Educational Report

Brigham Young University Idaho

Special Education Program

Demographics

Name: Jace Patterson

School/Grade: Jace is not yet in school
Date of Birth: 02/21/2004
Age: 1 year, 11 months
Evaluation Date: December 2005 January 2006
Evaluators: Cloward, Anderson, and Allen
Report Author: Sarah Holgado

Reason for Referral

The parents primary concern is Jaces lack of eye contact and minimal verbal communication.
They are concerned these missed milestones may result in a disability for Jace and therefore
want an intervention to take place as soon as possible. In order to assess these concerns, an
observation, interview, and testing will be conducted.

Background

Family History

Jaces family consists of a mother, father, and a younger sister. His parents are married and
living in the same house. His mother stays at home and his father is a student at a university.
Jaces family has not faced any major life or traumatic events.

Social/Emotional History

Jace does not typically interact with others. He enjoys watching T.V. shows or looking through
books. Jaces mother reports he prefers to look at books on his own, instead of being read to by
someone. When Jaces father comes home or when watching a show, he smiles and/or laughs.
Jace displays several emotions, but has never imitated his mothers facial expressions. When his
parents drop him off at nursery, he does not display any signs of distress. When Jace cries during
the night, he prefers his mother to soothe him. Jace shows signs of taking care of his three-
month-old sister. He will sometimes lead his parents to her if she is crying and attempt to hug or
pick her up. Jace treats his parents/grandparents and strangers in the same manner.

Medical History

Jaces vision and hearing have been reported as normal. Jace had his first ear infection at six
months old. He has had four or five ear infections since then. Jaces mother took him to the
doctor where he had tubes placed in his ears to drain excess fluid. Despite the two hearing
screenings Jace has had, his mother is concerned because he does not respond to simple
commands. Jace often babbles, but has not yet spoken any words. Jace also has a medical record
of croup.

Educational History

Jace has had no formal education yet. His mother has applied him to the toddler lab program at
BYU-Idaho.

Developmental History

Jaces mother reports that her pregnancy with Jace was easy and there were no complications
with his birth. As Jace has developed, his parents main concern is his minimal eye contact with
them. Jaces gross motor skills have developed appropriately, according to his mothers report.
His gross motor skills include walking, building blocks, walking up and down stairs, and going
down the slide at a playground. He also exhibits fine motor skills like grasping a pen, picking up
small objects, and turning pages in a book. Jace demonstrates very few verbal communication
skills. However, he does communicate through other methods. When he wants something, he
pulls his mothers shirt or finger and cries/whines. He communicates that he is excited or happy
by babbling. While playing with bubbles Jace began to say bub after being prompted by his
parents and the examiners.

Observation

Cognition

Jace stacked blocks on top of each other. Jace picked up Legos, stuck them together, then pulled
them apart. Jace played with a hammer and pegs. When asked to hit a specific peg using the
hammer, Jace did not. Jace played with some blocks that fit into different shaped holes. At first
he did not put the right blocks in their correct hole, but with guidance from an adult, he figured
out where to put each block. In the preschool lab, Jace begun to climb the ladder with gloves on,
but did not make it past the first rung. Jace got down and walked to the teacher, took her hand,
and led her to the ladder. He stepped up again on the first rung but did not go any further. The
teacher suggested that he lift one leg and place it on the next step. Jace took off one of his gloves
and used that hand to reach onto the ladder rung and pull himself up.

Communication

Jace used nonverbal skills to communicate with others. He held the finger of his mother or the
teacher (in the preschool lab) and led them to a specific area. Jace displayed difficulty
responding to commands. In the preschool lab, Jace crawled into an easel. The teacher
encouraged Jace to come out but he did not move. When the teacher encouraged Jace to help put
his shoes on, he did not respond. When another child took away Jaces drumstick, he began to
cry. During the arena assessment, Jace communicated that he wanted the bubbles by picking the
bottle up and giving it to the examiner. With prompts from the examiners and his parents, Jace
said the word bub.
Motor

Jace was able to pick up and hold small objects, like a pen and raisins. Jace used the pen to draw
on paper. Jace took the lid off the raisin container and used a pincher grasp to pick up the raisins
and into his mouth. Jace picked up blocks, put them together, then pulled them apart. In the
toddler lab, Jace climbed the ladder after receiving assistance from a teacher.

Adaptive/Self-Help

In the preschool lab, Jace stirred the pudding in his bowl. He held the spoon with his fingers and
used it to dip into the pudding. He raised the spoon to his mouth to eat the pudding. Jace poured
water from the pitcher into his cup, with the assistance of the teacher. Jace was able to drink the
water from the cup with one hand without spilling. Jaces mother reported that he had not been
trained to use the toilet yet.

