Running head: STUDENT T CASE STUDY 1

Student T Case Study

Seja L. Gamble

Kayleen Gonyon

Molloy College

EDU 572

Author Note

[Include any grant/funding information and a complete correspondence address.]

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Abstract

The classification of Emotional Disturbance one or more of the following characteristics over a

prolonged set of time. Either of these characteristics can disrupt the social, physical, and

psychological bearing to the students progress and growth. The individual may struggle with the

inability to learn based on intellectual, sensory, or other health factors. Social patterns and

relationships with adults and peers alike can suffer due to inability to control inappropriate types

of behavior or feelings under what would be considered normal circumstances. Individuals

with this classified under Emotional Disturbance may also battle moods of unhappiness,

depression, or anxiety and may develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or

school problems. Student T is a 9-year-old who is classified under ED. Student T is a special

case because not only is classified under ED, but has major health issues that has affected the

social, home, and school progress. The student has struggles with abstract concepts, word

problems, Mathematics and social skills.

Keywords: Emotional Disturbance, Student, Classification

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Student T Case Study

Student T comes from a loving and very involved family that exemplifies the concept of

going over and beyond for the success of the student. Student T is fourth grade student

classified under emotional disturbance however, the validity of the students classification is a

topic in question. According to the recent IEP, the school has the student classified under ED yet

a psychologist from a respective institution states the child exemplifies characteristics under the

Autism Spectrum with bouts of anxiety and depression. The separate reports from both

institutions presents a conflicting situation for all parties involved with student T. Student T has

had many surgeries which has affected the childs growth in the home and school setting.

Student Ts number of surgeries has brought forth a history of absences in the school and has

placed a delay on the students growth academically and socially. After a major surgery student

T, experienced an infection which require for another long absence from school as well as

acquiring a colostomy bag.

For the most part, Student T can interact with adults and students alike but experiences

hardship when situation may not go the way the student would like. When things are out of

Student Ts control, the comfortability of the situation may trigger reactions that can be

characteristic of a student under the ED classification or similar characteristics to individuals

under the Autism spectrum. Albeit the child showed no signs of comfortability during the

multiple tutoring sessions with the adults, the question of comfort among peers is another topic

for this situation. The accommodations recommended for Student T in a school setting shows

the integration of an inclusive classroom with Co-Teachers twice daily for a total 40 minutes.

Student T receives occupational therapy, three to one setting, twice every six-day cycle as well as

small group counseling, once every six days, for thirty minutes.
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When testing, Student T receives special accommodations which creates for a less

stressful setting for the student. Regarding Student Ts Full-scale IQ test, according to the Wisc-

IV, the student fell within the average range at the 25th percentile. Student Ts score was equal or

better than 25 percent of peer-aged students.

Student T is a friendly child and has a range of interests which includes Anime and The

Littlest Pet Shop. Student T is a very creative and uses that creativity to introduce in-depth

stories that showcase the ability to attach emotions involved in the situation. Student Ts ability

to tell stories and connect emotionally with situations conflicts with the psychiatrist classification

of autism due to the clear understanding many students under the umbrella of autism struggle

with identifying certain emotions. Student T loves music and dancing and singing who overall

delights in creativity.

Learning Needs and Goals

Student T is an avid fan of stories and reading which serves as a relative strength.

Currently reading at the beginning of the third-grade level, Student T enjoys reading fiction

stories. Student T shows strong engagement in activities associated with reading, however there

are areas in need of improvement. Student T is in need of strengthening the sight word base and

the ability to decode words. While reading a passage, and an unfamiliar word comes to attention,

Student T at times may hesitate and wait for a prompt from the adult support to help decipher the

word. A relative strength for student T is the ability to comprehend readings well after listening

to them. Student T can listen to give full attention to the adult support and comprehend a story

shared with her verbally.

Student T enjoys writing and places an emphasis on creative writing and drawing. When

given the opportunity, Student T can create and construct her own ideas in an organized, and
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detailed paragraph. However, Student T struggles with writing from informal assignments which

constricts the creative aspect for the student. Regardless, of writing a creative or informal

assignment, the student shows difficulty with writing mechanics and spelling as well as

showcasing the appropriate spacing and word size.

