Educational Report

Demographics
Name: Jace Patterson
Date of Birth: 2/21/2004
Age: 1 year, 11 months
Evaluation Date: December 2005—January 2006
Evaluators: Cloward, Anderson, and Allen
Report Author: Aspen Wolfe

Reason for Referral

Jace’s parents are concerned that his lack of eye contact and his lack of expressive and receptive
communication skills may mean that he has a disability. His parents are seeking to get help for
Jace in these areas because he missed the milestones associated with them and they fear that he is
falling behind developmentally.

Background
Developmental History
Jace was a normal pregnancy and delivery with no complications. When he was 6 months old his
parents noticed that he would not look them in the eye and at 15 months they began to notice that
he couldn’t even say one word. However, Jace did babble at this time and still does. His parents
also noticed that Jace will not mimic their actions or the actions of other children. He does not
point, throw, or jump. His only form of communication is when he wants something he pulls at a
parent until they guess what it is he wants. His mom recently began to incorporate some sign
language into his everyday life and he has occasionally mimicked the sign “more”, often when
he wants a treat. Jace’s parents saw on the news that a 7-year old girl who was autistic does not
talk and climbs on things often. This was their first inkling that their child may fall on the autism
spectrum.

Family Information and Social/Emotional History

Jace’s father, Frank, is a university student and his mother is a stay at home home. He has one
younger sister who is an infant and who he usually ignores unless she is crying which is when he
goes to get his mother. Jace enjoys watching television and is a silent participant in that activity.
His mom said it is very relaxing to him and sometimes he will laugh at a cartoon he is watching.
He does not become upset if the cartoon is turned off. Jace likes to have his sippycup with him
and enjoys drinking juice from it throughout the day and drinks milk from it when he is being put
to bed for the night. Jace mostly eats finger foods so he is able to feed himself because he cannot
yet eat with a spoon or other utensil. If he does not like a food that his mom has made she feeds
him baby food in his highchair. Jace has been sleeping through the night since he was 8 months
old and takes a 2 hour nap each day around noon. Jace recognizes his parents’ faces because
when they enter the room he becomes excited and will go up to hug them. He repeats an action if
both of his parents are doing it, such as waving goodbye. He attends a nursery class at church
and seems to do well there with the other children. He likes to play. He adapts very well to new
environments and does not stay frustrated for too long.

Medical History
When Jace was 18 months old his parents took him to a doctor who checked for ear infections.
Jace received tubes in his ear to help drain the fluid that was building up. Soon after, he began to
babble more frequently. However, even after 5 or 6 months of having the tubes in Jace still is not
able to speak other than saying “mil” for “milk” or any type of drink. On the plus side, Jace has
good vision and hearing and is not taking medication. His hearing has been tested twice and
everything seemed fine except for the frequent ear infections which he gets the tubes changed for
every 4 months.

Educational History
Jace has no formal educational history, but his mother has applied for him to participate in
Toddler Lab at BYU-Idaho

