More slowly, but surely

Two teachers enthusiastically work in tandem to coax the best from a group of 3- to 5-year-olds who are considered developmentally delayed.

By MICHELE MILLER

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 16, 2000

It's circle time on a Tuesday morning at Cotee River Elementary School and there's little doubt that 5-year-old Mark Holland is into helping in a big way.

He's pretty good at belting out The Good Morning Song, and gets right into the boogie mode for Crocodile Rock. When it's time to sing a song about the months of the year, Mark is on top of things, passing out colorful foam blocks labeled with all the months to his classmates, teachers and a couple of visitors. During story time, his classmate Stephanie Perry is the official helper. Her job is to help turn the pages, but Mark's right up front, pointing out the pictures and finishing the sentences from the book, I Went Walking, for his teacher, Jenni Wyman.

In many ways, the gathering of students for circle time is typical of what goes on in preschool classrooms throughout the county.

But goals are different in this Varying Exceptionalities classroom at Cotee River Elementary. All the students, ages 3 to 5, are considered developmentally delayed, said teacher Susan Beauvais, but all their needs are markedly different.

Mark, who is mastering prereading skills, has Down's syndrome. Still, he serves as a role model for other students, Beauvais said, along with Stephanie, a new addition to the classroom who seems to be settling in nicely.

Three-year-old Amber Fletcher, affectionately known as "Fletchie Fletch," has cerebral palsy and can't talk. She expresses her needs through "augmentative communication." When she wants out of her chair and into her teacher's lap during circle time, Amber continuously hits a switch on her chair and a computerized voice says "no" for her. It doesn't take long for Beauvais to get the message and make sure Amber is scooped up to join the others sitting on the floor. A small smile says it all -- her teacher got it right.

Then there's 5-year-old Kayla Newton, who is building some strength and stamina when strapped into the standing chair. The little girl, who physically functions at about a 3-month-old level, is up to 30 minutes in the standing chair -- an outstanding feat. Rett Syndrome, a degenerative muscle disease that only affects girls, is her lot in life. She can't walk, talk or even point because she has no muscle control, except in her eyes. Kayla makes her choices by directing her eyes at pictures that her teachers hold up for her. If she wants to be in housekeeping or in the Campbells School Bus during "center time," she can let her teachers know.

"You might not think there's anything there," said her mother, Beth Antonelli, who tirelessly works with her daughter at home using "yes" and "no" flash cards, "but a lot of things she seems to understand."

The program is a godsend to parents like Antonelli, a single mother. "She gets a lot of one on one, which is what she needs," Antonelli said. "They (Beauvais and Wyman) both are wonderful to her. They've got her to the point where she can make certain choices and they give her a lot of love and that's what she needs."

Meeting the needs of all six students enrolled in the class can be a daunting task, but it's one that Susan Beauvais and Jenni Wyman say they are more than willing to take on.

Early on Beauvais knew she would be working with exceptional children. "When I was a little girl there was this little girl across the street who was (mentally retarded) and I always wanted to play with her and help her," Beauvais said.

Wyman served as a speech pathologist at Fox Hollow Elementary School for five years before moving into special ed. "Three days a week I worked with kids with varying exceptionalities and I loved it," she said. "I said to myself, "This is what I need to be doing.' "

"Everything is huge to us. Our goals for these kids can be anything from getting them potty trained," Beauvais said, "to sipping from a straw," continued Wyman.

Finishing each other's sentences is just one of the reasons the two make such a good team, Beauvais said. "We're like that all the time."

Both are young and eager to do whatever it takes -- from crawling around the floor because "these kids learn from play" -- to filling out the incredible amount of paperwork that comes with the job, to coming up with a catch phrase, The Beauvais Wyman Show, that reflects the upbeat atmosphere needed to help all their students flourish.

"We have to be positive for these kids to be positive," said Beauvais, adding that her goal is to have every one of her students spend time in regular classrooms at least part of the day.

"I think they should get the chance to be out there," said Beauvais. "They all can do it. You just have to pull it out of them -- whatever it takes to bring them out of their little shells."

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