Question

Case Study # 1

Alex has just begun attending a new elementary school. She is nervous about meeting new friends and having new teachers. She finds that schoolwork at her new school seems much harder than at her previous school. The difficulties she was having at her old school seem even worse here. She is a very fluent reader but she cannot seem to answer questions about what she has just read. She is very accurate in math computation but the word problems cause her a great deal of frustration. Alex is very popular with her peers and makes friends easily. However, her teachers are always telling her to “be still, stop talking out of turn, and stay in your seat.” Alex loves to tell stories and is very creative. If her teachers would let her tell stories instead of write them, she would get better grades. She has difficulty getting her thoughts down on paper and her handwriting is very messy. Alex loves school and wants to do well, but she sometimes feels that she does everything wrong.

Based on the description above, do you believe Alex could have learning disabilities? What characteristics does Alex exhibit that would lead you to believe she does or does not have learning disabilities?

If you were working with Alex, in any capacity, what type of informal assessments could you do to assist in determining her strengths and weaknesses?

Explain the tem nonverbal learning disabilities. Does the term apply to Alex based on the description above?

In regard to Alex’s difficulty with reading comprehension and math word problems, what instructional methods would be effective? Support you answer with information from the text and provide examples of how your selected instructional method could be used.

How would you determine if Alex’s difficulties are a result of her transition to a new school or true learning differences? What questions might you ask of Alex’s former teachers and parents?

Answer 1

First thing here is to mention that If I got an opportunity to work with Alex , I should know that this problem of reading comprehensions or word maths has newly arised in new school or it is a contionous problem since earlier . If the problem arised in the new school , then we cannot say that she has learning disabilities, rather she should be taken care by the teachers of her new school thus she can open up and socialise in this new environment which will increase the confidence level in her . To this supportive statement one thing is clear that Alex felts that schoolwork is much more difficult in this new school than the older one. So from this case study it cant be revealed that Alex is suffering from learning disabilities. Chances are more that she is facing lack of concentration into the studies as the environment is not suitable to her. she may be described as of reserved nature and breaking the ice in the communications is not her cup of tea.

If I could have worked with Alex, talk therapy with two or three counselling sessions in which she finds herself comfortable and thus she could elaborate further regarding her issues and problems through which I would determine her strengths and weaknesses .

Non verbal means which have no voices , only symbols are enough to understand what a person wants to convey. Non verbal LD is the disease in which persons failed to catch the informations which other person wants to convey. Persons with lack of eye contacts , shy nature or with extreme nervousness may face such problems. From the above cases, Alex cant be described to be of such nature.

For Alex, to make her comfortable with her problem of comprehensions and words of maths , she should be suggested to understand the meaning of the words and thus she can connect with the logic and thus she would be able to solve the word maths. For comprehensions, same thing applies , but to increase the power of mind , one has to be strong in vocabulary collections which can be done by a self help exercise. That exercise is as under: To take a comprehension and read it loudly , that means which she is reading she should hear, which will keep her concentration , while reading she will get new words which she should underline . After completion of the reading she should note down in a copy of those new words and finds the meaning of such words from the dictionary and note down besides those words, tasks to that day over. She has to continue this practice with new readings for the six days and on the seventh day she has to revise those words and meaning of those words. Again same exercise for the next six days. Such practices for 6 to 8 months will improve her vocabulary stocks and her problem will disappear.

To confirm that this problem of Alex is just due to her transition into a new school , we can visit to her old school and ask her class teacher regarding her nature , way of interactions with the teachers and her comfortability level in the school premises and lastly her disabilities if any regarding her studies .