Sei sulla pagina 1di 10

1

First Person Life History Jacob R., Age 15


EDUC 5320 Exceptionality in Todays Schools Section KS56
Dr. Kirsten Allman
December 1, 2015
Carolyn Elizabeth Barrette

First Person Life History Jacob R., Age 15

First Person Life History Jacob R., Age 15


In a recent first person life history interview with Jacob R.1, a fascinating, hopeful and
simultaneously poignant profile emerges. Jacob is a Houston high school sophomore at a local
Catholic high school, an institution whose hallmarks include an ethnically diverse student body
and a premier on-campus alternative learning center serving students with diagnosed learning
differences or disorders. Jacob fits both descriptions of ethnically diverse and diagnosed with
learning differences. Jacob is Jewish by faith which puts him in a significant religious minority
within his Catholic school environment. Jacob has two high-achieving older siblings (a seniorlevel brother and junior-level sister), both students in Houston magnet high schools and both
apparently unencumbered by learning differences. At the encouragement of supportive parents,
Jacob underwent extensive evaluation with a local child psychologist in 2014; the combined
analysis of a prodigious battery of tests2 yielded the following diagnosis:
On an assessment of attention/concentration, [Jacobs] profile fits the clinical or
ADD/ADHD normative group. He demonstrated impairment in his ability to be
consistent and he exhibited difficulty maintaining a sustained effort over time. He
will need to learn to ignore internal or external distractions in order to improve his
performance when sustained attention is required. In addition, his lapses in
attention are likely, at times, to impair his ability to perform in demanding
situations or when stressed. Environmental stressors and internal preoccupations
may exacerbate his attentional problems. Based on his performance on both the
IVA/CPT and the Brown ADD Scales, a diagnosis of Attention-Deficit/
Hyperactivity Disorder, Predominantly Combined Type is warranted. His scores

1 Name altered to protect student privacy


2 Tests administered: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children 4th ed. (WISC-IV); Woodcock Johnson
Tests of Achievement; Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test (IVA/CPT); Wide
Range Assessment of Memory and Learning 2 (WRAML-2); Gray Oral Reading Test (GORT Form
B); Tests of Written Language Fourth Ed. (TOWL-4); Brown Attention Deficit Disorder Scales for
Adolescents; Wisconsin Card Sort Test (WCST); Comprehensive Trail-Making Test; Beery-Buktenica
Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (Beery VMI)

indicate that his pattern of responding is likely to negatively affect his functioning
in the home or school environment [italics added] (REPORT, p. 9)3.
Based on the above, Jacobs psychologist recommended these accommodations:
Attention/Concentration:
Jacob has a significant deficit in
attention/concentration that interferes with his ability
to consistently function at a level consistent with his
cognitive ability. His impairment is also likely to
negatively affect his functioning and ability to perform
acceptably in the home or school environment.
Therefore, it is recommended that he be
accommodated accordingly:
1) Extended time on class assignments, exams
and standardized tests, and
2) Use of assisted technology (e.g. computers
and calculators) for completion of in-class
assignments.

Jacob may also benefit from the following


recommendations:
1) Psychopharmacologic treatment is
recommended to help Jacob focus and
concentrate in situations where these skills are
required.
2) His tasks should be short, well within his
attention span, varied, and gradually increased
in length. He should have a study area with
few distractions (i.e., visual distractions,
distracting stimuli, etc.).
3) Due to his impaired attention span, assigned
tasks should be novel and non-repetitive when
possible. His attention to detail may be
improved by having him use highlighting or
underlining to emphasize task directions or
other areas of difficulty.
4) He may benefit best from a well-structured
learning environment that is carefully planned
and consistently implemented in terms of the
physical arrangement, schedule of activities,
and expected behaviors.
5) Jacob may benefit from the following
instructional strategies to assist with his
attentional difficulties: providing outlines, key
concepts, and vocabulary prior to lesson
preparation; breaking lessons into smaller
parts and/or increasing the pace of lessons;
actively involving the learner in lesson
presentation; and emphasizing key concepts
and material by explicitly attending to them.

