Running head: Individual Differences Student Profile

Individual Differences Student Profile

Kellie Carson
Instructor: Dr. Tracey Meyerhoffer
EDUC 205W Developmental/ Individual Differences, Spring 2014

Individual Differences Student Profile

Individual Differences Student Profile

Public education is not always the best option for all children. Parents choose private,
parochial, charter, and homeschool programs as options for many reasons. Despite the special
education resources available for special needs students in the public education system, some
parents believe their child would learn best in a different environment where education is tailor
made to the student and the child stays in the general education class setting. Such is the case
with a student named Cameron. By examining Camerons family background and physical,
cognitive, and socio-emotional levels a summary of Camerons strengths and weaknesses will be
presented as well as the implications these findings may have for the classroom.
General Information
Cameron is a second grade boy, aged eight years two months, who has been diagnosed
with developmental delays and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. He is currently attending
a non-secular private school where he is integrated in the general education classroom.
Camerons father chose private education because he felt that his child was being neglected in
the public education system and it was not able to adapt and modify curriculum to be able to
teach to Camerons unique educational needs.
He lives in a nontraditional family consisting of his father, stepmother, brother, and halfsister. The father is in college so the step-mother is the sole means of support for the family.
Cameron sees his mother a couple times a month, but her visitation is limited due to past history
of her inability to care for Cameron and his brother as well as her irrational behavior. The mother
called the father claiming Cameron and his brother were dead. When the father called the police
to perform a welfare check on the boys, the police found the boys in extremely filthy conditions
with the mother displaying bizarre behavior and claiming her real boys were dead. Child

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services were called to retrieve the boys and the mother went for a psychiatric evaluation at a
local hospital. Although the mother has been compliant with treatment and medication, her
contact with her boys is limited.
Camerons current daily schedule consists of getting up in the morning, being dropped off
at school, returning home, and playing until bedtime. Cameron enjoys riding his bike, play
games with his brother, and other kids in the neighborhood. At night, Cameron will read a story
to his brother and sister and then goes to sleep.
Physical Development
Cameron and a twin were born two months premature, however, the twin was not able to
survive the effects of prematurity and died within the first month of life. It is not known why his
mother went into preterm labor, but his father said it was a miracle that Cameron even survived.
Because he was born prematurely and spent considerable time in the neonatal intensive care unit,
Cameron has some delays in physical milestones. Through physical therapy, Cameron has been
able to catch up with similar aged children with his gross motor development. However, he does
have significant impairment with fine motor movement and lacks coordination. He receives
occupational therapy weekly to address this impairment. Although very clumsy and accident
prone, Cameron is able to run, jump, and participate in games his peers play on the playground.
Despite being only two pounds at birth, Cameron has grown into a very tall child as
compared to his peers. Cameron also needs corrective lenses related to an effect of being
premature; this also sets him apart from his peers. Another physical characteristic that sets
Cameron apart from his peers is plagiocephaly. His head is misshaped due to being in the
neonatal intensive care unit for a long time and from being a multiple birth. He has been called
names in the public school system for his oddities, but his peers at the private school have not

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done this. His hearing is normal and is an overall healthy child apart from catching the
occasional cold. He writes with his right hand, but struggles with letter formation and finger
positioning with his pencil.
Cognitive Development
Cameron is developmentally delayed and is diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum
Disorder. He is also being tested for another diagnosis as mental retardation is prevalent on his
maternal side. Cognitive development for Cameron has been difficult as he also has Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in addition to a developmental delay. Cameron has made
significant improvement in reading and writing since his enrollment at a private school where
reading and writing skills are stressed. His teacher is able to give direct instruction and has been
able to give individual adaptations so that he can be successful. Despite being at near grade level
with reading skills, Cameron is having severe struggles in math and has not mastered the single
digit addition that his peers were able to accomplish in kindergarten and early first grade based
on teacher observations. According to Jean Piagets theory on child development, Cameron
would be at the Preoperational stage which typically presents at ages 3 to 6 years. At this stage
children have understanding of numbers 1 through 10 which would account for Camerons
difficulty in math (Jean Piaget, 2014).
In order for Cameron to understand instruction, he must have instruction that is clear and
consists of only one or two steps as his attention span is minute. Many times during spelling
lessons, he gets caught up on a loop and starts repeating a phoneme obsessively and forgets what
the word is that he is supposed to spell. Cameron is able to have a classroom aide who assists
him in keeping on task when he is given an assignment. When given a worksheet, Cameron
needs to be redirected back to his sheet as his attention deficit disorder makes it very difficult for

