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IDP Running head: Individual Differences Student Profile

Individual Differences Student Profile Melinda Chynoweth Instructor Kurt Scheffler EDUC 205 Development / Individual Differences Fall 2013

IDP Individual Differences Student Profile As a future educator, we will be faced with challenges in the classroom from trying to balance the curriculum while making sure the students are absorbing what you are teaching. An additional challenge that we will face will be assisting those who have various learning, emotional and physical disabilities that require individualized educational plans (IEP) and making sure that we meet their needs as well. This last semester I had the opportunity to observe a child who has been determined to have a learning disability. While he did receive assistance in a special education setting for various lessons, he did spend a majority of his time with a general education teacher. General Information In order to protect the identity of the child, he will be referred to as Jack for the duration of this paper. Jack is a Caucasian ten year old male who is considered to be a fifth

grader by age. His reading ability has been tested at a level similar to that of a first grader, while his spelling and math skills are similar to that of a third grader. When listening to Jack talk about his family, he is obviously the oldest child with five younger siblings. He currently is living with his grandparents during the school week and with his parents and siblings on the weekend. When speaking to the teacher, she was not aware of the reason for this living arrangement other than to say that Jack seems to have a good relationship with his grandparent and does well when he is with them. When he arrives at school, Jack goes to his regular general education class where he completes his task before arriving in his special education class for part of the morning where they work on language, fluency with in reading and spelling. In the afternoons, Jack returns to the special education room for math and additional reading assistance before riding the bus home.

IDP Physical Development Jack is an adorable young man. The first time I met him; he was shy and would

intermittently turn around in class to see if I were still sitting there. After a few visits, he started to smile a bit more and would occasionally ask me a question. He has sandy blond hair is messy as if he just woke up and is in need of a haircut. His blue eyes are hidden with a pair of oversized glasses that he needs wear in order to see due to astigmatism and nearsightedness. While observing Jack, I did not notice any distinguishing physical characteristics that were visible however he is right handed. Jack has is shorter than most of the students his age making his hand me down clothes seem too large for his frame. Clothing was generally clean but there was an obvious need for self-hygiene when it came to personal care needs. Never one to tie his shoes, he was constantly taking them on and off under the desk as he sits listening to the teacher. Recess is one of his favorite times when he is able to run and play with his friends, leaving behind the stress of having to sit behind a desk in class. Cognitive Development Starting in first grade, Jack has been receiving assistance from the resource rooms with various learning disabilities that has slowed his forward progress in school. Approximately three and a half hours of each day are spent working on reading, language, vocabulary and math with a special education teacher in a small class setting. The ability to stay on task seems to depend on the topic he is working on at the time. During reading and language the teacher used positive behavior support for those times that Jack needed to be reminded to pay attention to the lesson instead of interrupting the class with his talking. Through collaborative consultations the rest of Jacks day has been changed to a differentiated curriculum that allows him to work with his general education teacher in a regular classroom setting.

IDP Using Paigets stages of cognitive development, I would consider Jack to be in the concrete operational stage. Each day, the students in class would read a story about a picture that appeared in their work book. At the end of the story, they were asked to write a sentence using the vocabulary words that were written on the board. The teacher would use divergent thinking skills to assist Jack in creating sentences that met the requirements but to also show him that his answers do not have to be the same as his peers. For Jack, this idea that his work is not the same as others makes him feel that he has done something wrong when in actuality, his work is acceptable. Socio-emotional Development Jack has a very small circle of friends that he plays with in his class. He seems to enjoy these friends and they are accepting of him as he is. His friends are ethnically diverse but all seem to share the same socioeconomic background. When he is with children he knows, he is a goofy ten year old boy who wants to play football and just run around. When someone new is

introduced to him, he tends to be more reserved and does not make eye contact until he gets to know them. One morning during reading, I had been sitting with Jack as he read the story of the day and when he kept stumbling over words that he had read before he looked up to me and told me that he was stupid. He went on to say that he knew that he was behind the others in his class and that no matter what he did, his brain just never seemed to work the way he wanted it to. The Industry versus Inferiority stage from Ericksons theory of psychosocial development is where Jack is currently at. While he is proud of some of the activities and assignments that he has done, there are days where his mind does not function the way he wants it to giving him a sense of inferiority when he compares himself to others.

IDP Summary, Conclusions, and Implications Overall, Jack has experienced cognitive setbacks when it comes to being able to read or use written language skills to convey his feelings and ideas. Jack is several years behind his

peers when it comes to reading and language but is closer to his grade level when it comes to his math studies. His slow progress when it comes to reading and written language seems to be the most frustrating part of school for him and will need continued attention in the coming years. Physically Jack is smaller than some of his peers, he is active and appears happy when he spends time playing with his peers or interacting with others in his class. He could benefit by learning some life skills on how important maintaining a healthy hygiene routine. While he is at the correct stage level in Ericksons theory, his self-esteem needs to be built back up giving him a feeling of accomplishment when it comes to reading and language. Jack has said that he feels stupid because he cannot read well, with different learning strategies that will show him how use self-help methods in order to find success and build the confidence needed for further improvement. Jack will need ongoing support with building his reading and language skills for the duration of his schooling years. Ongoing communication between his general education teachers, the IEP team and his family will be required to make sure that Jack is successful in improving his reading ability so that he can be effective in reaching his yearly goals. It is obvious Jack misses spending time with his family as he talks about them nonstop when his weekend visits are complete. His teacher says that while he misses his family, his home life is better when he is with his grandparents and that they provide the support he seems to need. He has a close group of friends from his class that he plays with at school and they enjoy being together.

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In order for a teacher to meet the needs of the exceptional student that will come through their classes, they must understand how the physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional affect and interact with each child. Lessons that were developed by their general education teacher, an IEP team and their family will create the stepping stones need to make sure that they can succeed as a student in todays classrooms.

IDP References

Taylor, R. L., Smiley, L. R., & Richards, S. (2009). Exceptional students: preparing teachers for the 21st century. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

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