3 A complete copy of Jacobs psychological report is attached in the Appendix. All names, addresses
and other personal information have been altered to protect the privacy of the student, his family and his
psychologist. This confidential report is included solely for the internal purposes of this EDUC 5320
Menu Assignment and is not to be reproduced, disseminated, quoted or referenced in any manner outside
this private assignment.

In an effort to optimize the suggested accommodations, Jacob willingly consented to


working with a private tutor (myself) and, later, to a first person history interview together, the
results of which are detailed as follows:
Jacob openly and unabashedly discusses his learning differences in our tutoring sessions and
did so in greater detail during our interview. His first memory of having a difference a problem, as
he termed it is of comparing his workload and ease of completing assignments with his two
siblings. He realized in third grade (well before being tested) that somehow, the ways he learned
things in school was different than for his brother and sister:
Oh, yeah. I saw it most of all at home. My brother is brilliantbrilliantand he
knows so much about the classics and science. He wants to be a doctor and hes got
this amazing memory. I never have been able to hold on to things in my head the way
he does.
Was/Is Jacob intimidated? Jealous? Well, yeah (i.e., duh!). It suckseverything always comes so
easily to him. Jacob is quick to add, however, that he adores his brother, seeing him as a (virtually
pedestaled) hero. Jacobs mother corroborates this and has worked diligently to try to balance Jacobs
perspectives, encouraging his gifts, and seeking support and alternative learning paths. Jacob sees his
mother working so hard for me. He has a strong drive not to disappoint her yet feels he frequently
does, though he is quick to add that she does not criticize him for being different than his brother. I
feel just as loved, I guessI just cant do it like he does and I want to.
Jacob feels his schooling has been different than his siblings and that he does not quite measure up.
Jacob briefly described what he calls his school hopping. Before enrolling in the Catholic high
school, he was a student at two different Houston private schools specializing their focus on LD
students.

I got along OK with some of the kids in those two placesbut I admit, some of the
kids there bored me and some of the others bullied me. My momll tell you so I might
as well...alot of my anxiety came from being at one of those schools. Im glad we got
out.
In response to the question, Want to tell me a little more about the anxiety, Jacob?, the candor of his
answers was both surprising and admirable. Well, look at me, he observed. I am small and, I
admit, I sometimes annoyed people by pulling pranks and stuff. When pressed, he described said
pranks as being in a range of typical guy things from taking and hiding someones
books/calculators/equipment to plugging headphones into his ears to avoid conversations.
Sometimes, theyd do it back. Or sometimes, theyd make comments about me. Or avoid me at
lunch. His observations brought to mind Dr. Marilyn Friends observations about the social
functioning challenges ADHD students often encounter, i.e.,
Students with ADHD are more likely than their peers to have problems in developing
and maintaining friendshipsStudents with ADHD also are more likely than other
students to be seen both as victims of bullying and bullies themselves (Friend, 2010, p.
173).
Jacob observed that some of this continues in his present school environment. I was
particularly troubled to hear that he also felt he was the butt of what he calls Jewish jokes or other
unfavorable descriptions targeting ethnic stereotypes. Was this pandemic amongst the student body
there? No, not reallyjust a group of guys, not everyone. But its weird, though. Theyll stop me
from going into a classroom if a teacher is not around, he described. Theyll tell me Christians [his
emphasis italicized] are praying in there. You know.4 Jacob often still eats lunch alone though he
says he is growing more comfortable coming to the alternative learning center to hang with friends
there. Jacob feels he has friends at the school and notes that he did not always feel he did in his
4 Authors note: I did not knowand with Jacobs permission (and commitments to protect his
anonymity from possible retaliative bullying), I reported these incidents to the schools counseling and
administrative personnel, where the matters continue to be addressed. I also stay connected with Jacob
about this issue in particular.

