IDP

Running head: DEVELOPMENT/INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

Individual Differences Student Profile

Staci Carter
Dr. Tracey J. Meyerhoeffer
EDUC 205 Development/Individual Differences
Online, Spring 2015

IDP

Individual Differences Student Profile

In todays world it is easy recognize weaknesses, disadvantages, disabilities, and other
shortcomings many kids have. The concern for children that fall into these categories is great
and there are many programs out there to assist these children in school, public, and home
settings, but programs for gifted students are few and far between. This proves to be true for
Allen, a very gifted child that I have the pleasure of introducing in this development and
individual differences profile. For this essay, I will examine his physical, cognitive, and socioemotional development levels.
General Information
Allen is a funny, outgoing, and responsible Caucasian boy who recently turned 10 in
January. He is very active and participates in football and year-round wrestling, along with other
outdoor activities such as hunting and fishing. Though Allen enjoys the outdoors and sports, he
has a huge passion for technology and Legos too.
Allens family is a typical modern family as he lives with both his parents and two
siblings, Gregory (six) who has attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder (ADHD), and Lynn (two)
who already displays similar signs of being gifted and talented as Allen did at her age. His
mother, Ann, informed me that Allens biological father is not involved in his life and hasnt been
since he was two. Her husband, Ray, adopted Allen at the age of three. They have not had this
conversation yet with Allen as Ray has been a big part of his life since a very young age. The
family recently built a house in 2014 in Kimberly, Idaho.
His schedule consists of attending school at Kimberly Elementary School, going to
wrestling practice every Monday night (and sometimes Wednesday), and on the weekends,
attending wrestling tournaments. When arriving home from school, it is expected that Allen and

IDP

his brother to do any homework they have while having a small snack. Once completed, he and
his sibling spend time playing outside while dinner is prepared. After dinner and getting cleaned
up, he is allowed to watch a little bit of TV if all of his homework and chores are done.
Physical Development
When looking at Allen, most would assume that he is older than 10. His parents even
stated that they forget at times he is only barely 10 because he not only is very tall, but he is very
mature. It is evident that he is advanced in his development. Allen is a striking young man with
clean-cut blonde hair, blue eyes, and a smile that can steal the attention of an entire room. I
noticed that for his age, he is not only mentally mature, but also physically mature as well. With
his participation in physical sports, his muscle development is further along than most kids his
age. In fact, his mother told me that he was taken two weeks early at birth by cesarean section
due to marcosomia, or big-baby syndrome.
Besides a hospitalization at the age of one for RSV and a stomach virus, and having his
tonsils removed at 18 months, Allen has a clean bill of health. He even stated he cant remember
the last time he was sick. He has no vision or hearing impairments, and consumes a healthy diet.
I observed him writing and he is definitely right handed. His mother did note that from a young
age though that he uses his left hand for other tasks such as shooting, batting, performing
cartwheels, etc. It is evident that Allens fine motor skills, those that control small movements,
and gross motor skills, those that control large movements, are age appropriate and some are
even advanced.
Cognitive Development
Currently Allen is in fourth grade. Ann made his report cards readily available for me to
see and it was remarkable to see such high grades for a young man. The lowest grade he has

IDP

ever achieved was a 94%. He currently has a 4.0 and A+s in all subjects. I asked Ann if Allen
was involved in any enrichment classes at school or if they had ever considered acceleration.
Astonishingly and sadly, she informed me they dont have the funding for these classes. She also
said that they didnt want to move Allen up a grade level when he was younger because his
social development lacked. Now that he has established friendships, they plan on keeping him
where he is at though he is clearly advanced academically.
As a gifted child, Allen is not generalized as gifted to only one category. He is the exact
opposite. He is gifted in all areas at school including art and music. I asked his teacher what
Allen is like in school, in the classroom, and on the playground. She reported that in the
classroom, he works hard, achieves any goals set (and he generally asks for more or for them to
be extended), is usually the first one done or will provide the correct answer when asked, and is
always willing to help others out. Listening to her speak about Allens classroom characteristics,
it is evident he possesses achievement motivation. The only misbehavior he displays in school
is when he is bored in the class and becomes chatty as he has a hard time sitting still when work
is completed. On the playground, he never has any problems. I asked Allen if he has a lot of
friends, and he says he doesnt. He has a few that he considers to be his friends and says its hard
for him to make friends. When I approached his mother concerning this issue, it became obvious
his main setback is linguistic diversity. Being so far advanced, he has a hard time
communicating with kids his own age. As an adult, however, I found it very easy to carry on a
conversation with him and felt like he understood everything I was asking and saying.
According to Piaget, Allen would be classified in the concrete operational stage. After
speaking with him, his parents, and his teacher, I think he has entered the formal operational
stage though. His teachers expectancy is typical and though she understands and sees Allen as

