Running Head: INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES STUDENT PROFILE

Individual Difference Student Profile

Brooke Hyer
Instructor: Kay Jensen
EDUC 205: Development/ Individual Differences
Fall 2014

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Individual Differences Student Profile

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to observe a little girl whom I will refer to as
Mary. I first met Mary when I arrived at in the Extended Resource Room in one of the local
schools. Due to her sunny personality and infectious giggle she immediately stood out to me as
someone that I would enjoy working with. In the course of this paper I will discuss Marys
general information, physical development, cognitive development, socio-emotional
development and any major findings that I have obtained.
General Information
Mary is a Caucasian female who is 7 years, 8 months old and attends second grade. She
has Down syndrome and lives with her biological parents. She has an adopted sister who has
the same disability, and is 7 days younger than her. Mary also has two younger sisters to whom
she is biologically related, as well as an older sibling who no longer lives in the residence. Both
of Marys parents are nurses who are employed in their field of choice.
Mary is at home with her mother in the morning before school begins. She attends a full
day of school, and is picked up by her father on his way home from work. Marys mother is
home for most of the time, only working odd shifts to supplement the familys income. This
means that her mother is the primary care giver, but her father is equally involved as well.
Mary speaks of her parents often, and it is easy to see that they are a very tight knit family, who
enjoy spending quality time together. This was also apparent when I accompanied Mary to meet
her father at the end of the academic day. I was able to observe family interaction, and Marys
father was very loving with her, taking the time to ask her about her day, and then listening as
she responded to his question. Both of Marys parents are very involved in her academic life.

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They both show up for school events such as class parties, concerts and conferences and equally
take an active role in Marys education. They volunteer their time and help out in the classroom
whenever assistance is needed.
Physical Development
Mary has light brown hair, brown eyes and a pale complexion with freckles across her
nose. She has a scar on her chest from a previous surgery. She has facial characteristics of a
child with Down Syndrome and her mouth contains several rows of teeth. Mary is significantly
shorter than her peers and has a very thin frame. She attempts to keep up with her peers, but she
runs and walks much more slowly than they do. Mary is near sighted and wears glasses to
correct this problem. She struggles if she forgets her glasses, and this is something that
occasionally does happen. Mary has no significant hearing loss and has passed the hearing test
that the school administered. Mary struggles with toileting and has daily accidents concerning
bowel movements. She is receiving doctors care for this, and it is uncertain whether Mary is
conscious of these accidents. She shows no outward sign of having had an accident and unless
this is noticed by others around her, she will remain in her soiled cloths until it is brought to her
attention by others. It appears that Mary is right handed, but at times I observed her attempting
to use her left hand when writing, and she had to be reminded to use her dominant hand. When
presented an object at midline though, Mary always used her right hand.
Mary eats lunch at school and is independent when choosing her lunch. She often comes
to school in the morning with some kind of McDonalds meal, which is used by her mother as an
incentive to get both her and her sister out the door.

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Mary struggles with gross motor skills, but attempts to complete all of the activities that
her peers are able to do. She can run, although not quickly. She receives physical therapy
services bimonthly and occupational therapy services weekly. Both these services are given in
the school environment. Her pencil grasp is loose, and she struggles to write letters neatly and
legibly. She uses a slant board when writing, and attempts to independently place and remove
papers under the clip. When I first began observing Mary she had difficulty with writing, and
asked that her work be highlighted so that she could trace. During my time with Mary she
moved away from this technique, and has begun to form her letters without the aid of the
highlighter.
Cognitive Development
Over the summer, Mary and her family relocated from Michigan. In Michigan, Mary
attended general education classes along with her sister. They were given a paraprofessional to
assist them with their academic studies and physical and behavioral needs. In Michigan Mary
had taken all the regular state wide tests that are required for children her age.
Since coming to Idaho, Mary is attending her general education classes for half days with
the aide of an assistant. During this time, Mary attends all of the special classes that are given in
the school environment, including physical education, music, and library. For the remained of
the day, Mary can be found in the Extended Resource Room (ERR). Since moving to Idaho,
Mary has transitioned to an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and is now graded on the
content included in this plan, rather than the general curriculum. Mary is significantly below
grade level in all subjects. Her current IEP goals include naming coins and bills, addition and
subtraction problems with the numbers 1-20, naming events that occur in the morning, afternoon,

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and evening and reading at a Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) level 6. Currently,
Mary knows about 20 of Frys 100 sight words, can consistently identify coins except the
quarter, and can name basic numbers. At this time, Mary is unable to complete any addition and
subtraction problems independently.
Mary has a shortened attention span when completing any activity except the computer.
She argues concerning the completion of most assignments. She will complete assignments
when an incentive is offered, and this is usually the case. Assignments must be broken down into
smaller increments to keep Marys attention and incentives are offered frequently.
I believe that Mary would fit into the Preoperational Stage of Jean Piagets stages of
Cognitive Development. While Mary can maintain a conversation with someone, she does so
without taking the listeners knowledge into account. She stills shows some confusion in
appearance and reality and her precausal reasoning is characterized by illogic thinking. Mary
also shows an indifference to cause and effect relationships.
Socio-emotional Development
Mary seems to be very strong in her socio-emotional development. She interacts with her
peers. Her general educational classroom peers support her and help her with daily activities and
routines. A group of these peers show up each day to play with Mary at recess and they help her
be successful when attempting different challenges. This being said, Mary is unaware of what is
socially acceptable and what is not, and she does not understand that her peers are watching her.
Mary enjoys the presence of adults and she likes to be welcomes into rooms each time
she transitions. She has worked with serveral different adults this year due to staffing shortages

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and she has gotten along well with the different substitute teachers. She often shows concern for
adults, and often asks if they are okay.
Mary has a good self-esteem. She does not understand that she has a disability and is
different from her peers. She looks up to her peers, and likes to follow many of the activities that
they do, but she is also comfortable when doing her own thing. She does not allow the opinions
of others to affect her. When referring to Erik Eriksons Psychosocial Stages, it is my belief that
Mary resides in the beginning stage of Industry vs. Inferiority. Mary is showing an increased
desire for accomplishment. She was often proud of her work, and would specifically save
projects that she completed to show me the next time I came to visit. Her teachers as well as her
peers are becoming more important to her, and she likes to please them.
Summary, Conclusions, and Implications
Mary is a small, incredibly likable girl who has Down Syndrome. She is receiving
academic accommodations in the form of an IEP. Mary will need the continued support of her
teachers and peers if she is to succeed, and academic accommodations will need to be made for
her to show progress. While she is disadvantaged, Mary shows a willingness and desire to
succeed, if given the right motives.
Mary has a strong support system both in an academic setting and a family setting. Her
parents have done everything in their power to help her flourish, even going as far as to adopt a
child that Mary can relate to. With the continued support from school staff and her family, I
believe that Mary will be successful in meeting and surpassing her goals.

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References
Lightfoot, C., Cole, M. & Cole, S. The Development of Children. Exton: Worth Publishers, 2012
text
Mcload, S. Simply Psychology. 2008. Web.13/12/20145