previous schools. So, thats a good thing. I just dont always see them because were in different
classes a lot of the time. When Jacob arrived to the high school as a freshman, he struggled to accept
help from his tutors and the learning center staff. He and I smiled together as he reflected on our first
work. I did NOT want to have a tutor. Nothing personal, Mrs. Beth. I just didnt think I needed
anything and I really didnt want to have to waste my time in the Academic Strategies with Mrs. B.5
Jacob allowed that our own turning point came when he realized he was not passing Biology, Algebra
and English essay writing. Im a terrible writer; you know that, Mrs. Beth, he re-emphasized in our
interview. Jacob summarized that in this, his sophomore year, his feelings are changing. I am more
likely to ask a teacher for help these days, I guess, he mused. And I actually like some of the
teachers some of my friends think are so hard. And I do ask my brother and sister for help at home.
When asked what he thought the school could do to further help him, he somewhat retreated. Im
not sure and I dunno were responses to potential additional provisions. He did allow that taking
more frequent advantage of his existing extended time and shortened assignments accommodations
would be good to pursue.
Jacob, if you had younger siblings experiencing similar difficulties, what would you advise
them to do? What would you tell the teachersor meto be sure to do to be most helpful? His
answers here were not too surprising. His responses included:

I would tell them to take Academic Strategies but not to expect it to be a miracle. Its
just common sense stuff, really.
I would tell Mrs. B [of Academic Strategies] to not make us turn in so much
paperwork all the timethat gets annoying.
I would tell the administration to give us more time to catch up after special Jewish
holidays. Its overwhelming when we get back from Rosh Ashanah and Yom Kippur,
for example.

5 A class exclusive to learning center students that focuses on developing strong study and
academic/social skills.

I hate reading and writing. But then I work on a paper and do better and think, Hey
this is OK. Guess Id look for ways to make that more humane.

Jacob definitely foresees himself attending a university and becoming a research medical
scientist as an adult. He continues comparing himself to his siblings and coming up short, as he
says. He confided that he has an unhealthy love for video and computer games but that he is
working on this with his therapist. He also acknowledged that he could do things more in advance
and not try to live on the academic edge all the time, i.e., not procrastinating assignments until the
last available moment for completion. I could also do better at making sure I get everything I do
actually turned in. Probably need some help there.
There is an underdog sense that can arise when working with Jacob; it surfaced during our
interview. Jacob is engaging, friendly, and at times, works to foster feelings of conspiratorship (Oh,
you knowIm going to skate through this assignment without putting in much effort, he will
declare, which I counter with a friendly but firm, Fagin6-style comment, I think we better think that
out again, Jacob.) In the 18 months we have worked together, I have seen Jacob grow more
comfortable with and open to both accepting outside help and more readily self-starting his own study
efforts using alternative learning tools and devices. I was most concerned at the continued bullying he
had encountered in an environment often regarded as inclusive and diversity-welcoming. Though it
was not physical abuse, it was clearly making an emotional impact and required/requires both
addressing and monitoring.
Jacob did not have any particular parting words of wisdom as we concluded our interview. He
did allow that he enjoyed it and had a good time talking about this stuff. I know I did as welland I
know I grew from his wisdom. I told him so and he found this both surprising and entertaining. Me

6 The wily pickpocket character from Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist (1837, 1992).

teaching you. That's a twist, he remarked. Not really. Educators are (and should remain) in a constant
and dynamic state of learning from our students. And for this, I am profoundly grateful.

References
Dickens, C. (1992). Oliver Twist. New York, NY: Knopf.
Friend, M. P. (2010). Special education: Contemporary perspectives for school professionals
(3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
R., Ph.D. (2014). Confidential psychological evaluation - Jacob R. (pp. 1-10, Rep.). Houston,
TX: Robert ____, Ph.D.

10

Appendix
Attached in pdf format.

Potrebbero piacerti anche