDs will change with the Manual
progression of the club. Hannah Guerin $ Jumping the Hurdle
Consulting NYC public school

7. Interview with Principal of Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School
Open-Ended Interview Questions
1. How much does it cost to run an after school program once a week for a year?
2. Do New York City teachers especially SPED attend any annual conferences? Or do they meet regularly?
3. What would be the best way to inform the school of an after school program?
4. Would you suggest having an orientation for the participating schools?
5. Do you think the SPED teachers would be able to handle the workload of running the club or is it too much? If so what
about teaching assistants?

8. Project Description
The Learning Differently Foundation creates educational toolkits for New York City schools
that address specific issues for children with learning disabilities. The first toolkit that
Learning Differently provides is the LEAD: A Club for Children with Language Learning
Disabilities. The LEAD toolkit contains, a manual, poster, and membership card that will help
the special education teachers implement and sustain the LEAD club. The LEAD manual
provides a number of activities that the special education teacher can use to build student
communication skills. The overall goal of the LEAD club is for the students to use the
communication skills they built throughout the activities to create an awareness campaign
within their community.

9. System Map
i Permanent information exchange
PTA’s LEAD & non-LEAD Families
CBO’s
Parent-teacher monthly/annual IEP meetings
i i
ns
io
at
$
n
do
i
ily
m
Fa
Special Private Grants
$
M Manuals for club implementation
Generic Private Grants
$ $ Funding for the club
i Permanent information exchange
Generic Gov. Grants LEAD
Learning Differently Foundation NYC Schools
$
Special Gov. Grants
i Permanent information exchange Permanent information exchange i
NYC DOE

10. LEAD Club Set-Up Storyboard
School outreach from Learning SPED teacher goes over LEAD LEAD Club outreach within the
Differently Foundation material with the principal school with sign up posters
SPED staff looks over the sign up Student goes to the front office to Ist day of the LEAD Club!
posters and organize the LEAD Club sign up for LEAD Club date & time

11. LEAD Club Manual Sketches

12. Manual Prototype Iteration