INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES STUDENT PROFILE 1

Individual Difference Student Profile

Sherri Genna

Instructor: Natalie Raass

EDUC 205: Development/individual Differences

Spring 2016
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Individual Difference Student Profile Essay

Introduction

When I arrived at Spalding STEM Academy, I was greeted by the Special

Education Teacher. She immediately asked my preference on what type of student I

wanted to observe. After a little discussion about the various students and my special

education background and exposure, she was happy to see that I wasnt afraid to get in

and help if needed and that I didnt have that deer in the headlights look like most

education students have. I decided on observing their most challenging student, John. As

soon as I met John he looked at me and said, no. From that point on, I knew I had

chosen corectly.

General Information

John is a ten year and five month old Caucasian American boy. John is

disadvantaged in several ways. He has a chromosomal disorder, Down Syndrome, is

diagnosed with Autism Spectrum disorder, a neurological disorder, and has a severe

speech disorder. John is adopted and is the youngest child in his household. He lives

with his adopted parents and five additional adopted siblings, three sisters and two

brothers. John is in elementary school and is enrolled in the fourth grade. He has

attended the same school since Kindergarten and has alternated between the general

education classroom and the extended resource room throughout his day. John takes the

bus home with his sister.

Physical Development

John has small brown eyes, short brown hair, and distinctive physical

characteristics of a person with Down Syndrome (prenatal intellectual disability): eyes

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slanted slightly upward and a small oral cavity. John also has a small stature compared to

his peers (p. 91). John appears to be in overall good health with no vision or hearing loss

and he doesnt have any chronic issues. Although, when John is sick with respiratory

issues, his parents are careful of his exposure to others so he does not get worse. He eats

a morning snack and his lunch and drinks Pedisure and water during the day. He does

have a low tolerance for milk products so he does not drink milk.

When John is working on his worksheet he writes with his right hand. Fine motor

skills, such as writing, are difficult. John works if he is rewarded with physical activities.

He craves going outside and playing with a ball or on the play structure. As a reward for

doing his work, in a particular time frame, he is told he can go down the hall. Down the

hall there is equipment for him to choose a quiet game of basketball or bowling with

small plastic bowling pins and a small ball. A large mat is set up at the end of the hall so

the ball doesnt roll down the hall too far as to disrupt other students. There is also a

small trampoline and some bean bags down the hall. John discovered he likes throwing

the bean bags on the trampoline to watch them bounce in the air. However, Johns

favorite activity is the extended resource rooms swing.

Cognitive Development

Due to Johns lack of self regulatory skills this year, Johns parents and the

special education staff have discussed using additional supports. He has been placed on a

behavior modification system also known as positive behavior intervention plan. John

has been given the daily challenge of obtaining a certain behavior level, the highest level

being level 4. If John fails to meet his daily behavior level he will not go to his general
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education classroom. The special education staff and his parents feel this is the least

restrictive environment for him.

John is very reliant on paraprofessionals/aides. He has full time aides with him

throughout his day. John does not like change and he will tell his new aide, not you or

stay there, when he realizes he is going to have to comply with their requests.

John also does not like school work. According to Johns Independent Education

Plan (IEP), he is currently reading at a first grade level, knows 8 kindergarten sight words

and 2 first grade sight words. He is working on k and g with his Speech Language

Pathologist (SLP) and he can count to 20 and sequence numbers to 10. This present

level of performance categorizes John in Piagets preoperational stage (ages 2 6).

John is very egocentric and will work when he wants to with an incentive of an external

reward. I have witnessed aides using peer-assisted learning strategies while reviewing

sight words with John. John is more willing to work in the ERR with a peer or in a self

made fort.

Johns attention span is short and the aides are constantly being challenged by his

unwillingness to comply with school work. John would rather be physically active. He

does not like the computer or iPad at school. During my observations, John was given an

adapted state assessment test which was not computerized. He and his afternoon aide

worked on the reading assessment in the hall while on a bean bag doing relaxing and

calming techniques. The stories were read to John and he participated in filling in the

multiple choice answers which were verbally read to him. John participated for a full 20

minutes at one stage of the test. Bravo!