Observation

Cognitive
From observation as well as an interview by Jace’s mother it is clear that Jace exhibits a few
cognitive abilities such as problem solving, attention, and cause and effect. Through observation
it was observed that Jace could problem solve. He was able to take a hammer and bang pieces
down into the holes and he was also able to match pieces into the correct holes after the
administrator showed him how to do it. Jace was also able to pay attention for short and long
periods of time, based on the activity. It was also observed that Jace would spend a lot of time
focused on scribbling on paper with a pen and he would play with blocks for an extended period
of time. However, he would play with the camera for a short amount of time and would climb on
things and then change activities. Jace has some sense of cause and effect as well. When a
bubble blower was put up to his mouth he would blow and make bubbles. He also pushed a
racecar across the floor so it moved and pressed the buttons on an animal game to make them
pop up.
Communication
Jace showed no ability to communicate verbally but was able to communicate nonverbally.
While he shows little expressive communication, he shows even less receptive communication.
Jace has been babbling from a young age and it has increased since he was able to receive tubes
for his ears to drain excess fluid. He does not make eye contact with people and if he does it is
very rare and only for a few short moments. Jace is able to communicate nonverbally a little. His
mother taught him how to sign the word “more” and he does occasionally. If he wants something
he grabs his mother’s hand and pulls her in the direction of what he wants. However, he will not
point to what that thing is, a skill usually developed by nine months of age, so she has to guess
and he often throws a fit until she guesses correctly. Clearly, Jace does engage in expressive
communication occasionally. On the other hand, he shows little to no receptive communication
which is clear through the lack of eye contact and the inability to understand commands from his
parents.
Motor
Jace is capable of running, walking, and climbing. It can be observed throughout the whole
testing process that Jace enjoys running around the room as well as exploring while he walks and
pulls his mother to places around the home based on his desires. Jace really enjoys climbing on
things. It can be seen that he climbs on benches, couches, and chairs while he is at home. He is
also capable of climbing ladders which is shown when he is playing outside at the toddler lab.
Jace does not jump but he is able to kick. He will not throw a ball but he will roll it. It is obvious
that Jace does have some gross motor skills developed but Brother Cloward mentions that Jace is
missing some critical pieces from his motor skills. Some of Jace’s fine motor skills are
developed as well, but not as many as gross motor. He is able to hold a pen and a spoon but his
mother notes that he is unable to unwrap small objects like a piece of candy only using his hands;
he has to use his teeth as well.
Adaptive Behavior
Jace exhibits very few adaptive behavior skills. He is able to feed himself with his hands; he
picks up raisins and cereal pieces with his whole hand and puts them all in his mouth. It can be
observed from the toddler lab that he is feeding himself yogurt with a spoon. His mother also
mentions that he is able to drink from a sippy-cup on his own. She also tells the examiner that
when they are in the car Jace will try to put on his own seatbelt and he knows that if she says
they are going “bye-bye” that sometimes Jace will grab his shoes.
Social/Emotional
The skill that Jace lacks the most is eye contact. He will only make eye contact for a few
moments and even that is quite rare. However, Jace is aware of crying. His mother mentions that
when the baby is crying Jace will get his mother. Additionally, it can be observed in the toddler
lab that Jace is fascinated by a child who can be heard crying in the background; he looks
directly at where the sound is coming from. Jace does not play with the other children while in
the toddler lab, but he does stay with one of the aides; he prefers to do things on his own and
throws a fit when he is not able to do what he wants.

Tests Administered
The TABS or Temperament and Atypical Behavior Scale, Early Childhood Indicators of
Developmental Dysfunction was given to Jace when he was 1 year 11 months. The purpose of
this test is to identify temperament as well as self-regulation problems which can help identify if
a child is at risk for developmental delays.
Vineland-II: Adaptive Behavior Scales or just Vineland-II was given to Jace at the age of 1 year
11 months. This test is designed to look at the personal and social skills that a child needs for
everyday life and helps to identify those who may have intellectual and/or developmental delays.
The PLS-4 which is also known as the Preschool Language Scale, 4th Edition was also
administered to Jace when he was 1 year 11 months. This test was developed to identify
developmental milestones for the development of language. The ability to hear and understand
and the ability to express oneself are used to determine where a child is at with their language
skills.
Brigance Diagnostic Inventory of Early Development, 2nd Edition or (BDI/IED-II) is used to
measure a child’s skills involving physical development, language development, and a few of the
five domains which are academic/cognitive, social and emotional development, daily living
skills, and adaptive behavior. Jace was given this test at 1 year 11 months and the scores can be
used to isolate developmental delays in the areas listed above.

Test Results
TABS
Raw Score Standard Score Percentile Rank
Detached 4 32 3
Hyper- 11 <26 <1
Sensitive/Active
Under reactive 3 30 2
Dysregulated 0 53 61
Temperament & 18 <51 <1
Regulatory Index
(total of four raw
scores)

Vineland-II
Raw Score Standard Score/ v- Percentile Rank
Scaled Score
Communication - 60 <1
Receptive 4 7 -
Expressive 14 9 -
Written - - -
Daily Living Skills - 71 3
 Personal 7 9 -
Domestic 1 12 -
Community 2 12 -
Socialization - 60 <1
Interpersonal 6 5 -
Relationships
Play and Leisure 2 8 -
Time
Coping Skills 1 10 -
Motor Skills - 100 50
Gross 51 16 -
Fine 18 14 -
TOTAL TEST - 73 4

PLS-4
Raw Score Standard Score Percentile Rank
Auditory 11 59 1
Comprehension
Expressive 14 56 1
Communication
TOTAL TEST 25 53 1

