Running head: INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCE STUDENT PROFILE 1

Individual Difference Student Profile

Mashalee Thomas

The College of Southern Idaho

EDUC 205 Development/ Individual Difference

Kimberly Jones

2019 Spring
 IDSP 2

Individual Difference Student Profile

“You can learn something new every day, if you pay attention”- Ray Le Blond. That

may be true, but what if you have barrier that is stopping you from paying attention? Teachers

and doctors call this, Attention Deficit Disorder, ADD. According to Attitude magazine, for

every classroom containing 30 students, there is 1 in every 3 children with ADD. This affects the

child’s Physical, Cognitive and Socio-emotional development. While I was observing in Mrs.

Bevan’s classroom, she was showing how to do fractions on the board. Annie is observing and

concentrating on the board. To us it looks as though she is “paying attention” to what is being

taught. Annie is daydreaming, looks down, then begins to play with the flip sequence on her

shirt. She starts drawing a smiley face and transforms the face into a pretty flower. Suddenly the

class is putting their math away and getting their books out. This is a repetitive behavior for her.

Things are far too interesting and wonderful for her to focus on simple school task. Annie

Thomas is an exceptional student who battles with an ADD barrier, but that doesn’t stop her

from being successful and determined to succeed in school.

General Information

Annie Thomas is a ten-year-old Caucasian female from Blackfoot, Idaho. She was born

there and continues to grow within this small community. Annie’s household contains 6 people,

2 dogs and one cat. Her father, Tom Thomas, is 41 years old. Annie’s mother, Debra Thomas, is

40 years old. Her 3 older siblings consist of Shay who is 20 years old, William who is 17 years

old, and Emily who is 15 years old. Her paw pals range in the ages from 5-9 years of age. Annie

currently is enrolled in the fourth grade and is attending Wapello Elementary.  She attends school

Monday thru Friday from 8 a.m to 3 p.m. Annie’s routine on a typical day includes having her

hair styled and her meals prepared by her mother. She spends one-on-one time with her father on
 IDSP 3

the drive to school. Once she arrives home from school, she begins her homework and completes

her chores. Both parents return from a long day at work and prepare her dinner. During that time,

Annie is outside playing with friends, partaking in sports, or playing on technology. Once dinner

is finished, it is time to start settling down and preparing for tomorrow. She gets her outfit for

tomorrow out, her last snuggles in with her animals, and gets ready for bed. Once bedtime

arrives, 9:00 pm, she gets read to or her back tickled by her mother. The cycle then repeats itself

throughout the week.

Physical Development

Annie is a beautiful little girl with long eyelashes, hazel eyes, and long dirty blonde hair.

When looking at her physical features, my eye always goes to the cute gap/ missing teeth in her

mouth. She has been sun kissed by the sun around her nose and has cute little red cheeks. Annie

is considered to be average for her age, but when you compare her to fellow classmates, she

stands on the back row and is stronger than most of the kids. Due to her ADD, Annie is moving

frequently. The teacher finds it difficult when asking her to sit still and focus on an assignment. I

believe that’s why Annie claims that her favorite subject during school is recess. Annie is

happiest when she gets to be outside moving, running and playing. Whether she’s at recess,

playing with friends, or at a soccer game. She is very coordinated and has advanced gross motor

skills and fine motor skills when engaging in all types of activities. Annie can paint a flower on

paper or cut a beautiful snowflake, kick a goal with confidence, and appreciates a challenge. You

will catch her playing “make believe” with her friends, but she also knows when things need to

be serious. Vygotsky believed that playing “make believe” promotes a child’s development

rather than stopping it. Annie’s motor skills and physical development are above average to the

children in her class. She is right-handed, but when you ask her, she can write her name with her
 IDSP 4

left hand as well. Overall Annie is a healthy, energetic, and outgoing little girl with a minor

development setback.

Cognitive Development

Annie is in Mrs. Bevans’ fourth grade class at Wapello Elementary in Blackfoot, Idaho.

She currently is learning the general education courses and is excited about participating in

Idaho’s history. She thrives best with hands on work, enjoys participating in all types of art, and

is always willing to help other students in need. Annie enjoys engaging with other students in

activities, projects, and group tasks as long as it doesn’t involve reading. She finds herself

struggling in language arts, reading, and spelling. Annie is reading a second-grade level book

while her fellow classmates are reading a fifth-grade level. Her parents just recently started

noticing the struggle in math when word problems became more difficult. Annie avoids fill in the

blank questions due to not being able to comprehend what is being asked. Annie’s teachers have

discussed the idea to her parents that she has a high IQ, but simply may have a learning

disability due to ADHD. Her reading, math, and spelling all began to fall behind, and Annie was

very aware of it. Her parents recently decide to take her in and have testing get done as to why

she was having trouble reading.  The results came back that she tested positive for ADD. The

doctors let her parents know that this is something she may grow out of when she matures. They

have placed her on medication with hopes she will focus on each task given and to prevent her

from falling further behind. As Annie’s intellect progresses, her cognitive development

increases.

Socio-emotional Development

Although Annie is delayed in reading and is slightly distracted in the classroom, she

excels in social development. Her group of friends is broad and diverse. Annie’s personalitity is
 IDSP 5

magnetic and children are drawn to her. Especially those with special needs. She has a perfect

amount of empathy and sympathy, which makes her popular with children and adults. Annie is

aware of her friend’s disability and is conscious of his feelings, displaying Erickson’s theory of

positive social development. Depending on the activity she participates in, she will play sports

with boys, house with girls, or dragons with her special needs friend. She may be very outspoken

and sometimes blunt with others, but her honesty is appreciated and trusted. She likes things

done her way and wants to be very independent. Annie is conscious of other feelings and is

willing to help others in need. She holds the door for elderly, helps put gift baskets together for

children in need, and is always reaching out to those who may feel left out. Annie is seen as the

typical little girl, however, she struggles with body image. This may have developed early due to

her having older sibling and active parents who value image. She is self-conscious about her

reading and her belly, but her confidence radiates in relationships with all people.

Summary, Conclusions and Implications

Annie is an energetic, optimistic, and tender-hearted little girl who prevails through her

ADD barrier. Annie is very aware of her delay in reading and she displays logical thinking. She

adapts to changing environments socially and mentally. Annie shines through her independence,

helping others and no matter what will push herself to succeed in whatever she sets her mind to.

She is physically healthy and advanced in her extracurricular activities. Annie was recently put

on medication. It has already shown positive changes with her physical, cognitive and socio-

emotional development. I believe that she will continue to prosper with hands on learning, open

lines of communication with parents, and one-on-one time spent with her. With the help of

Annie’s teachers, modern medicine, and her own self-will and drive, Annie will develop into an

exceptional adult.
IDSP 6

References

Infants, Children, and Adolescents. 8th Edition. Laura E. Berk and Adena B. Meyers

Attitude.Com. ADHD statistics. https://www.additude.com/statistics-of-adhd/