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Case Study, Final Project

Heidi E. Sistad

College of Western Idaho

EDUC-230: Intro to Special Education

Professor Natalie Raass

December 14, 2020

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Case Study, Final Project

For my final project for my Intro to Special Education class this semester, I was

to do a case study on a hypothetical student name Tim. In order to gather information that would

be useful and organize my thoughts, I used what a lot of real-life special education professionals

use—the BETLS observation form. BETLS is an acronym for behavior, emotions, thoughts,

learning, and social relationships. By focusing in on those specific areas for Tim, I was able to

observe those things that would be important to note when creating a plan of implementing him

into my classroom. Throughout this essay, I will be walking through the observations I made as

well as stating some learning supports that I feel could be beneficial to Tim in order for him to

have the best access to his education that I can possibly give him.

Tim is a ten-year-old boy who lives with both biological parents and is an only child. He

is small in stature and of white ethnicity. His parents appear to be middle class and supportive of

Tim although they say he has always been somewhat of a ‘loner’. According to mom and dad,

Tim is not athletic. Mom works a lot of hours and finds it difficult to get Tim to sports if he were

to be interested in any. Lack of interaction with others his own age may be contributing to his

isolation and socialization concerns. Having both mom and dad working a lot may also be

contributing to his feelings of being ignored.

Tim is a bright student. He loves reading books, often choosing high school level material

to check out. He is a competent student, has proficient writing skills, and is attentive in class.

There are no noticeable academic concerns at this time.

When interacting with peers, Tim struggles to keep up. He feels ignored and frustrated

when peers talk over him and he has been known to yell out or throw pencils in order to get their

attention. When interacting with adults, Tim seems to freeze and use “I don’t know” to get out of
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the interaction. Tim seems to be anxious and worried about how he looks to those around him as

he struggles with perfection. His outbursts seem to come at times when he is exhausted and

frustrated with whatever he perceives as threatening while with others.

Tim seems to be at Stage Four (Industry v. Inferiority) of Erikson’s socio-emotional

development skill (8 Stages of Development by Erik Erikson, 2017, 01:35–02:07). He relies on

cues from his classmates and teachers and with encouragement, he tends to behave in a more

socially acceptable way. Any kind of negative feedback Tim perceives is met with him

withdrawing or acting out. At this stage, Tim is really taking into consideration the community

around him. He is cautious when he chooses to withdraw in order to protect himself. His anxiety

around his peers is noticeable and fluctuates with the mood of the group: when they are

seemingly accepting of him, he does better socially and is a pleasant boy to be around.

Teaching strategies should include awareness into how seating arrangements affect Tim’s

behavior, multiple formats for delivering lesson material, group discussion to keep working on

conversational skills, and plenty of time to complete assignments so as not to make Tim feel

rushed.

Accommodations should include taking breaks when needed, social stories and behavior

modeling practice, small group instruction for reading so as to work on interacting with peers

and sharing ideas openly. Pulling students together in small groups to go over the lesson can help

students feel more comfortable asking questions and provide closer to a one-on-one attention.

The use of a calculator and multiplication chart for basic math would come in handy to keep Tim

moving through his work and not get stuck on too many smaller details. Tim could also have an

accommodation that would allow him to test separately from the rest of the class as some

students do not do well testing with their class. By giving him the option to test in another room,
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it could help him focus on the test in front of him instead of what else is going on in the room

and the peers who are finishing before him.

Supporting learners with exceptionalities in my classroom

My future classroom will include students of all abilities and it will be my goal to create

an environment of acceptance and tolerance. I came across a website called Teachnology that

had an article with some ways in which to foster an atmosphere of tolerance in the classroom.

The main idea in the article was that having a place for students to feel heard really is the key. It

also went on to talk about how tolerance does not necessarily come naturally, it is something that

must be taught. When disagreements come up in my classroom, taking the time to work through

them as a group will do wonders. “Through learning what other people are experiencing and

feeling, children become aware of who that person is and can thus learn to accept them” (Great

Ways to Teach Your Students Tolerance, 2020).

The best part of the classroom for me is the diversity. Each student comes from a

completely unique background and each student brings their own perspective and personality to

the room. By celebrating our differences, encouraging my students to think outside the box, and

engaging in discussions that will keep my students thinking of the bigger world outside of

themselves, I can hope to cultivate an environment that is excitedly acceptant of each other’s

differences.

As a teacher, I can keep my eyes open for students who may come from low income

families, knowing that those students are not being given the same shot as children from middle-

and upper-class families to succeed in life. By being cognizant of what my students are dealing

with outside of school, I can be more understanding and accommodating inside of school.
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There is no doubt about it, some of my students will struggle in my classroom. A visual

schedule is one teaching strategy I can easily put into place. A class schedule posted in the

classroom can help calm restless students, especially those who are always wondering when

something takes place. In classwork, graphic organizers can be used as visual aids to help

students organize their ideas and come up with complete thoughts about the topic at hand. By

having a roadmap so-to-speak of what is happening during the day, I can subtly help those

students who maybe have some anxiety about the unknowns or time frames. Those students who

need consistent routine will find themselves comfortable in my room as I will create a

predictable schedule to follow each day.

In my classroom, I will likely put into practice a routine of station work. By integrating

stations into the classroom, all students can get used to the flow of focusing on one activity at a

time, knowing that they will soon be able to try something different when it is time to switch

stations. It could help identify students who struggle with specific areas of the lesson(s). Each

station can be specifically tailored to meet the needs of struggling students while still providing

them with the same content the rest of their peers are learning. Small groups are another teaching

strategy that can be very helpful in targeting specific concerns in a more nonchalant way. By

grouping students with the same level of ability together, they can comfortably help each other

and learn together.

By creating lesson plans that include activities or assignments of varying levels of

difficulty, I can teach to the whole classroom all at once. For students who may have learning

disabilities, creating work for them to complete that matches their level of understanding will be

the best way for them to feel included in the group and not become bored. For example, if I have

a student in the classroom who is not at the same reading level as their peers, I can give them
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readings that have been adapted to a different level. That would give them the same content and

allow them to absorb the information and meet the standards alongside everyone else.

Gifted and talented students also need to be noticed so they do not become bored as well.

When instructing the class, I can take a piece of the lesson and ask my higher-level students to

expand on an idea. Maybe they could create a group project showing a specific process for a

science lesson. By allowing them to stretch and grow their brains as well as everyone else, I am

giving them a chance to enjoy the classroom environment and stay excited about their education.

By looking at a hypothetical student and doing a case study on him, I was able to think

through how I would approach a student like Tim someday in my own classroom. Each student

is an individual with different ways of looking at the world and learning from it. Creating a

learning plan that included things like small group instruction, visual reminders, specific

accommodations like the use of a calculator or multiplication chart, made me think about my

own Philosophy of Inclusion and how I realistically plan to approach students for years to come.
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References

8 Stages of Development by Erik Erikson. (2017, April 23). [Video]. YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYCBdZLCDBQ&feature=youtu.be

Great Ways to Teach Your Students Tolerance. (2020). Teachnology. https://www.teach-

nology.com/edleadership/school_violence/tolerance.html