EdHD 5003 Special Education Case Studies, Summer 2009 1

Lindsay Kaye Ohlert

Learner 1: “Barry”1

Description: Barry is a 12-year-old 7th grader diagnosed with “a

severe memory deficit for visual images.” Due to the fact that there is not a
wide discrepancy between his slightly above-average IQ score and his
slightly below-average academic performance, he is not officially diagnosed
as having a learning disability, but testers from the Syracuse University’s
Psychoeducational Teaching Laboratory recommend he receive additional
assistance so he can take advantage of his full potential.

Challenges: Barry struggles with spelling, and with transferring

information from visual media such as overheads and PowerPoints. Due to
these problems, he tends to receive lower scores on written assignments,
and to fall behind in note-taking and other in-class activities requiring the
use of images and written texts. He also has difficulty with facial
recognition.

Strengths: Barry values educational achievement and works hard.

His memory for auditory information is above average, and he has an
agreeable personality that has made him popular with his peers. He has
been able to use these skills to complete educational tasks despite his
difficulties, as he is generally successful in eliciting and employing verbal
assistance from classmates and instructors.

Needs: Barry needs to be given access to information in formats that

he can easily process and encode into memory, as he has the intellectual
ability to apply it well to higher level thinking once he gains access. He also
needs to learn workarounds for processing and remembering visual images,
as much of the environment outside the classroom is designed with the
visually-dominant in mind.

Recommended accommodations/modifications: Barry should be

provided with copies of any notes or visual aids used in class so he can
reference them repeatedly as necessary. He should also be provided extra
time on tests and assignments in order to accommodate his need to check
back in the text as he is not able to hold visual information well in his
working or long-term memory. The teacher should be careful to present all
information verbally as well as visually, and Barry should have the option of
taping lectures in addition to taking notes. For tasks which require
significant visual processing, Barry should be paired with a partner or placed

1 Modified from the “Barry” case study on the EdHD 5003 WebVista site
 EdHD 5003 Special Education Case Studies, Summer 2009 2
Lindsay Kaye Ohlert

in a group. In addition, Barry’s instructors should consider modifying grading

requirements to place more emphasis on the content being communicated in
his writing than the mechanics of the communication (e.g., spelling.)

Lesson Plan 1: Literary Detectives2

Objectives: Students will make inferences about the appearance,

personality, interests and background of characters based upon their
possessions. Students will support assertions using factual evidence.

Description of the Learning Environment: 7th grade general

education classroom with one instructor and twenty-four students. Desks
are arranged in six groups of four students to facilitate cooperative grouping.
Other than a teacher computer, boom box and an overhead projector, no
technological resources are installed in this classroom. Five students qualify
for special education services. Approximately two-thirds of the students are
ELLs.

Resources Needed: Six different bags, each filled with objects

associated with a different “character” (e.g. a hiking pack containing a
ponytail holder, trail map, compass, bird watching guide, water purification
tablet package, etc.). Poster-sized sheets of paper. Post-it notes. Suitable
text excerpts from the novel currently being read in class. Writing paper.
Writing utensils.

Instructional methods: The class is told that each bag was found at
a crime scene and is presumed to belong to the perpetrator. In groups,
students analyze the character to whom the bag “belongs,” creating a chart
on their poster displaying each item of “evidence” and what it says about the
person. (The bags, depending on the teacher’s preferences and available
resources, may or may not be designed to belong to specific real people or
characters). They then create a “Wanted” poster using this information.
Upon completion of the poster, they present it to the class, explaining how
they came to their conclusions about the suspect.

Assessment: Individually or in pairs (at the teacher’s discretion),

students read the text excerpt. Each time they come across a “piece of
evidence” in the text about one of the characters, they stick a post-it on it

2 Based upon a lesson plan I’ve done with my reading class.

 EdHD 5003 Special Education Case Studies, Summer 2009 3
Lindsay Kaye Ohlert

and on the post-it, write the character’s name, the evidence, and what that
evidence says about the character. After completing this reading, they
rewrite the information from the post-its in long-answer format, writing a
paragraph about each character. If the students are assigned pairs, the
teacher monitors the progress carefully to make sure both parties are
contributing equally to the work. The assessment is graded according to a
rubric, which requires them to make X number of observations about Y
number of characters based upon Z pieces of evidence (X, Y and Z being
dependent on the text chosen).