IDP

gifted, she doesnt treat him differently or help him explore his academic gifts. With extrinsic
motivation from his parents, and him just wanting to learn and be the best, he excels in all
areas. For example, Allen can use symbols to represent objects, but it is clear he logically
understands what is happening and why it happens. Due to this ability, his math skills are far
ahead of where his fellow students are. Not only is he a grade ahead in math, his reading level is
equivalent to a ninth grader, his artistic ability when paying attention to detail and color
combinations is phenomenal, and his writing is even very advanced. Besides these common
classes in school, Allen is far advanced with computer technology. He displays vision that one
could assume adults would have and has created remarkable things in Minecraft such as realistic
pirate ships, functional machines, and even a football stadium.
Socio-Emotional Development
While observing Allen, it was evident he felt more comfortable communicating with
adults than peers. Due to him being gifted, he has had a hard time since a young age
communicating with kids his age. Not only does he have a better sense of understanding
concerning what is going on around him, he understand rewards and consequences of situations
too. Certainly his moral reasoning is above and beyond the average 10 year old. It was
surprising to find out during my interview with him that he has actually told his friends to stop
doing something because it was against the rules. Though his friends have shunned him at times
because of this, his parents are extremely proud of him for taking accountability for the rules,
standards, and values they have set for him.
I also think what sets Allen apart from most of his peers is identity achievement. Not
only does he weigh out actions for everyday experiences, but when it comes to academics and
sports, he wants to be the best. He spends extra time at home conditioning on his wrestling mat

IDP

or doing math games on his iPad, or reading an extra hour a day so when he grows up he can get
a scholarship to a school of his choice. Once in college, he wants wrestle and become a scientist
or work with computers. When I asked some of his friends what they wanted to do when they
were older, most of them couldnt answer me.
For having difficulties socially among peers, Allen doesnt lack in self-concept or selfesteem. His parents help him understand why he is special and he appreciates who he is today.
Currently, I believe Allen is functioning in the Industry vs. Inferiority stage according to
Erickson. He is competent with all of his skills, yet he is also hard on himself if he falls short at
all. Allen also displays growth in the Identity vs. Role Confusion stage. He finds himself to be
unique, is completely fine with this, and is growing perfectly developmentally and socially.
Summary, Conclusions, and Implications
For this profile, I was very honored to talk with Allen and learn about him. It was
intriguing to study a 10 year old gifted child as I myself am gifted and talented. It was evident
through speaking with Allen, his parents, teachers, and friends that he is clearly gifted and
talented even though his school doesnt provide proper resources and education to further his
talent. This was startling and uneasy to me especially after reading on the State of Idahos
website that, "Each public school district is responsible for and shall provide for the special
instructional needs of gifted/talented children enrolled therein (Idaho State Department of
Education).
Allen is not the typical child when it comes to development socially, physically, or
cognitively. He excels at being a mastery oriented student, has quite the remarkable
procedural and semantic long term memory, is extremely creative with technology and Lego
construction, and is a well-behaved child.

IDP
Strategies his parents use to continually help Allen excel should be continued since
courses or help from his teacher arent available. Ann and Ray help Allen to continually excel
and further his academic advancement through fun educational experiments and challenging
exercises. Ann stated that she has even asked for help from not only his current teacher but all
teachers to help keep him advanced academically while helping him socially. Only his first
grade teacher, according to Ann, provided this for him. In sum, I feel that they should explore
why more isnt available for gifted and talented students.
Children like Allen cant be forgotten. They are special just like those in special needs
classes. As a teacher, I will never forget students like Allen, and will recognize and work with
these children in my classroom. He has helped me see and understand how special he and other
children like him are and the special instruction they need.

IDP
References
Idaho State Department of Education. (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2015, from
http://www.sde.idaho.gov/site/gifted_talented/
Parsons/ Hinson/ Sardo-Brown. Educational psychology: A practitioner-researcher model of
teaching, 1E. 2001 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning, Inc. Reproduced by
permission.