Introduction
My case study child is a 13-year-old boy named Daniel. He goes to Mesa Vista Middle School and is in the 8th grade. Outside the class, Daniel is an active and sociable teenager, but he often struggles to concentrate in class, which is why he has been falling behind in most of his subjects.
Background History
Daniel is Mexican, and he is a younger brother in the family of five, which consists of him, two older sisters, age 16 and 17, his mother, and his grandfather. All family members are bilingual, being able to speak both English and Spanish. The grandfather, however, seems to struggle when communicating in English, so the rest of the family tends to only use Spanish at home. Daniel has brown eyes and hair and is about 80 pounds and 60 inches. His mother is a registered nurse with a degree of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Daniel has been diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 7 and has been attending regular sessions with a counselling psychologist since then. His mother, Sofia, states that the sessions have had a positive impact on Daniel, making it easier for him to concentrate in class, although ADHD still affects his learning abilities greatly. He is interested in sports and has recently taken up playing the guitar, which seems to attract his attention for longer periods of time, compared to his general tendencies to concentrate.
Cultural Background
Both of Daniel parents are Hispanic, born in the U.S. His maternal grandparents moved to the U.S. from Mexico before Daniel’s mother was born. She was raised in New Mexico, where she married Daniel’s father, whose parents had also moved to the U.S. before he was born. Daniel’s parents got divorced when he was 9, but his father still sees him regularly. Daniel’s household is not very traditional in relation to Mexican customs, but his parents and his grandfather honor their original culture and language. They identify as Catholics, but only practice major Catholic holidays.
Language Background and Use
Daniel’s profile shows that he appears to be a communicative and active child, but tends to fall behind in class. ADHD seems to be the main cause of his poor academic performance. However, it can be suggested that the fact that he was raised in the household where family members speak Spanish most of the time could influence him as well. Because he is already having difficulties concentrating on the subject, it can be even more frustrating for him if the subject is taught in English. Thus, the problem might be aggravated because educators “assume that the ability of English language learners to converse in basic English is an indication of one’s ability to learn academic content on grade level” (Becker & Deris, 2019, p. 1). Integrating the culture and the first language of children with ADHD into their education process is the main fund knowledge that Daniel, as a student, brings to the field of academic learning.
Conclusion
I believe that understanding the way Daniel’s mind works can help me empower him because it will give me the means and strategies to facilitate the learning process. For example, asking him to translate some of the material to Spanish can be an engaging activity. Other ways to meet his learning needs can include using simpler terms when explaining something in English or putting him away from all distractors (windows, the door) and right in front of the desk.
Reference
Becker, G. I., & Deris, A. R. (2019). Identification of Hispanic English language learners in special education. Education Research International, 2019, 1-9. Web.