photo story - debbie nash

Mrs. Debbie Nash is a special education teacher at Ault Elementary. She has been teaching for the past four years. Mrs. Nash got her start in special education shortly after her son, Andrew, started school. Andrew was born with Angelman Syndrome, a neurological disorder in which severe learning difficulties are associated with a characteristic facial appearance and behavior. She started her educational career as a special education paraprofessional, teacher’s assistant, but after four years was certified by the state of Texas to teach. She is now a co-teacher with Mrs. Kimberly Crisp. They teach a language arts inclusion class, both regular and special education students. During the middle of the day, Mrs. Nash oversees the education of several students with severe learning disablities. They have their own classroom that is very structured. Mrs. Nash loves what she does and could ask for a better job.

The following are students in Mrs. Nash’s classes:

• Anna suffers from Down Syndrome. Most children have a lower than average cognitive function but nearly all will learn to read, write and do simple mathematics.
• John has an extreme case of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, identifies characteristics such as hyperactivity, forgetfulness, mood shifts, poor impulse control, and distractibility.
• Madison sufferes from dyslexia, the inability to name letters, to read words or sentences, or to recognize words directly even though they can be sounded out.
• Orlando also suffers from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder as well as several other medical problems that have caused him to miss weeks of school at times.
• Jessie and Luke both suffer from autism, a neurodevelopmental disorder that manifests itself in markedly abnormal social interaction, communication ability, patterns of interests, and patterns of behavior.
• Ray too sufferes from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and also has a decelerated learning ablity.

Mrs. Nash writes the date on Anna's desk. Anna needs glasses but hasn't had a chance to go to the optometrist. Photo by Sydney Davis.

John was having trouble focusing on the journal question for the morning, so Mrs. Nash came over to help him start his entry. Photo by Sydney Davis.

Mrs. Nash and Mrs. Crisp call the students to the carpet for sharing time. The students all shared what they did over Easter weekend. Photo by Sydney Davis.

Mrs. Nash helps Madison tell the class what she did over the Easter break. Madison suffers from dyslexia and has trouble reading and pronouncing words. Photo by Sydney Davis.