Social/Emotional

Jaces mother reported that he rarely makes eye contact approximately once or twice per day.
Jace does not make eye contact with teachers or other children. When Jace played with bubbles,
he babbled and smiled. When Jaces mother picked him up from preschool lab, he placed his
head on her shoulder. During music time, Jace attempted to take an instrument out of the hands
of another child. Jace cried and bounced up and down.

Tests Administered

TABS: Temperament and Atypical Behavior Scale, Early Childhood Indicators of

Developmental Dysfunction: This test identifies temperaments and self-regulation problems that
can show if a child is at risk for atypical development.
Date administered: 01/2006

Vineland-II: Adaptive Behavior Scales: This test measures communication, personal, and social
skills from birth through adulthood.
Date administered: 01/2006

PLS-4: Preschool Language Scale, 4th Edition: This assessment mainly tests childrens language
skills such as receptive and expressive communication skills.

Test Results

TABS RAW SCORE STANDARD PERCENTILE

SCORE RANK
Detached 4 32 3
Hyper- Sensitive/Active 11 <26 <1
Underreactive 3 30 2
Dysregulated 0 53 61
Temperament & Regulatory Index (Total 18 <51 <1
of four raw scores)

Vineland-II RAW SCORE STANDARD/ V-SCALED SCORE PERCENTILE

RANK
Communication - 60 <1
Receptive 4 7 -
Expressive 14 9 -
Written - - -
Daily Living Skills - 71 3
Personal 6 5 -
Domestic 1 12 -
Community 2 12 -
Socialization - 60 <1
Interpersonal 6 5 -
Relationships
Play and Leisure Time 2 8 -
Coping Skills 1 10 -
Motor Skills - 100 50
Gross 51 16 -
Fine 18 14 -
Total Test - 69 2

PLS-4 RAW SCORE STANDARD SCORE PERCENTILE RANK

Auditory Comprehension 11 59 1
Expressive 14 56 1
Communication
Total Test 25 53 1

Interpretation

Communication

Based on interview, observation, and testing data, Jaces communication skills were found to be
in the below average range. In the routine based interview, Jaces mother expressed concern for
Jaces lack of eye contact and minimal verbal communication. In all areas of assessment
concerning communication, Jace scored as well as or better than 1 out of 100 children in his
normative age group. As shown in the Preschool Language Scale Fourth Edition (PLS-4), Jaces
auditory comprehension indicates that he performs below average, as he scored as well as or
better than 1 out of 100 children in his normative age group. His scores show that he is not
demonstrating age-appropriate verbal expressions of communication, which manifests itself in
Jaces difficulty expressing his wants and needs, resulting in whimpering and/or crying. Jace has
demonstrated success in his ability to communicate non-verbally with parents or teachers by
taking their hand and leading them to a desired area. Jace has formed variations of words, like
bub for bubbles and m for milk. Although Jace has communicated this way, he does not do
so consistently. These scores aligned with observations conducted in the home and the preschool
lab, where he did not respond to his name, commands, and other directions given by a teacher or
parent. At the age of 1 year, 11 months, Jace should be speaking sentences containing two to four
words and following simple instructions. Jaces development of communication will likely
impact his ability to communicate his needs and wants.

Jace can consistently:

Communicate needs/wants through pulling parent or teachers hand
Cry or fuss when hungry
Make babble sounds

Jace can partially or sometimes:

Say m for milk
Respond to simple one-step instructions
Show interest in games like peek-a-boo or patty cake

Jace does not yet:

Form two-word sentences
Respond to his own name
Demonstrate an understanding of the meaning of yes and no

Social/Emotional

In the social and emotional domain, Jace was found to be functioning below average. This is
reflected in interview, observation, and testing data. The TABS parent survey and Vineland
parent interview both verify below average scores in Jaces ability to regulate his emotions and
his social skills. In the routine-based interview with Jaces parents, they expressed their main
concern was Jaces lack of eye contact. Jace was reported to show signs of excitement when his
father came home and when he was watching a T.V. show or engaged in an activity such as
blowing bubbles. On the Vineland, Jace performed better than or equal to 1 out of 100 children
in regards to socialization. Most children at this age copy others (especially adults) and get
excited when around other children. Jace should be beginning to play with other children in
games such as chase games. Because of these findings, Jace will likely struggle to develop
relationships and appropriately express his feelings.