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him to complete tasks. As a result of the combined developmental delay and the attention deficit
disorder, Cameron needs to have instructions given repeatedly. Additionally, he has the tendency
to become upset and self-loathing if he is not able to understand the instructions given.
Socio-Emotional Development
Cameron has had major upheavals in his family life, but is a very happy child
nonetheless. Cameron misses his twin even though his twin died in infancy. He has an imaginary
twin that he talks with and plays with at times. Cameron also has a younger brother who is a year
younger. When his parents divorced, the two boys lived with their mother. The mother became
mentally ill and was unable to care for the children, so they were removed from her care and now
live with their father and stepmother. The mother has detached from Cameron, and as a result,
Cameron calls her by her given name. Because of the maternal detachment, Camerons socioemotional development has stagnated at Erik Ericksons Trust and Mistrust stage as evidenced by
Camerons lack of independence and constant need for stability and care (Erik Erickson, 2013).
Cameron is a gentle child and has sensitive feelings. He prefers to play with girls as girls
are not threatening to him. In public school, he was teased by peers and teachers for preferring
girl activities and feminine items. In the private school, this has not been an issue and Cameron
has enjoyed participating in typical boy and girl activities without judgment. When he visits his
mother, she sometimes calls him a sissy which reduces him to tears. His father and step-mother
do not see anything wrong with a boy playing with a doll because Cameron is enjoying himself.

Summary of Major Findings, Conclusions, Strategies for Teaching

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The private school where Camerons father chose to educate his son has been a financial
struggle for the family, but it has enabled Cameron to learn in a general education environment.
In the public school system, Cameron would need to receive special education to address needs
relating to his developmental delays. The father did not want his son stigmatized by his peers or
teachers for receiving special education for his exceptionalities, so the family has made many
financial sacrifices, including moving to a smaller home in order to afford private education.
Within the culture of the private school Cameron attends, he has been free from harassment as
the students, parents, and teachers have not made any distinction between him and other
students.
Because of the small class size in the private school, Cameron has been able to benefit
from increased one on one instruction from his teacher. This has translated to Cameron being
able to reach achievement at or near grade level in reading, writing, and spelling. He does
continue to struggle with math, but because he is able to receive one on one support from a
teacher and classroom aide, he will likely make achievements in time. It is suggested that the
educators continue to use manipulatives and continue to use direct instruction for math
concepts until Cameron is able to attain mastery and before introducing new concepts.
Currently, the private school follows the educational philosophy of John Dewey, an
education theorist. John Dewey believed that students learn by doing and that students should
take their knowledge and use it for the good of society (John Dewey, 2014). Each student within
the private school is taught to accept differences in others. Cameron has never been teased in his
private school for his learning or physical disabilities but has been accepted as part of the class
which is opposite of what he experienced in public education. Children who are taught
acceptance transmit acceptance in their interactions with others.

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The school also has a philosophy that children are not little adults and that children
develop at different rates and stages, which is what educational philosopher, Jean Piaget,
expressed as a result of his experiments (Jean Piaget, 2014). As a result, Cameron is able to be
taught at the cognitive level he can understand which will allow him to naturally progress
through the child development stages in cognition, socially, and emotionally.
Even though public education is not the right fit for every student, private education can
be out of reach for many families. It may not be possible to integrate each special needs student
into the general education classroom, but when possible, allowances should be made so the
student can enjoy the least restrictive environment. If the least restrictive environment happens
to be a private school then parents should consider this option for their developmentally delayed
child. With the support, curriculum, and environment that Cameron is enjoying in his private
school he will be able to catch up to typically developing peers, gaining independence and
confidence that will help him as he grows to adulthood.

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References
John Dewey. (2014). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved Mar 15, 2014, from
http://www.biography.com/people/john-dewey-9273497.
Erik Erikson. (2013). Simply Psychology.org website. Retrieved Mar 10, 2015, from
http://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html.
Jean Piaget. (2014). About.com Psychology website. Retrieved Mar 15, 2014, from
http://psychology.about.com/od/profilesofmajorthinkers/p/piaget.htm.