Week 6

At 14 years of age, Sierra is now in the eighth grade. She finds herself in a new environment with people she doesn’t know. The medication she takes seems to help even if she doesn't really know why she is on it. What she does know is that she can't seem to stay what she considers "happy." She often thinks about all of the horrible things that have happened to her, and she often has specific flashbacks that no 14 year old should have to experience.

Sierra has appreciated her new mother. who is a wonderful lady. She tries as much as she can to make Sierra comfortable in her new home, though it is not easy since she has to take care of her 2 other children. Being a recently single mother, she has a lot on her hands.

Middle school is tough too. Her grades are not very good at this point, and it is quite obvious that she is struggling. Her teachers think she could do better. She is the "weird girl" in school with no friends and finds it especially hard to interact with the boys in her class. At lunch, she sits alone at a corner as she eats her packed lunch.

She often thinks of that wonderful woman who used to visit her -- who was she? where is she now?  She thinks of the man who abused her and wonders why she had to go through that.

It is clear that her new family could be the light at the end of the tunnel for her. She looks forward to going home in the evening. Her new sisters and mom make her feel like she’s part of the family.

* If Sierra were receiving Special Education services, what label would she most likely fall under?

* Write some goals that would be appropriate for Sierra's IEP given the label you have provided in the previous question. 


* How do you imagine Sierra's past might impact her relationships in the present? 


* What are the developmental milestones for a typically-developing 14 year old? How atypical is Sierra's development at this point?

Week 5

Sierra is now 9 years of age. With the assistance of a local child psychiatrist, she was placed on medication two years ago. 

* Why might Sierra have been put on psychotropic medication?  

* Write a narrative “interview” in which you communicate with Sierra in an effort to get to know her.

* Write a narrative “interview” in which you talk with Sierra’s case worker about her.

* Who is Sierra? What kind of child is she? What might someone expect upon meeting her for the first time? Base Sierra’s imagined personality on what you know about she and her upbringing so far.

Week 4

Sierra Hernandez – Week Four

Now 6 ½ years of age, Sierra was enrolled in the local public school. Technically, she was still in foster care, but the family was trying to adopt. She had done exceptionally well in Kindergarten, and now she was in the 1^st grade. Sierra’s biological mother continued to be in and out owing to her migrant status, and she had to keep making sure she wasn’t caught since she didn’t have papers. She was making it OK, though. Sierra was confused about who this woman was in her life, and she had a vague understanding of the relationship.

Sierra was at the top of her class in the local school – she always got the top level of the school’s behavioral system, and she was headed for another great year socially and academically. Around November, however, things started to change. Sierra became alternatively despondent and angry, seeming to change from moment to moment. Her participation in classwork was non-existent, and everyone at the school knew that something major was going on. It wasn’t until Sierra started to mention sexual topics that no 1^st grader should know that the school counselor contacted Child Protective Services.

An investigation ensued, and it was found that the foster father had been sexually abusing Sierra for several months. Information varied as to whether or not the foster mother knew about the abuse. Sierra was again removed from the home and placed with another foster family. The former father was placed under arrest and put in jail until the hearing.

Sierra’s biological mother, upon hearing the news, was horrified. She blamed “la sistema” for taking her child from her in the first place. She was intent on finding a way of getting her child back.

* Based on Sierra’s level of cognitive development for a 6 ½ year-old, describe how she is likely to regard her biological mother. Assume that her foster/adoptive parents have shared with her her foster/adoption history. (This would be prior to the abuse).

* What is the prevalence of children being abused in foster care in Virginia currently? In the past ten years? What typically happens if the abuse comes to light?

* What is the local agency that deals with child sexual abuse?

* What services should be in place for Sierra at this point? What level of qualification should the persons have who provide these services?