1 INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES PROFILE

Individual Differences Profile Essay Sanderson, Sunny Instructor: Dr. Egbert Education 205: Developmental Differences, 10:00

2 INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES PROFILE Abstract This profile gives information on a former student with ADHD and how it has affected his education. He has physical and cognitive development, but has had some trouble with socioemotional development. It also gives information on how his disability was handled in the classroom.

3 INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES PROFILE Individual Differences Profile Essay There are many different types of children that are represented in a classroom. Most are able to learn the core curriculum (the content that is taught to all students in the general education classroom) provided by the teacher, but there are those who have a disability or even multiple disabilities, called coexisting disabilities, that require special teaching techniques and accommodations (supports to compensate for disabilities, in the classroom). Some of them learn differently than most kids; and others have physical needs that need taken care of. I will need to accommodate these students into my classroom as best I can and make them feel like they are a part of the class. In this profile of a former student with a disability, I will talk about the physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional development of the student. I will also go over what was done to help the student learn. General Information Many people with non-physical disabilities (conditions relating to a physical deformity or disability of the skeletal system and associated motor functions) seem to be like all other people. There is no physical way to tell that they are disabled in any way; and often times they will act in a way that also seems normal. Upon first meeting Journal it is hard to see that he has ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a condition characterized by hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention). He will seem to be just another normal person, but upon spending a little time with him it becomes apparent that he has this disability. Journal is a white twenty-four year old male who was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of seven. Journal, when younger, lived with both parents and his younger brother, as adult he lives with me. Journal has a busy schedule that begins at five in the morning when he goes to work at Winco Foods. When he gets off at one in the afternoon, he spends his time doing chores around

4 INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES PROFILE the house and working on his car. He also does wood working and goes jogging when he can find the time. When he was in school he attended speech therapy for a speech impairment (a disability characterized by abnormal speech that is unintelligible, is unpleasant, or interferes with communication). He also attended special education (individualized education and services for students with disabilities, on a regular basis). Physical Development Journal is six foot three inches tall, has red hair and green eyes. He has white skin and multiple scars from surgeries and his being prone to accidents. Journal is the same as his peers in the way of physical maturation. He wears glasses and has allergies. He is ambidextrous and in good health. Journal is in good shape physically and enjoys riding his bicycle, running, and snowboarding. He had trouble with hand eye coordination when he was younger; he was unable to make a basket with a ball, but after taking a special education class to correct the problem he was able to make a basket. Cognitive Development Journal is now graduated from high school, but was placed in a couple different class settings. He is placed in the regular classroom for most of his classes. Journal enjoys solving puzzles and math problems. He is at the Formal Operations stage of cognitive development (Paigets final stage of cognitive development, characterized by childrens increasing ability to employ logical thought processes). (Parsons, 2008, p. 49) For physical education, Journal was placed in a special education program to help him develop skills in coordination. He was also placed in speech therapy. Learning new things has always been something that Journal enjoys doing. He is constantly working in his zone of proximal development (Vygotskys description for the

5 INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES PROFILE difference between an individuals current level of development and his or her potential level of development). (Parsons, 2008, p. 54) He has done very well in Math and Science; he was in advanced placement courses (classes that provide more in-depth course content and college credit) for both. He has needed help with English and Speech. Due to his ADHD he has a hard time concentrating on the task at hand, so he has to slow down and try his hardest to concentrate to get it done. He also has a very short attention span and can lose track of what he is doing. As long as there are no distractions Journal is able to solve problems and pass assessments (which are the methods by which teachers and other professionals gain information about students). Socio-emotional Development Journal is very shy around his peers, but once he becomes comfortable around them he opens up and is liked by most people. He is liked by adults and is very respectful to them. In high school Journal had a very low self-esteem and would not interact much with other students. This caused him to not have many friends. He has now overcome most of his selfesteem issues. Journal is now married and has developed an easy going personality. Journal is at the intimacy vs. isolation stage of socio-emotional development, which is the state of having a close psychological relationship with another person, stage six of Eriksons theory of psychological development. (Parsons, 2008, p. 95) He is forming relationships with friends and loved ones. He has been making new friends and is now married and planning to start a family. Summary, Conclusions, and Implications Journal was able to do well throughout school, since he was able to get good grades and graduate from high school. He is able to express himself, but he can be hard to understand at

6 INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES PROFILE times, because his thoughts are often random. He is fully able to comprehend what people are saying. Journal is at typical development physically. Journal is very shy, but is able to interact well with peers and teachers. He still has a problem with his self-esteem, but has been able to overcome most of it and now has an easygoing personality. He is at Eriksons intimacy vs. isolation stage of development, because he is forming relationships with friends and loved ones. Journal has no major health problems, emotional disorders, or chronic illness (longlasting and serious health conditions). He is very intelligent and if he can concentrate he could do anything he wanted to. He usually needs help with concentrating on the task at hand and with paying attention to what he is doing. Teachers were able to help him with this by giving him rewards (representations of targeted improvement) for sitting still, or paying attention in class, which were both difficult due to his hyperactivity (impaired ability to sit or concentrate for long periods of time, and other on-task behavior; behavior focused on the task at hand). They also tried to teach things in a way that captured his attention by relating it to something he enjoyed, which they found out through interest inventories (an activity wherein teachers ask specific questions to determine student interests, likes, and dislikes). He was given help with his coordination problems through a special physical education program. They also removed as many distractions as possible by doing things like moving him to a separate room to work on math problems, so he would not be distracted by the other students. The many differences that can be seen in the way children learn are amazing. It is important for a teacher to be able to respond to those differences and be able to teach these children what they need to know in order to succeed. By studying the disability of this student and spending time with him I have gained more of an understanding of what is needed to teach a

7 INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES PROFILE disabled student. I will need to create a curriculum that will embrace every students ability to learn.

8 INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES PROFILE Reference Parsons, Hinson, Sardo-Brown, (2010), Educational psychology. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. Briggs, A., Danner, N., Johnson, J. (Eds.). (2011). Education. Boston, MA: Pearson Learning Solutions.