EDUC 525

Case Study - Michael

Michael is a 15-year-old boy who is currently in the ninth grade. He has been receiving special
education services since he was determined eligible in second grade as Learning Disabled.
Michael has received instruction in self-contained classes, resource classes, and through
inclusion in the general education classroom. Michael moves from class to class, eats lunch with
his peers, and participates in PE class independently. He is currently working on increasing his
attending skills and completing his work more independently.

Background Information
Michael's family is very close. His parents own a local restaurant and are supportive of all of
their children. Michael has two siblings. His older brother is 21 years old and will graduate from
college next year. He attends a nearby university and lives at home. Michael looks up to him and
enjoys spending time working on old cars with him. They also enjoy hiking, camping, and
fishing together. Michael's sister is 12 and attends the middle school. She is frequently on the
honor roll. She has a close relationship with Michael and will often assist him with his school
work.

Academic Information
Michael is doing well in Math this year. He has improved upon addition and subtraction with
regrouping. However, he continues to need assistance with his subtraction problems. When
reminded to regroup, he is better able to complete his work. Michael enjoys multiplication and
tries very hard to complete these problems. He is able to recite some facts, but usually needs help
in order to find the answers. Michael has also worked with recognizing money and making
change. This is an area in which he continues to struggle. He is not able to correctly name coins
or add various combinations of coins.
Michael is also doing well in language arts. He continues to work hard and make improvements
with his reading. Although he is better able to recognize vocabulary and has improved in his
attempts to phonetically sound out words, he should continue to practice these skills. Michael
also needs to continue working on his writing. He tries very hard to write complete sentences,
however, his poor spelling and inability to put his thoughts on paper makes this a hard task for
him. Michael has greatly improved in attempting to read his directions before starting his
assignment. He continues to need help with this; however, he will sometimes tell staff that “he
has it, and he can do the rest on his own.” In addition, Michael continues to improve upon
maintaining a positive attitude towards his work. He may get irritated but is now more
determined to complete the assignment instead of giving up.
Michael does well generally in the areas of social studies and science. He continues to need to
work on his direction skills and map skills. He needs to continue to work on participating in
classroom discussions and attending to the lessons. Michael continues to “daydream” in class.
He is better able to answer oral questions, but is still prompted to pay attention. Usually
questions need to be repeated due to his lack of attention. He will attempt to answer the question;
however, his answer is often incorrect. He has improved upon staying positive when the class
reacts to his incorrect answer.
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Michael enjoys P.E. and the competition with peers. He is physically active and does well with
sports. Michael also enjoys working with technology and looks forward to his computer class.
Michael continues to make progress in personal hygiene skills such as washing hands and face,
brushing teeth, and independent table manners. He also needs to continue to work on his
communication skills with peers. He has difficulty with personal space and turn-taking when
communicating with others.
Michael began the school year having difficulty handling his frustration. With redirection and
immediate consequences, Michael has improved in this area. Michael now displays a more
positive attitude towards both his assignments and during his interaction with his peers.
Michael is showing improvements in his academic work. I believe this is a result of the small
classroom, individualized attention, and structure found at School.

Transition Information
In looking to the future, Michael states that he does not have a specific career in mind. He
currently works at the restaurant during the afternoon on Saturdays and Sundays, clearing tables
and assisting in the kitchen. He enjoys being with his family and has developed relationships
with some of the other employees. He is not comfortable interacting with the customers. He
states that his favorite work at the restaurant is helping in the kitchen. He would like to know
more about cooking.
Michael says that he would like to live independently, but no too far from his family. He states
that he would be interested in having a roommate to share expenses and to “do things together.”
Michael and a school friend have discussed getting an apartment together when they finish
school. They have known each other since elementary school and have developed a good
relationship.

Summary
Michael is showing improvements in his academics and does well in small group settings and/or
with individual assistance. Michael’s strengths are his improved attitude towards his work and
his pride in his accomplishments. Michael's weakness is his difficulty handling his frustration. A
future goal for Michael could include dealing with his frustration in positive ways. Some
strategies that work with Michael are praise, one-on-one attention, and immediate consequences.

The following scores are for the Brigance basic skills assessment taken last year.
Test: Fall Administration Spring Administration
Word Recognition Primer Grade 1
Reading Vocabulary could not do could not do
Word Analysis could not do could not do
Spelling Grade 1 Grade 1
Computational Skills Grade 1 Grade 2
Problem Solving could not do Grade 1
Sentence Writing Test not administered could not do

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