Interpretations
Cognitive
Jace shows age-appropriate development in the cognitive domain. The observations from The
Brigance test showed that Jace played with toys in the way that was intended. For example, he
was able to sort toys of different shapes into their appropriate spot. His mother explained that
while he knows how to talk on the phone and open a door, he does so very rarely. Jace also
knows that he needs to put on a coat and his shoes when going outside but is unable to do so
without the help of his mother or father. Occasionally, Jace is able to find objects hidden under a
cover and pretends to feed himself with a spoon. It is difficult to figure out what Jace
understands and does not understand due to his lack of expressive or receptive communication
and his inability to respond to simple commands.
Jace can consistently:
-look at books independently
-play with toys appropriately
-watch television when people are around
Jace can partially or sometimes:
-make-believe play
-discover hidden objects
-pretend to or actually talk on the phone
Jace does not yet:
-choose a TV station independently
-ask for things on his own
-make-believe play on a regular basis
Communication
Jace’s communication is below average. The evidence for this comes from his testing,
interviews, and observations. He consistently scored below average on the PLS and TABS tests.
His percentiles were incredibly low and he is considered at-risk. All of his scores were at least
two standard deviations below average, allowing him to qualify for special education. The PLS
showed that Jace had less expressive language compared to receptive language. On the other
hand, the Vineland test showed that Jace had less receptive language than expressive skills. This
is because the PLS measured his ability to vocalize a variety of sounds whereas the TABS
examiner reported few vocalizations. In both tests, no words were reported being spoken by Jace
and his mother only reported him ever using one word—“mil” for “milk”.
It can be seen from the tests, interviews, and observations that Jace’s receptive language is
lacking. He rarely reacts to sounds around him, does not respond to his name, and does not
comply with simple commands that would be considered age appropriate. For his expressive
language, Jace uses zero words. However, he is able to babble when he is played with or while
he is playing with a phone. But, he should be able to speak at least 2-3 words. On the other hand,
Jace is able to communicate nonverbally. It was observed that he leads his mother or father to
whichever thing he wants or needs at that moment. He will not point to the object but he will cry
until the item he wants is given to him. While observing him in the Toddler Lab it was observed
that Jace did not respond to his name and did not comply with simple commands such as
cleaning up toys. Things need to be repeated to him for him to understand. He resorts to
screaming or crying when he wants or needs something and it would be beneficial for him to
learn other ways to express needs and wants.
Jace can consistently:
-communicate nonverbally through pulling motions
-vocalize a variety of sounds in babbling and yelling
-dispute through gesticulations or vocalization
Jace can partially or sometimes:
 -follow a routine and directions if cues are used
-look at things or people the guardian calls attention to
-search for someone who is talking or for another sound
Jace cannot yet:
-use words to communicate
-initiate turn-taking or social routines
-identify or point to objects or body parts
Motor
Jace’s motor skills present at an average level for a 1 year 11 month old. The Vineland test
scores show that the motor domain would be a relative strength for Jace. He is able to walk, run
without falling, walk up and down the stairs while placing both feet on each step, build a tower
from blocks, and hold a writing utensil to scribble. The Brigance showed that Jace is capable of
putting objects into a container and pouring or taking them out. While the Vineland was
administered it could be observed that Jace is able to climb onto an adult-sized chair and is able
to move his hands in an imitation of pat-a-cake. Jace mostly eats finger foods, drinks from a
sippy cup, and hardly ever jumps or throws a ball. However, his mom mentioned that he is
capable of rolling a ball. While some areas of the motor domain could stand to be improved, this
is the least concern for Jace. While in the classroom, Jace will not be jumping or throwing
anything but he may need help eating or drinking during snacktime. Additionally, Jace will need
to learn to hold a pencil properly for writing.
Jace can consistently:
-stand, walk, and run independently
-climb stairs with both feet on one stair at a time
-grip a writing utensil and scribble
Jace can partially or sometimes:
-roll, throw, and kick a ball
-jump
-build towers from blocks
Jace does not yet:
-catch
-open doors by turning knobs
-hold a writing utensil correctly
Adaptive Behavior
The Vineland shows that Jace’s self-help skills are in the low average range meaning that he is
slightly delayed in this domain. While Jace is sometimes able to hold a spoon and feed himself,
he mostly eats finger foods and drinks from a sippy cup rather than a normal cup. Jace knows
how to put on his shoes when he is going outside and is able to put his arms through the holes in
his shirt when getting dressed but he hardly ever dresses himself. Jace has been sleeping through
the night since he was 8 months old but is still lacks basic toileting skills. He is able to help his
mother by throwing away his little sister’s diaper and sometimes displays knowledge of using a
telephone. On the other hand, Jace is not able to turn on the television or specify a channel
preference. When in the classroom, Jace may need help getting dressed and undressed and using
the bathroom. It is possible that he will need help eating and drinking during snacktime as well.
Jace can consistently
-drink from a sippy cup
-feed himself finger foods
-remain asleep through the night
Jace can partially or sometimes:
-complete simple tasks
-use a spoon to feed himself
-use a telephone
Jace does not yet:
-use the toilet
-dress on his own
-clean up messes he has made
Social/Emotional
Jace’s social/emotional domain is very below average. This is obvious when interpreting test
scores, interviewing parents, and observing Jace. The TABS survey which was completed y the
parents and the Vineland parent interview both show that Jace is below average in temperament,
regulation of feelings, and socialization. The observations also showed that Jace is below
average in the above categories. The parent reports showed that while Jace seems to be aware of
other people, he looks past them and rarely makes eye contact with anyone, including his
parents. This was obvious in the two observations that were done where he was avoiding eye
contact with the examiner, his mother, and the aides in the toddler lab. Jace will occasionally
play with other children but has no interest in parallel play which is when children play next to
each other but not necessarily with one another.
Jace’s parents mentioned that he shows excitement when they come home, will give them hugs,
and will laugh when his dad is tickling him. Jace is capable of showing multiple emotions such
as joy, fear, anger, and surprise. His mother mentioned that he shows interest when new things
are added to his environment. It was observed that Jace would frequently move away from an
activity to observe the camera stand in the living room which was brought in by the examiners.
Jace is able to imitate some behaviors that he sees like when his parents wave goodbye or play
pat-a-cake but no other imitations have been noticed. It is a typical milestone of a 23-month-ld to
get excited when seeing familiar people and imitating others, both of which Jace struggles with.

