Midterm Essay Exam

1. Micah is a first grader who has earned a deviation IQ score of 116 on the Stanford-Binet Ability
Test. The problem is that he is doing very poorly academically due to his very limited attention
span and uncontrolled physical activity. For much of the day, Micah is out of his seat wandering
around the room. When he's in his seat, he is almost certain to be fidgeting or moving in some
way. His parents recently took him to a psychiatrist who suggested beginning drug therapy.
[Note: The Binet series has a scaled score mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 16. The
Wechsler series utilizes a standard deviation of 15.]
1) What appears to be the nature of the problem? What type of disorder is suggested?
What is the likely prognosis for Micah's academic and social development, if the problem
is not treated? What about the longevity of the problem?
It is likely that Micah suffers from Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.
This disorder is possibly caused by a lack of physical activity when not in school,
and by sitting in front of digital screens for most of the day. If not treated, Micah
will lag behind his peers academically and socially. The problem could potentially
be a long-term, compounding issue if not treated.
2) React to the psychiatrist's suggestion of drug therapy. What are the advantages of
using drug therapy at this point? What are the limitations?
I do not believe that drug therapy is effective treatment for Micah at this
point. Behavior modification and lifestyle changes would be much more effective.
3) What other interventions would you suggest to help Micah?
Micahs parents can focus on making sure that he receives adequate physical
activity outside of school. Micahs teacher can develop a behavior modification
system to keep him in his seat during lessons.
2. Kelly is a ninth grader with above-average abilities. He earns "Bs" in all of his subjects, except
for biology, which he barely manages to pass. As his biology teacher, you have tried to help him
many times, but you have observed no real progress. Kelly tells you that he has difficulty doing
his homework because of anxieties and basic "resistance" to the subject. He simply doesn't know
how to get started and stares at the question until he gives up and puts the homework assignment
away.
1) Design a self-management program that Kelly could adopt to improve his academic
performance.
When encountering a difficult problem, Kelly should always start by
freewriting, that is, he should write down what he does know about the problem
 without concerning himself with correctness. Then, he should find information in
textbooks or lectures that can help him solve the problem. If he cannot solve the
problem, it is important that Kelly finds help from a teacher or peer.
2) Explain why (or why not) such strategies as token reinforcement and contingency
contracting might help Kelly's situation.