Running head: INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES STUDENT PROFILE ESSAY

Individual Difference Student Profile Essay

Tarkalson, Ashley

Instructor: Dr. Egbert

EDUC 205: Development/Individual Differences

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Individual Difference Student Profile Essay

Students differ in their abilities physically, cognitively, and socio-emotionally.

There are many strategies to provide students with a learning plan that works for them in

the classroom because one specific program does not fit all students. Attention-

deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a brain disorder marked by an ongoing pattern

of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or

development (web). In this profile of a student with ADHD, I will discuss the physical,

cognitive, and socio-emotional development of the student, as well as a summary of my

findings and their implications in the classroom.

General Information

Ryder is fourteen years and seven months old and suffers with ADHD. He lives

with his parents, one older brother, and one younger sister and brother. His older brother

is sixteen years old and is two years older than Ryder. His sister is twelve years old, and

his younger brother is ten years old. Ryder began to have noticeable difficulties

associated with ADHD starting in the second grade.

Ryder’s daily schedule is full of routines that he follows each day. For example,

he gets up in the morning and goes to school from eight in the morning to four-ten in the

afternoon, four days a week. After school, Ryder participates in some form of seasonal

extracurricular sports activity or youth activities. When his family gets home, they finish

their evening activities and the day is completed.

Physical Development

The physical description of Ryder is as follows: he has blonde hair; blue eyes; and

white skin. He also has a scar between his eyes from when he was hit with a baseball bat.
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The child’s physical maturation is somewhat behind those of children his age. He has

minor vision issues and only wears glasses while in the classroom.

The general physical health of the child is good. Ryder participates in various

activities that promote physical fitness. He attends a strength and conditioning class for

one hour during the school day. Some of his favorite activities are football, basketball,

and track. He is right handed, and his large muscle development is normal for a fourteen-

year old, meaning he is able to run, jump, and play as most young men can. The student’s

small muscle development is also consistent with youth in his age group. In that, he can

type well in keyboarding class and also use scissors, which requires good hand-eye

coordination.

Cognitive Development

At the age of eight years old teachers began to notice Ryder’s difficulties in the

classroom. Teachers allowed Ryder to stand at his desk all day because he could not hold

still in his seat and would end up disrupting other students. Jean Piaget's theory of

cognitive development is a comprehensive theory about the nature and development of

human intelligence. Under Piaget’s concrete operational stage, it states “ADHD makes

it challenging for the child to focus on the process of learning and sustain information

long enough to master new skills and move on to the next step.” The zone of proximal

development (ZPD), is the difference between what a learner can do without help and

what he or she can do with help.

At this time Ryder is in the ninth grade and his placement is in a traditional

classroom. Ryder enjoys learning, and tires to promote good self-regulation, but has a

hard time staying on task if the teacher talks a lot. He enjoys hands-on learning and
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shows great creativity. He does not do well when the teacher talks a lot during a lesson.

He is easily distracted and finds it hard to concentrate while his mind is racing on to the

next thing.

He has classes in the following subjects: Honors Geometry, Physical Science,

English I, Advisory, and Input Digi Tools. His elective classes are: Seminary, Strength,

and Choir. The area of his academic strength is Input Digi Tools and Strength. His

academic weakness is Honors Geometry. Ryder has to work extra hard to keep his grades

up. He is not motivated to get As. He likes to be given specific directions of how to

complete a certain math problem without a lot of talking so he can get right to work. He

does not enjoy reading.

Socio-emotional Development

Ryder is very social among his peer group to the point that he tends to be

disruptive in most of his classes. He is funny and thrives on attention of others. Teachers

frequently have to remind Ryder to “keep it down” and stay on task. His mother has been

confronted several times by teachers with concern about the noises he makes. He is

comfortable around adults, but is not the first one to strike up a conversation. As well

liked as Ryder is, he tends to be a “rejected child” and struggles with peer acceptance

because of his ADHD. He tends to have a lower self-esteem from the negative labels

that have been placed upon him, along with the frequent self-criticism that had cuased

only further damage of his self-concept (how he perceives himself).

Teachers are grateful for his happy-go-lucky attitude and the face that he is

respectful. He knows he is different than than other students in his class. The fact that he

broke 3 chairs in the 5th grade from rocking back and forth on them raised really
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concerned his teachers. They want4ed to hep him and allowed him to wear headphones or

sit on a ball, but he did not want to do this because he would be different from everyone

else. This is when Ryder began his medicine treatment. Ryder knows who he is. His

mother wonders if he is depressed at times. He knows that he is different than his

classmates.

“Adolescence is the period of life between childhood and adulthood. According to

psychologist Erik Erikson, adolescents go through the psychosocial crisis of identity

versus role confusion, which involves exploring who they are as individuals. Ryder’s

socio-emotional development is that of identity vs. role confusion because he knows

that he is not like some of his friends. He will always have to work harder than his friends

to understand and focus on what his teachers are saying.

Summary, Conclusions, and Implication

The summary of the major findings of this data collection is that the student is

that with the support from his family and teacher, they are making sure Ryder’s

educational needs are met. Parent and teachers are continually in contact to discuss ways

to better understand Ryder and his needs. He sees to be happy, and is on the go all the

time with school and extracurricular activities. Everyone enjoys being around Ryder, but

can tire quickly of his noise and energy.

In Ryder’s cognitive stage he has done well, but struggles when the teacher tends

to talk a lot. His physical development is a bit below that of his peers. He does not have

vision, hearing, or chronic health problems due to his disability. He is able to use both

large and small muscle groups. He is right-handed, but tends to use his left hand to

dribble and shoot a basketball or shoot a gun. The student displays identity vs. role
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confusion in his socio-emotional development. He is able to use autonomy in his

decision making, but tends to be a very impulsive in his choices.

Ryder’s strengths are in keyboarding (Input Digi Tools and strength and

conditioning). He is respectful and a joy to be around, but tends to go overboard when it

comes to gaining attention. Ryder is supposed to be on Adderall, but does not like taking

it. His mother feels like medicine would help him in the classroom. After his medication

was stolen out of his house, Ryder is not comfortable taking it.

There are different learning strategies that would best support Ryder’s learning

and development. He would benefit having a 504 plan set in place so all of his teacher

could assist his needs and understand his struggles. He gets very frustrated with his

disability. Sometimes Ryder doesn’t understand when his teacher is frustrated with him

and he gets upset quickly because he doesn’t feel like he has done anything wrong. His

parents are very aware of his ups and downs.

Benefits for Ryder would be the option to integrate more physical activity into his

day so that it eliminates the disruption he causes in the classroom. He would benefit using

headphones to listen to music while doing his assignments. Classes with more hands on

activities and less verbal sit down direction would allow Ryder to be more creative and

focus his energies elsewhere allowing.

Each student is different and will shine in a different way. This profile has made

me aware that ADHD is real, and it affects not only the student, but everyone that they

come in contact with. Just because a student suffers from ADHD, does not mean they

should be treated in a negative way. We as educators need to study ways to assist these
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students and understand their struggles. In so doing, we will increase their learning

potential and possibly change their lives forever.

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References

National Institutes of Health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d. Web.

04 Dec. 2016.

"Teaching Students with ADHD." Teaching Students with ADHD: Tips for Teachers to

Help Students with ADHD Succeed at School. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2016.

Sousa, David. How the Brain Learns. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.