Modifications to Lesson Plan 1 for Barry:

Objectives: Barry should be able to complete these objectives

without modification, as they do not specifically require that the evidences
and inferences be received or presented visually or in writing.

Learning Environment: Barry should be grouped with

communicative students from whom he is easily able to obtain information
but will not do his work for him. The teachers should check in frequently to
make sure that Barry is participating actively in the task and keeping up with
his group.

Resources: Barry should be encouraged to physically handle the

props and they should be kept in his line of sight the entire time he is
working on this assignment.

Instructional Methods: The group should have assigned roles, and

Barry should be given a role that allows him to develop the targeted skills
without the interference of his disability (e.g. he could be the “spokesperson”
rather than the “scribe”). Barry should describe the evidence objects aloud
while handling them, in order to practice turning the visual data into auditory
data, which he is more easily able to process and encode. All group
members should share anything they write or observe aloud with the group.

Assessment: Barry should do the assessment with a partner,

preferably one who has good read aloud skills but weaker analytical skills,
which would allow the partner to support Barry’s visual deficits and Barry to
support the partner’s analytical deficits. Barry should be permitted extra
time to complete the assessment.
 EdHD 5003 Special Education Case Studies, Summer 2009 4
Lindsay Kaye Ohlert

Learner 2: “Lamarr”3

Description: Lamarr is a 14-year-old 7th grader diagnosed with a

developmental cognitive delay. He currently lives with an aunt, who has
disclosed that his mother consumed alcohol and street drugs while pregnant
with Lamarr. He was held back once in elementary school. He has been IQ
tested three times, receiving scores ranging from the high sixties to the low
seventies. He is currently mainstreamed for all subjects, but receives
additional math and reading instruction from his school’s resource room
teacher.

Challenges: Lamarr struggles with fine motor control, causing his

handwriting to be borderline illegible and causing him difficulty with
activities such as science lab experiments. He is able to read aloud with
near grade-level fluency but comprehends written texts only at the third
grade level. He struggles both with organizing his own thoughts when
writing, and with following logical processes such as those required to solve
basic algebra problems, make inferences, or use the scientific method.
When frustrated with a task, he often gives up and chooses instead to chat
with classmates or doodle.

Strengths: He is able to follow verbal instructions with up to three

steps. His teachers state that he takes direction well, responding agreeably
to suggestions and correction from both peers and instructors. Although he
becomes frustrated and even angry easily, he generally expresses his
irritation in socially appropriate manners, such as informing a classmate that
their kicking his chair is bothering him and asking them to stop. While it
often takes him many tries to master a basic skill or memorize a fact, once
he has done so he generally retains the information well.

Needs: While teachers should continue to work with Lamarr to

develop his reading comprehension skills and his logical mental processes,
Lamarr should be given opportunities to access to information and skills
through rote learning rather than logical analysis (e.g. he may benefit more
from simply memorizing the steps to solve a type of math problem than by
learning all the mechanics behind that type of problem). Care must be taken
to avoid his frustration with school becoming so great that he gives up
altogether, so he needs to be given as many opportunities to succeed as
possible in order to develop a positive sense of self-efficacy.

3 Based upon a former student; details fictionalized for privacy.

 EdHD 5003 Special Education Case Studies, Summer 2009 5
Lindsay Kaye Ohlert

Recommended accommodations: Given that Lamarr works well

with classmates, pairing him with a study buddy for tasks requiring reading
or multi-step processes would be very helpful. Other accommodations that
would help him in his regular education classes include verbally provided
shortened instructions in segments and providing adaptive technology such
as an AlphaSmart for writing tasks. Assignments and tests, particularly
those requiring written responses, should be shortened to accommodate his
low threshold for frustration. Modifications to and/or substitutions for texts
should be made to make them simpler and easier for Lamarr to follow.

