IDP Running head: INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCE PROFILE

Individual Difference Student Profile Brittney Calamia Instructor: Linda Vermette Education 205: Development/Individual Differences Fall 2011

IDP Individual Difference Student Profile Essay I had the opportunity to work with and observe a young boy named Sammy. I observed Sammy in his Kindergarten classroom in Eagle Idaho. Sammy is five-year-old boy who has Sensory Integration Disorder. In the following paragraphs, I will discuss Sammys general information, physical development, socio-emotional development, and provide a summary of major findings. General Information As I mentioned in the introduction, Sammy is a five-year-old kindergartener at a private school in Eagle Idaho. Sammy is enrolled in full-day kindergarten, so he attends school from

9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Sammy is also enrolled in an after school program from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., but is normally picked up by 5:00 p.m. every day. Sammy lives with his mother and father; I was able to observe some family interaction at the beginning and end of the day. Sammys father drops him off in the morning, and his mother picks him up in the evenings. Both parents seemed to be very involved with Sammys education and progress. Physical Development Sammy has bright blue eyes, short dirty blonde hair, and very light skin. He seemed to be one of the tallest and leanest of his class; in fact, he almost looked like he was older than most of the other students. He looked very healthy, and walking into the classroom I had no idea he had any disability at all. Sammy used his right hand in every assignment given; such as coloring, writing, cutting, and even playing. Because Sammy is only a kindergartener, he is still working on his fine motor skills, but seems to be keeping up with his classmates quite well. Sammy is a very active boy, who enjoys running around the playground and playing games with his classmates whenever he gets the chance. When asked what his favorite thing to

IDP do at school was, he responded with, I like to play super heroes with my friends outside! While at school he eats a very healthy, but limited packed lunch, and also participates in snack time with his classmates. I did notice that Sammy replies with a no thank you when asked if

he wanted an apple. After talking to his teacher I learned that he is quite the picky eater, and has a hard time eating foods with different textures. Sammys physical fitness and large muscle development are right on track with others his age. He is able to do everything a typical five year old can do, such as climb the rock wall, and run around the playground. Cognitive Development Along with being enrolled in the after school program, Sammy also sees a therapist outside of the school for his Sensory Integration Disorder. While in class Sammy has a hard time staying on task, and sometimes has to wear a weighted vest to help him focus. He is often caught trying to talk or play with the other students in the classroom, especially during individual work time at their tables. Sammy is very interested in sharks, and the teacher will often incorporated that into his work so that he is more likely to stay on task. From what I was able to observe, Sammy is in Jean Piagets preoperational stage. Sammy would group all of the blue toys together whenever there was free play time, which is a characteristic of Piagets preoperational stage. Sammy was also very egocentric when talking or interacting with his classmates, he wanted to play and do things his way, rather than taking the viewpoint of others into consideration. Sammy was able to stay on task when the class did hands on activities, such as art projects or math activities with manipulative. I also noticed that he would spend a lot of time playing in the sensory tables within the classroom, which were changed on a weekly basis. Socio-emotional Development

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Sammy has more trouble with social interactions than any other area of development. He hasnt learned the idea of personal space, and often times makes the other students in the classroom feel uneasy. For example, if sitting next to another student he will continually poke them, or put his hands in their faces, which causes the other students to be off task. The other students have learned that to put their hand up at as a stop sign when Sammy starts to act this way. The teacher seems to always have part of her attention on Sammy, constantly trying to keep him on task. When Sammy does not respond well to instruction and continues to goof off, he is then sent into a time-out, or what the teacher calls, the listening chair. Sammy normally sits in the hallway for a couple minutes until the teacher is able to talk to him about his behavior. Often times Sammy comes back into the classroom and is able to sit down and get back on task fairly quickly. The teacher advised me that Sammy sometimes needs a quiet place for himself in order to calm down. Throughout my observations, I found that Sammy had very high self-esteem. He always seemed to be very happy and content with himself, even though he is only five years old. Sammy seems to be right in the middle of Erik Ericksons initiative vs. guilt and industry vs. inferiority stages of psycho-social development. Sammy is able to assert power through directing play with his classmates, but has a hard time feeling upset when his peers dont respond. Because Sammy requires more attention and discipline that most of the other students, he isnt able to encourage himself in activities. I believe once he is able to encourage himself and take initiative with his own learning he will be very successful in the classroom. Summary Sammy will definitely need to have the continued support of not only his teacher, but also his classmates and family to be successful in school. Sammy seems to have a very good support

IDP system at home which will help him overcome the challenges he will face in school. Right now

he is just a little bellow average in respect to his peers, and with continual help I think he will be able to get caught up. Continuing to use things such as his weighted vest will only help him to improve, although he often doesnt want to wear it because the other students in the class dont need to. Conclusion From the looks of Sammy you would never know he had any kind of disorder, he is a taller Caucasian boy, who is physically healthy, and has a supportive family. Sammy also has a very strong support system at school; his teacher really spends a lot of time with him, and tries very hard to keep him on task. When he does misbehave, his teacher allows him time to calm down, and is able to redirect him very effectively. Because Sammy is still in Piagets preoperational stage, and in between Ericksons initiative vs. guilt and industry vs. inferiority stages of development, he still has a lot to work on with personal space as well as self encouragement. Implications Sammy is a very energetic little boy, who loves his class and his teacher. Every day he has to work on being cautious and kind with his actions. It is obvious that he needs more help in how to act in a classroom with other students. I think that Sammy succeeds the most when he is getting positive reinforcement, and is able to see his own accomplishments. It is important that Sammys teacher communicates with his parents about the related services available. My impression was that his parents will really do anything they can to allow Sammy to do and be the best he can be.

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In conclusion, Sammy has the support and ability to overcome his disability. Because he is only in kindergarten it is important that this year sets the stage for years to come. The more help he gets from different services will allow him to avoid becoming an at-risk student. I am confident that with hard work, Sammy will be able to succeed in a normal classroom.