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Socio-emotional Development

John eats lunch every day with his ERR peers then goes back to the ERR for free

time while the aides take breaks or lunches. The choices for free time, while I was

observing, are a movie on the computer or to play with an iPad. John does not like either

choice. He would rather swing, make forts or hang out with his morning aide. The

aide/child ratio during this 45 minute time period is 8:2. John loves to show you how

strong he is by lifting or flexing his muscles and he enjoys playing outside and looks

forward to recess.

John is very social with all children and adults. If John recognizes someone, he

will go out of his way to say hi and ask what they are doing or if they are going home.

John also has good adaptive behavior skills. He is potty trained, washes his hands after

toileting and before eating, feeds himself, properly using a fork or a spoon, he goes and

gets his snack box from his backpack and he can take off his shirt or jacket by himself.

John also likes to help in the classroom. If he sees a peer or a teacher needing

assistance he is the first to ask if he can help. Often times he will help his ERR peers

clear lunch trays, push a students wheelchair back to class or help adults with errands.

On the flip side, when John doesnt get his way he will engage in negative self

talk. For example, when John requests that his aide come to him help him with a

computer program, if she refuses because she has two other students to accommodate, he

says he hates his life. Then he demands that she come sit next to him.

He is so reliant on his aide that he will demand their attention. Paraprofessionals

in this ERR class do not always have John 1:1. Johns morning aide has two other

students to teach at the same time she cares for John.

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Johns current moral reasoning can be described in Kohlbergs Theory, Stages of

Moral Development, at the Preconventional Stage 1 (Berns 418). John is strong willed

but he will avoid breaking rules that are backed by punishment. For example, John does

not like level one of his behavior intervention plan. Level one means he has to work at a

quiet desk, in the corner away from ERR peers, for most of the day and he cannot attend

his general education classroom or go to specials or recess. When he has been given

plenty of warnings and placed on level one he immediately melts down, cries and

continuously asks for his Mom. Its truly heartbreaking to witness. The special education

teachers and aides allow him to cry (in a safe place) until he is done and ready to discuss

what needs to happen to improve his day.

Conclusion

On my last day of observations I decided to go into the ERR in the afternoon

because I knew John would work for his afternoon aide. He tends to favor the morning

aide because she coddles him a little more and he ends up getting more free time to do

things he wants to do like the using the swing. The afternoon aide is very nice as well but

she doesnt allow John to run the day. She puts more demands on him and is consistent

with using his behavior level techniques and his warning system. She encourages John to

be self-reliant while working independently using consistency-based self management

techniques.

John is behind his fourth grade peers in his level of cognition. He will not use

many strategies he has been taught and is capable of using. He asks for help or for the

aides to solve problems for him. I did not see anyone requiring him to read. The aides go

over the alphabet, their sounds and have him complete worksheets writing his letters and
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numbers. John seems bored completing the same work over and over again yet he does

not know these skills. When he wont comply with work he is given warnings, other

choices, or first this then techniques are used. There should be more consistency with

rewards and consequences. For example, John benefitted greatly from working

independently on worksheets he is capable of completing. He was placed in a quiet

workstation, behaviors were ignored (by the afternoon aide) and he completed his work

in a timely manner. John was then rewarded with praise and a sugary treat. I would like

to see John work for the purpose of self satisfaction and not a sugary treat. John would

also benefit from a picture schedule. I did not see a visual schedule on his desk or in his

work station and the aides do not use them. If John knew what his expectations were

every day, I believe he would have an easier time with completing work expected of him.

I enjoyed my ERR observations and I learned a lot about other disabilities. John

went from a boy that told me no the first day to a boy who allowed me to read to him

and he gave me an unsolicited hug. I was overjoyed that he accepted me in such a short

time. I enjoyed my time so much that I have already submitted an application to be a sub

in various resource rooms next year. I am hoping to work with John again but if not, I

would like to make an impact to help other exceptional students.

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References

Hallahan, D. P., Kauffman, J. M., & Pullen, P. C. (2015). Exceptional learners: An

introduction to special education.

http://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html

Berns, R. (2013). Child, family, school, community: Socialization and support. Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.