Special Needs Case Study Analysis

1. What classic symptoms of a learning disability does Nathan exhibit?

well we can see that when he was younger he had been diagnosed with some case of ADD or ADHD. He was showing some symptoms of it still as he was acting like he was somewhere he was not or he had thought he had done some things an actually did not. I am also wondering if he was a little bit gifted and did not feel like the work was really important to him to hand in. I think I would diagnose him with a combination of ADD and being talented, but without really understanding that he is gifted in a way.

2. What accommodations has Nathan received in the past?

Nathan had not received much attention other than medication. It seemed to me that the parents believed the medication would take it's toll and he would just get better. The father went as far as to say that he did it too. He made no inference that it was something much more severe in Nathan than what he had. It probably wasn't even the same thing at all. They just think he is fine and that he needs to put forth more effort. In school he was placed in a Resource Room to secure better study habits, but the medication was what saved the teacher then.

3. What strategies would you recommend to help Nathan work with his learning disability? Why?

I didn't see the need to put him in resource because he is learning the information in class. Nathans problem exists with turning the work in, he actually does the work when he is assigned it. I would show some interest in his work and ask to see the problems he was able to do the night before. It is obvious that he is distracted in some way so I would try and incorporate some activities that would keep his mind on task. I would also implement methods of self talk to help him remember to turn in assignments and stay on task during the test. I could try and place him in a different testing environment. Principles of reinforcement are definatly needed for him to stay on task.

4. How many students like Nathan will you likely have in your classes? Justify your response by summarizing the information from a link or reference (include the link/reference).

I know the answer is going to be a great number more than i could ever imagine. I see a trend happening with ADD and ADHD in schools. I don't know if it is being over diagnosed or perhaps it was never diagnosed before hand. I would say at leas 1 out of 4 but let me see how close I really was. There may be deficits in attention and impulse control without hyperactivity being present. In fact, recent studies indicate that as many as 40% of the ADHD kids may not be hyperactive. http://newideas.net/adhd/child/adhd-in-school So what I learned is that students may have ADHD but show no signs of hyperactivity, so what I said is correct. A student may not show it but more than 10% of children show signs of Sensory Integration Dysfunction.