Evaluating Special Education Case Studies:

Details:

Part 1: Short Answer Responses

Evaluate the following case studies, identifying IDEA disability categories where applicable. In 100-250 word responses, classify the IDEA disability category that each student may fall under. Provide a rationale for your identification choice that takes into consideration each student's developmental milestones.

Tomas, Kindergarten

Tomas entered Mrs. Richards' kindergarten classroom at the beginning of the school year with great excitement! He showed great interest in learning and being in the classroom with other students.

As the school year progressed, however, Tomas' excitement quickly turned into frustration. He struggled with recognizing the letters in his name, identifying different shapes, and consistently could not follow two-part instructions. He also was dramatically less able than his peers to focus on a task. His frustrations have led to impulsive actions. Mrs. Richards has called a meeting with his parents to address her concerns.

Harper, 3rd grade

Harper attends Sunset Elementary School and has been placed in a class with 25 other 3rd graders. Harper loves her teacher Mrs. Hernandez and struggles when a substitute takes her place. She excels in math and tends to get bored when the other kids in her class struggle.

Harper also loves reading about the weather, somewhat obsessively, and can share weather facts and details for hours. She enjoys going to school, but does struggle with the loud noises a school brings. In school assemblies, for instance, she becomes overly upset about the noise level and tends to rock back and forth to calm herself.

Austin, 5th grade

Austin was 9 years old when he was hit by a car while riding his bike on the sidewalk. He broke his arm and leg and also hit his head very hard.

When he came home from the hospital he looked just fine, but he needed lots of help. Now back at school, there are changes in Austin that are hard to understand. It takes Austin longer to do things and he has trouble remembering. He cannot always find the words he wants to use. Math is hard for him now, but it was his strongest academic area before the accident.

Part 2: Essay

Selecting one of the student scenarios in Part 1, address the following prompts in a 750-1,000 word essay:

Describe how language, culture, family background, and communities influence the learning of individuals with the selected disability.

Summarize the cognitive, linguistic, social, and emotional development of individuals with the selected disability and three instructional approaches that respond to the needs of individuals with the selected disability.

Support your response with at least three scholarly resources.