Jace can consistently:

Treat family members and strangers the same way
Respond to outstretched arms of caregiver
Show different kinds of emotions

Jace can partially or sometimes:

Make eye contact
Imitate mothers expressions
Becomes upset when a toy is taken away

Jace does not yet:

Display feelings of anxiousness
 Respond to his own name
Play with other children

Cognitive

In the cognitive domain, Jace is developing typical to other children his age. This is reflected in
interview, observation, and testing data. The observation data shows Jaces ability to sort shapes
into the cutout holes and to play with toys appropriately. Jace was also able to hold a pen in his
hand by gripping it and use it to draw on paper. When the examiner hid an object under a cover,
Jace sometimes discovered it, but not consistently. His mother reported that Jace will pick up the
phone and pretend to talk with his father, but when we tried to recreate a similar scenario, Jace
did not do it. His mother also reported that Jace chooses to look at books and flip through the
pages independently. In the toddler lab, Jace demonstrated reasoning skills when climbing the
playground ladder. He figured out that he could not climb the ladder successfully unless he took
off his gloves, so he took off his gloves. At the age of 1 year and 11 months, Jace should be able
to sort colors, play simple make-believe games, follow two-step instructions such as Pick up
your shoes and put them in the closet, and name items in a picture book such as cat, dog, bird.
Because Jace does not show any major signs of weakness in this domain, intervention is not
necessary at this time.

Jace can consistently:

Flip through books on his own
Stack blocks and play with Legos
Sit down and watch a TV show

Jace can partially or sometimes:

Pretend to talk on the phone
Engage in make-believe play
Find objects hidden under a cover

Jace does not yet:

Turn on the TV and select a show without help
Imitate facial expressions of others
Follow simple two-step instructions

Adaptive

In the adaptive domain, Jace was found to be functioning slightly below average. This is
reflected in interview and observation data. On the Vineland II, Jace performed equal to or better
than 3 out of 100 children his same age. This indicates that Jaces daily living skills are below
average. In the routine based interview, Jaces mother informed us that Jace can pull up clothing
with an elastic waistband but cannot always take them off. During our observation of Jace in the
toddler lab, Jace demonstrated self-help skills when he used a spoon to eat pudding. Sometimes
he would put the spoon in his mouth upside down. However, in the interview with Jaces mother,
she reported that Jace does not yet eat with a spoon. Both observation and interview prove that
Jace is able to drink through a straw and with a sippy cup. Jace can partially help with simple
chores around the home, but is not consistent in doing so. Because of the delays Jace has in this
domain, he may experience difficulties in helping his parents and teachers at home and school.
He also may need assistance with toileting and dressing himself.

Jace can consistently:

Drink through a straw or with sippy cup
Eat finger foods
Pull up clothing with elastic waistband

Jace can partially or sometimes:

Help with simple chores around the house
Feed himself with a spoon
Take off clothing

Jace does not yet:

Clean up after eating
Use the toilet appropriately
Count objects one by one

Motor

In the motor domain, Jace was found to be functioning in the average range. This is reflected in
interview, observation, and testing data. The results from the Vineland II show that Jaces motor
skills are typical to children the same age. He performed equal to or better than 50 out of 100
children that took the same test. The observation data shows that Jace is able to walk and run. He
can climb up/down stairs and use his arms and legs to climb a ladder. These are all evidences of
gross motor skills that demonstrate that Jace has reached all of the milestones in this domain. In
the interview with Jaces mother, she reported that Jace does not yet throw balls or jump with
both feet. The results from the Vineland II show that Jace performed better with gross motor
skills than fine motor skills. However, his fine motor skills are developing typical to other
children his age. The observation data shows that Jace can use pincher grasps to take raisins out
of a container. Additionally, he can grasp a pen and hold it against paper to scribble on it. Due to
the fact that Jace is developing typically in this domain, no intervention is necessary at this time.

Jace can consistently:

Walk and run with speed
Hold pen and scribble with it
Climb a ladder

Jace can partially or sometimes:

Use pointer finger to push lever on toy
Kick a ball
Throw a ball

Jace does not yet:

 Catch a ball
Take lid off container
Jump with both feet off the floor

Recommendations

The testing, observation, and interview results and interpretations indicate that Jace is eligible for
Part C special services in the home and/or in his Toddler Lab placement. It is recommended that
he remain in this placement and made eligible for special services.

For the professionals:

Determine what disability category Jace is eligible under
Provide services for communication and social/emotional areas
Provide speech and language therapy and teach Jace sign language
Reassess Jace periodically to maintain appropriate services

For the parents:

Engage in positive interactive play with Jace
Teach and encourage use of social/emotional skills
Talk out loud to Jace about daily activities
Begin to attend family counseling

For the classroom:

Create and teach non-verbal communication techniques
Establish and maintain a consistent routine
Develop and promote interaction with peers and reinforce positive interactions

Summary

Jace is a 1 year, 11 month old boy who has delays in communication and social/emotional
development. Jaces parent initial concern took place when they noticed he was not making eye
contact and he was still making babble sounds when other children his age were forming words.
The observation, interview, and testing that was administered show that Jace is functioning in the
below average range in the communication and social/emotional domains. Jace scored in the
average range for the cognitive and adaptive domains. Based on the results of the assessment
data, Jace is eligible for Part C services under Developmental Delay in the home and toddler lab.
It is recommended that Jace receive services such as Speech and Language Therapy and
training/counseling for the family.