Lesson Plan 2: Fifty States Research Project4

Objectives: Students will research at least thirteen facts about a

state. Students will organize their research in poster, paper, or musical form
using appropriate genre conventions. Students will give a speech, using
good public speaking technique including eye contact, clear speech, and
appropriate length.

Learning Environment: 7th grade general education classroom with

one instructor and 30 students. Other than a boom box, teacher computer
and overhead projector, no technological resources are present. The room
is sufficiently spacious to allow grouping and/or the creation of stations
despite the large number of students. Two students qualify for special
education services, and about a third of the students are ELLs. Student have
access to a school library that contains a generous, if dated, supply of books
and several computers connected to the internet.

Resources Needed: Library access (including internet). Books on

the fifty states. Encyclopedias. Poster paper. Writing paper. Index cards.
Writing utensils.

Instructional Methods: Students look up the state motto, nickname,

flower, tree, bird, when it achieved statehood, where it is located, what the
flag looks like, three current events relevant to the state, and at least two
additional facts of interest. Each time they find a fact, they must write it on
a separate index card, along with the source of the information. They may
use the internet to find no more than 4 of their facts. They then organize

4 Taken from the Social Studies: 50 States Research Project sample lesson plan on the
EdHD 5003 WebVista site
 EdHD 5003 Special Education Case Studies, Summer 2009 6
Lindsay Kaye Ohlert

this information in one of three formats of their choosing: poster, paper or

song/rap. If they choose to do a poster, it must be neat and they must
include a paragraph explaining the images and text; if they choose a paper,
it must be at least 500 words long and follow standard writing conventions; if
they choose a song/rap, it must be G-rated and they must also hand in the
lyrics in writing. Whichever option they choose, they will share their
information with the class in a 3-6 minute presentation.

Assessment: Students will be graded using the following checklist:

INFORMATION:
- state motto (2 pts.)
- nickname (2 pts.)
- state flower (2 pts.)
- region (2 pts.)
- state tree (2 pts.)
- statehood (2 pts.)
- state flag (2 pts.)
- state bird (2 pts.)
- 3 current events (5 pts. each)
- 2 other pieces of information (5 pts. each)
- Works Cited (9 pts.)

PRESENTATION:
- eye contact (2 pts.)
- spoke loudly and clearly (5 pts.)
- 3-6 minutes in length (3 pts.)
- included all information (10 pts.)
- appropriate behavior displayed during your presentation and other
presentations (10 pts.)

REPORT- typed or neatly written (3 pts.)

- At least 500 words long (7 points)
POSTER - neat (5 pts.)
- included an explanatory paragraph (5 pts.)
SONG/RAP - lyric handed in (7 pts.)
- lyrics typed or neatly written (3 pts.)

TOTAL POINTS:_____/ 90
 EdHD 5003 Special Education Case Studies, Summer 2009 7
Lindsay Kaye Ohlert

Modifications to Lesson Plan 2 for Lamarr:

Objectives: Lamarr can find 7 facts of his choice rather than the full
13, as his limited reading comprehension will make scanning for information
during research challenging.

Learning Environment: Lamarr should be assigned a research

buddy, either a library assistant or another student, to make sure he is
looking in the right places for information and is following the steps. The
teacher should check in on his progress frequently to ensure he is not lost or
off-task.

Resources: Lamarr should have access to and be encouraged to use

library resources written for a lower reading level, such as the “Portraits of
the States” book series.

Instructional Methods: Lamarr needs to have each stage of the task

explained to him verbally and demonstrated, not merely set loose in the
library with a checklist. He should be given one part of the assignment at a
time, and should check in with the teacher when he’s finished that step to
receive the next portion.

Assessment: If Lamarr chooses the report, his report can be

shortened to 250 words in length, as he has fewer facts. He should be
provided with an outline template to help him organize his thoughts prior to
writing. If he chooses to do the poster, he should not be required to write
the paragraph, as it will take a lot of time for him to create a neat,
presentable poster. Whichever option he chooses, his presentation need not
fill the whole 3-6 minutes, as he doesn’t have as much information as other
students. His “Works Cited” page can simply be a list of the resources he
used, and does not need to follow the MLA format perfectly.