While Jace is able to get over tantrums in a timely fashion, the parents indicated on the TABS
parent rating scale that Jae is upset by little things and is easily frustrated and is irritable much of
the time. It was observed during Toddler Lab that Jace’s tantrums can be consistent and are
prone to escalation. In the classroom, Jace will become upset over small things like a failed
attempt to communicate a want or need or getting something taken away from him. He will be
able to take part in simple games if they are modeled appropriately but he will not be able to
engage in eye contact or parallel play.
Jace consistently:
-conveys multiple emotions
-responds to outstretched arms
-sleeps through the night
Jace partially or sometimes:
-engages in eye contact
-imitates the behavior of others
-becomes frustrated if something is taken away
Jace does not yet:
-control his tantrums
-respond to his name
-participate in parallel play

Recommendations
The results and interpretations taken from the testing, observation, and interview process indicate
that Jace is eligible for Part C services which will cover Jace until he is 2 years old, after which
he will move to Part B of The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which will
cover Jace from the time he is three until he is twenty-one years old. This will assure that Jace
receives all of the services he is eligible for.
For the professionals:
-Determine Jace’s disability and eligibility within that disability

-Begin services in the communication and social/emotional categories. Start him with a
speech pathologist.
-Continue to monitor Jace’s progress and reassess periodically
For the parent:
-Continue speaking to Jace and incorporate more signs

-Play with Jace and engage in parallel play, give him hugs, read to him, keep to a
schedule, and give Jace simple commands
-Begin toilet training and help him learn to eat and drink on his own
For the classroom:
-Surround Jace with speech
-Help teach Jace to work and play with others

-Engage in activities that will develop motor skills such as jumping, throwing, catching,
and writing

Summary
Jace is a 23-month-old boy who shows some developmental delays. He exhibits concerning
delays in communication as well as social/emotional development. Below average findings were
found in these two areas through interviews with parents, observations of Jace’s behavior, and a
variety of tests. Jace does not make eye contact with other people and has limited expressive and
receptive communication skills. Both of these things could prove to be especially difficult in a
classroom setting. Jace communicate through pulling toward what he wants as well as through
whining and tantrums. While Jace shows typical development in the cognitive and motor
domains, he is delayed in adaptive behavior or self-help. He will be involved in Toddler Lab at
BYU-Idaho where he will be given opportunities to interact with children his age and develop
his speech and interaction skills. It is recommended that Jace receive Part C services under The
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).