Student T demonstrates Mathematical skills below grade level and struggles with abstract

concepts, and foundational skills. Student T shows strength in adding two digit equations with

and without regrouping and can subtract basic number sentences using manipulatives or visual

representations of the problem. Student T struggles with place value and has a challenging time

recognizing which side to work from when working out an addition and subtraction number

sentence that is not single digit.

In the school setting, student T may have trouble focusing and because of that redirection

would be required throughout the day. Student T does not work well under pressure which

triggers anxiety, so accommodations are created for the student to have extra time to complete

the assignment. At times student T may become frustrated and need adult support to intervene or

break from the assignment to relax.

While working with student T, it was important to focus on the ability to decode words,

improve foundational mathematical skills, and sharpen writing mechanics when creating short

stories. When creating the learning strategies and interventions for the student, our hope was to

create a relaxed atmosphere for the student which would enable the child to focus on the three

goals mentioned in the previous passage.

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Intervention1

During our time with student T, albeit short lived, we decided to focus on the basic

foundations of Mathematics: addition and subtraction and for ELA: identifying the four types of

sentences and punctuation. In our introduction session, Student T could introduce herself and

create a word cloud using ABCYA.com. This application or website allowed for the student to

find words that catered to their liking and use that as a way of expression for themselves. The

Word cloud was a great introduction activity. Sadly, Student T came late to the session and did

not have as much time as the other students. Another task at hand was for the student to fill out a

two surveys that would cater to the students learning style and multiple intelligences. These two

surveys would help create and gain an understanding of the student and their strengths regarding

learning. After a while, both tutors began to recognize the student did not do so well with taking

surveys. The student would answer anything, and later become frustrated and anxious. The

survey no longer was fun for Student T and became. We hoped to use each session to take things

slow and to cater to one subject at a time. The goal was for student T to take the time necessary

and needed for the subject, as well as create a fun-loving environment that required no triggers of

stress.

Session two and three

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We began session two hoping finish the multiple intelligence survey but found that it

became overwhelming for student T again. This prompted us to move the next station of

Addition and subtraction war. For math, we centered on single digit addition and subtraction

number sentences. The first activity was addition and subtraction war. This activity allowed for

the student to play the game of war using game cards but the catch was for student T to quickly

add and subtract the two cards together. We found that the student had a tough time with

producing an answer, when not using visual manipulatives and under a timely manner. The tutors

then took away the idea of it being a competition but found that the student still struggle to find

the solution to the problems. Student T was then given a four-problem single digit number sheet

that focused on finding the sum and difference of a single digit number sentence. Student J used

oversized numbers and a large cardboard which allowed for the student to have visual

representations of the problems and physically to move numbers around to find the solution. The

focus of this activity was to allow for the student to identify place values of numbers.

Session three was a continuation of the previous session and began with a game of

Quizziz. The Quizziz activity was a pretest activity which allowed for us acquire formative

assessment on Student Ts progress. The tutors helped with the first two question on the test and

placed an emphasis on the use of physical manipulatives so that Student T could physically work

out the problem. The program allowed for extended time and if the timer ran out, it stayed on the

page until the child could work out the problem. When working with single digit number

sentences, student T began to make huge progress using the manipulatives and the Pre-and Post-

test showed almost a consistent score on each attempt. Student T was then given a four-problem

single digit number sheet that focused on finding the sum and difference of a single digit number

sentence. Student T used oversized numbers and a large cardboard which allowed for the student
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to have visual representations of the problems and physically to move numbers around to find

the solution. Student T begin to move quickly with each problem understanding step by step of

what to do. The tutors initially had to prompt student T with each step but were then able to sit

back and allow the student to work out the problem independently. The student then participated

in the activity Build a masterpiece. The tutors would spread the multicolored addition and

subtraction single digit number strips on top of a charted poster board. The strips would be

flipped over so student T wasnt aware of which type of problem to will choose. Using Lego

blocks, Student T would choose a strip and work out the problem to find the solution. After

Student T found the solution, then the student would grab whatever the number of Legos in

accordance to the solution and build the masterpiece. Student T enjoyed this activity because

it was not only solving math problems, but it allowed for the student to create whatever they

desired.

