Running head: INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES PROFILE 1

Individual Differences Profile Essay

Jones, Arika
Instructor: Dr. Egbert
Education 205: Developmental Differences









INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES PROFILE 2

Individual Differences Profile Essay
Education is changing so much and classrooms are becoming so diverse with different
types of learners. Now days, it is very common to walk into a classroom where most of the kids
suffer from a learning disability. In this observation summary, I will discuss the findings of a
student who suffers from ADHD but is not receiving help from the school or other resources.
General Information
Chris just turned 10 years old and is in the fourth grade. He comes from a White
Caucasian background and lives with both of his parents and younger brother. Chris daily
schedule is just like his peers. He wakes up every morning to go to school at 8:30 am and
attends until 3:30pm. After school, Chris plays on a city recreation baseball team. He loves being
active and playing sports.
Physical Development
Chris looks just like his peers. He has brown hair, brown eyes, and white skin. He does
not have any unusual birth marks or markings. His physical maturation is the same as his peers
and has the same nutritional habits too. Chris is good at doing physical activities and enjoys
exerting his energy through sports. His muscle development is the same as other boys in his
grade. He isnt any different physically from his friends and classmates. His large motor skills
are equivalent to the other boys in his grade because he can play sports and run just as well as
them. His small motor skills are also the same as the other kids in his class because he can hold a
pencil and cut with scissors properly.

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Cognitive Development
Chris is in the fourth grade and participates in the regular classroom. Unfortunately, his
parents do not wish to get him necessary resources or help that might help his success in school.
The student likes to participate in classroom discussions and activities. However, he does not
always get along with other students. He is a very concrete learner and discovers learning
through hands on activities and manipulatives (Lawrence, 2011). Chris has a very short attention
span and can only focus on tasks for a certain amount of time before his attention is distracted.
The student is good at decentering situations which means he can focus on multiple aspects of
the problem to come to a conclusion. Disorganization makes it hard for Chris to focus and find
materials when he needs them. Before Chris can answer a question, he has to process the
questions a few times before he can continue to form an answer.
Chris uses his own past experiences a lot to figure out answers to questions and to make
decisions. He is using Piagets cognitive development theory (Berns, 2013). This states that a
child can only learn what they are cognitively ready to learn. The theory suggests that children
use their own past experiences to make conclusions and form answers to questions (Berns,
2013). This is relevant to his behaviors because Chris has a hard time concentrating on certain
things for a period of time. So, this theory helps to explain how he can learn easier by relating
the lesson to a past experience of his to help make the connection.
Socio-emotional Development
Chris struggles with appropriately interacting with his peers. He is a very social person,
but this also leads to many classroom distractions. Whenever Chris feels as if he is being treated
meanly by his peers, he plays the tattle tale game and creates personal fables which are
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exaggerated stories of things that have happened. For example, if a boy at recess accidently hits
him with a ball on the playground, Chris would tell the teacher that he purposely threw the ball at
him to embarrass him. Chris doesnt realize that this is causing his peers to trust him less and to
not want him hanging around them as much.
Surprisingly, Chris can socialize very well with adults. He respects their authority.
Teachers say that he has a very big and caring heart, which is very noticeable. Because Chris
doesnt always fit in with his peers, he has a sense of low self-esteem. His low self-esteem can
be explained by Ericksons thought of Industry vs. Inferiority stage (Berns, 2013). This is the
fourth stage in Ericksons eight stages of development (Berns, 2013). This stage is where all of a
childs failures have led to low self-esteem and sense of not belonging and fitting in (Stage 4:
Latency). Some of his difficulties have been not making friends as easily as others, not getting as
high of grades, and cant pay attention as well as his classmates.
Summary of Major Findings
Chris seems to be suffering from ADHS. ADHD (attention deficit hyperactive disorder)
is a very common disability and is predominant in males. Chris could really succeed in his
education, if he had the proper support system. Because his parents choose not to utilize school
resources, such as resource rooms and assistance with school work, he is slowly falling behind
academically and socially.
Based on the observations, Chris may be suffering from another disability which would
be considered a behavioral disorder, which is where he cant effectively communicate and get
along with his peers. This is easily observed by how he interacts with his peers, acts out in class,
and cannot effectively communicate his emotions.
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Chris is physically developed like his peers and can complete the same work as his peers.
He needs help with socializing better with the kids his age and interacting with them in a more
positive way. If Chris could find a way to stay better organized, he wouldnt get so stressed out
and could focus more on his school work. Some of Chris strengths are that he is creative and is
eager to please the teacher. Chris is always taking the teacher gifts to show appreciation and likes
to do art in his spare time. Some of his weaknesses are that he is very unorganized and has
troubles communicating with his peers.
Conclusions and Implications
Without the help from an aid, the teacher gets overwhelmed with Chris on a daily basis.
He acts out and needs extra attention on his assignments. If there was someone there to assist
him and enforce prevention (stopping the behavior before it happens), intervention (fixing the
behavior as it is happening) and remediation (fixing the problem after it has happened), the
entire class would run smoother.
Strategies that could be used to help Chris would be to create a support group within the
school. Because his parents do not wish to get him help, he needs some type of adult guidance
either during or after school. This may help him to gain more self-confidence in himself. Also,
there needs to be a meeting with Chris, his parents, the teacher, and the principle to educate his
parents on the benefits of putting him in resource programs. They need to be assured that Chris
will still participate in the regular classroom, inclusion. Inclusion is the process in which
students with disabilities are placed in the regular classroom with the rest of the students. This
promotes positive socialization. He will also be safe from being bullied and being treated
differently because of his disability.
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If his parents know that he is considered an at risk student, they may become more
willing to pursue resource help from the school. Although they may not realize it, but Chris goes
through a lot of stress every day because it is hard for him to concentrate and it is hard for him to
socialize with other kids his age. Chris parents seem uneducated about available resources such
as IEPs (individual education plans) and FAPE (free appropriate public education). These are
resources that help to organize the needs of the student by providing them with resources and
necessary help. There are also many laws that help protect kids with disabilities such as IDEA
and Section 504. These laws help prevent discrimination against students who suffer from a
disability. With this knowledge and the help from the school, Chris could have a more positive
and effective education.
Conclusion
Chris is a special student who possesses very good qualities. He has the ambition to learn
and the eagerness to do well in school. However, Chris disabilities make it hard for him to focus
on learning and socialize with his peers. Chris could have a better academic future if his parents
would agree to provide Chris with necessary resources such as counseling and become familiar
with the disability laws.





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References
Berns, R. (2013). Child, Family, School, Community Socialization and Support (9th ed.).
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Lawrence, G. (2011, May 27). Learning Styles. . Retrieved May 7, 2014, from
funderstanding.com
Stage 4: Latency. (n.d.). . Retrieved May 7, 2014, from
http://web.cortland.edu/andersmd/erik/stage4.html