Lori Holloway

EDSP 5335
PPCD Teacher Interview
Houston Baptist University
Dr. Christine Woodbury
February 23, 2016

The Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities, or PPCD provides special
education and related services for eligible children with disabilities from ages three to five.
Services can be provided in various types of settings, such as Pre-Kindergarten classrooms,
Resource classrooms, self-contained classrooms and community settings (TEA, 2016). In Fort
Bend ISD; there are twelve elementary campuses that house PPCD programs. On February 15,
2016, I interviewed Ms. Alexis Lormand. She is a second year PPCD teacher at Barrington
Place Elementary in Fort Bend ISD. I had the privilege of working with her, and being her
mentor teacher when she was a first year teacher.
Ms. Lormand teaches two half-day classes with students that have a wide range of needs.
In the area of motor skills, she has some students in her class that are functioning on a six month
age level for both gross and fine motor skills, and some that are on the same development level
as their typical five years old peers who are not in a PPCD classroom. She has five students this
year that are not crawling or walking. These particular students have a variety of related services
that are provided to them by the district, such as, occupational and physical therapy. They use
several different devices that help facilitate movement.
Social Skills also widely vary among the students. The majority of them have very
limited social skills. It is an accomplishment to get them to play side by side. It is difficult,
especially for the students who are not as mobile as others to be involved in play. Ms. Lormand
does have five students with strong social skills. These students initiate friendships, and play
with their peers daily. They are able to communicate in full sentences, and they call their peers
by name. They very much enjoy the dramatic play area of the classroom. The range of language
skills is from nonverbal to speaking in full sentences, and are able to express wants and needs.
In her morning class, she has nine students. There are only two students that are verbal. They
are able to communicate in complete sentences, and can express their thoughts and feelings in

the range of their typical peers. Of the remaining seven students, two selectively speak one word
answers. One of these students will only speak into an echo microphone. The afternoon class has
six students. Three are verbal and three are nonverbal. Some of the students are able to use
visuals and gestures to communicate. Some rely on a voice output device with hand over hand
assistance.
The classroom makeup includes six of the thirteen categories listed under IDEA. They
include Autism Spectrum Disorder (AU), Speech Impairment (SI), Other Health
Impairment (OHI), Intellectual Disabilities (ID), Orthopedic Impairment (OI), and Visual
Impairment (VI). Each student has varying degrees of the listed categories from minor to severe.
Possible placements once these students leave the program will be anywhere from mainstream to
self-contained settings.
Ms. Lormand has had some severe behavior challenges this year. Both students are AU.
They struggle to comply with directives most of the day. One student screams, kicks, spits, and
throws himself on the floor when he does not get to participate in a desired activity. The other
student throws things off of shelves and across the room, throws chairs, and when told no or
stop the student will grab, punch, or scratch the adult giving the directive. If the adult blocks
the attack, the student will then hit another student.
Ms. Lormand feels that her primary purpose is to prepare the students to enter
Kindergarten by building confidence in themselves and their abilities. She does this by using
various techniques and strategies that she has learned through her education, and professional
development. The technique that she feels is most effective is the use of positive reinforcement.
This technique comes in the form of consistent praise, high-fives, hugs, and stickers. She also
uses visuals, kinesthetic learning, and planned/purposeful play.

With all of the challenges she has had this year, I asked her how she used the
paraprofessionals in the classroom. She explained that she has two paraprofessionals that are
assigned to the classroom along with two nurses that care for the more severe students. The
paraprofessionals help her facilitate instruction with the lesson plan as their guide. They each
have assigned duties, and centers that they work with the students in. They also help with IEP
data collection. They work very well as a team.
I also had the opportunity to teach PPCD a couple of years ago. It was a challenging, but
rewarding experience. Ms. Lormand is doing an excellent job for her students. She has a great
understanding of each student, and what their individual needs are. She has a positive attitude,
and it trickles down to her students. Her room is very well organized, and it promotes
engagement and learning.