Session four and five

Each session had its own highlights and hardships, however session four was a lot more

challenging in terms of math. The previous session, Student T had progressed so much, that the

tutors decided to work on adding and subtraction double-digit number sentences with
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regrouping. The importance of furthering Student T understanding this topic alone, was a

challenge, but we wanted to see how much Student T would be able to obtain. Student T and the

tutors each took turns rolling a life-size box. Each side of the box had familiar images from

student T s favorite show Soul-eater as well as four distinct categories to choose from.

Student T then rolled the box and waited for it to land on a category. After it landed, Student T

searched out the correct category and answered the problem. We incorporated word problem,

single digit, double digit, and allowed for the student to create a new problem however desired.

We moved forward to the next activity in the session, another game of quizziz that was

set up the same as the previous session but focused on double digit number sentences. Student T

had a tough time working out the problems because it would require the use of a copious

amounts of manipulatives for each problem. The Student T realized the question was timed and

began to get very restless. We reassured the student that even if the timer ran out, the problem

would be still be on the screen and to take their time and finish but the student found it hard to

continue with the pressure and the student shut down regarding math for the day. We decided to

sit and talk and pass around a beach ball as we discussed future events of the week. After Student

T relaxed, we began on ELA segment and spent 15 mins on the topic along. Student T flew

though each activity, demeanor changed completely for the positive. The student then played Red

Light, Green light using Flash cards that focused on the four types of sentences: Interrogative,

Imperative, Exclamatory, and declarative. We adjusted the game so that when playing against

your partner each would have a turn to take a step forward after guessing the correct answer. We

tried to make sure of reassuring the student that nothing is a competition between any of the

involved parties so the environment would be less stressful.

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Session five was a continuation of the ELA activities beginning with a quick video on

brain pop followed by a quiz on the correct sentence types. We then moved to the smart board

and played a quick game of kahoot and unlike the previous instance with the quizzes on math

number sentences, Student T soared through the game for the Pre-and posttest. In continuation

with the smart board, the student then opened a program on SMART exchange that also

reinforced and broke down the four types of sentences. Lastly, Student T and tutors played

another round of Red light green light using flash cards that will help students identify the four

types of sentences.

Session 6
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The last session was a bit of a challenge due to the previous math session and initially

student T tried to avoid everything with math until the use of the Littlest Pet Shop 3-D

manipulatives. We went back to single digit addition and subtraction number sentences and used

the LPS manipulative to gage Student Ts attention. We used the large numbers and card board

to reinforce the problem and place an emphasis on the placement of each number when solving

the problem. Student J began to open to math again after a moment of anxiety. We then used

chatter pix as a medium since the student did so well working out the problem. The student could

create a video about whatever the student desire. The Last activity was called unlock the code

and this game feature student Js favorite show soul eater. Unicode the Message Soul-eater

mystery puzzle allowed the tutors to bring a premade Games board and Question cards that

consisted of word problems that will help reveal a secret message. The gameboard will have each

character from the show soul eater. On the bottom of the character face will be a double-digit

number sentence. The solution to the sentence as well as two words from the message will be

located on the back. The questions will not be in an order, Student T would be able to choose

whichever question and then after obtaining the scrambled answer, the student will unscramble

the words and figure out the answer. Student T did very well in the game and completed the

ChatterPix
Video.mp4
puzzle with ease.
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Summary/Results

For the most part Student J thoroughly enjoyed their time in the program and barely

expressed disappointments in the activities. It was important to create activities that catered to

the interest of our student. It was important for us to place emphasis on confidence, support, and

reliability as we worked with this individual. The background of this child alone shows the

hardship and resilience that this child goes through. Our number one goal was to create an

environment where the child would enjoy themselves. We would recommend a less competitive

environment and when working with math, to continue to use visual representation and

manipulatives to work out the problems and extended time to complete tasks.
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Summary

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Last Name, F. M. (Year). Book Title. City Name: Publisher Name.

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