The Need for Special Education: Adam’s Case

Teacher’s report	Parent report	Self-report	Classroom observations	Informal writing evaluation	Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement	Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities
This assessment is technically sound since the teacher’s observations combine Adam’s personal traits and school performance into one profile. The bias is reduced due to the incorporation of the teacher’s assessment of Adam’s learning skills.	This assessment is technically sound because it incorporates details from Adam’s early and family life. The balance of positive and negative comments on Adam’s behavior minimizes bias.	This assessment is technically sound since it acknowledges both Adam’s interests and strengths as well as challenges. Adam’s acknowledgment of his mistakes and weaknesses reduces bias.	This assessment is technically sound since behaviors of students were observed and compared with Adam’s activity. The bias is reduced to the outside status of the observer.	This assessment is technically sound because it provides analysis of Adam’s writing abilities using his actual writing. The bias is reduced due to assessment of Adam’s ability to fit the grading criteria for the writing assignment.	This assessment is technically sound due to the analysis of his actual academic achievements. The bias is reduced due to the analysis of Adam’s own written and oral responses.	This assessment is technically sound due to the incorporation of measurable variables, which can be calculated. The use of math score reduces bias.
Adam struggles with maintaining concentration and is generally apprehensive of new activities and tasks, which indicates the need for special education services	Adam is positive towards doing schoolwork, but his inability to focus prevents him from achieving high grades, which can be resolved with special education lessons.	Adam is nervous when task are perceived as difficult by him, especially those that put pressure on him, which necessitates teacher’s additional guidance in difficult tasks.	There were 16 instances, when Adam was distracted from the task, which implies the need for a change in Adam’s placement in the classroom.	Adam experiences difficulty at maintaining concentration, which was reflected in the loss of writing quality. Special education lessons may help him learn to maintain focus.	Adam performs better in oral tasks than in listening, writing, and reading, which can be accentuated in special education lessons.	The more complex the tasks are, the worse Adam’s performance is. Special education lessons may be necessary to teach him to deal fith fear of difficulty.
Teacher’s report is appropriate because it allows explaining Adam’s academic performance with his personality traits.	Father’s report provides insight from the family perspective, which Adam’s teachers and classmates lack.	Adam is the only person to have the most accurate understanding of his interests and difficulties.	Classroom observations are appropriate because of the insight of an unbiased observer.	This assessment is appropriate because it focuses on a sample of Adam’s actual writing.	The tests provide a comprehensive overview of Adam’s actual achievements in every subject.	The tests provide a comprehensive overview of Adam’s skills in every subject.

First, it is important to modify the classroom to adjust to Adam’s attention issues. His inability to focus can be mitigated by moving his seat closer to the teacher and adding a time tracker that would indicate the necessity of a break (Lovett & Nelson, 2021). Placement can change based on the contents-specific area at the moment. As the WJ III Tests of Achievement assessment indicates, Adam’s “responses to the more difficult items were slower and less fluent” then to easier ones. Therefore, the more complicated the task is, the closer to the teacher Adam’s placement should be.

Second, Adam’s testing conditions can be modified in two ways. First, it might be beneficial to increase time that is available for test completion (Lovett & Nelson, 2021). Second, it is important for the teacher to repeat the instructions loudly on several times (Lovett & Nelson, 2021). Both of these tasks can also be handled with technology, as a program might have read-aloud option as well as a time-tracker. Furthermore, the use of computer equipment will give Adam more privacy and thus bolster his self-confidence.

Involving a special education teacher might be necessary to solve Adam’s major problem – apprehension of difficulty, which forces him to give up on tasks. The teacher’s report and the informal writing evaluation both note Adam’s willingless to learn with the evaluation specifically noting that “Adam started the activity with a positive attitude”. Therefore, a special education teacher is essential in guiding Adam through more difficult tasks and honing his strengths, which are basic reading and basic listening.

Parent Script

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Gallery, I would like to discuss the MET assessment results of your son, Adam. In total, six evaluations have been conducted, creating a comprehensive overview of Adam’s personality and school performance. Unfortunately, the assessments have revealed substantial issues with his cognitive skills and ability to complete tasks. Most notably, Adam has difficulty focusing and maintaining concentration on one subject. Regardless of the nature of the task at hand – whether it is oral, reading, listening, writing, or calculating, Adam is easily distracted. Furthermore, his performance is negatively affected by the increasing difficulty of tasks. As a result, Adam does not meet the assessment criteria expected of his age in most areas. However, the assessments also revealed important positive indications of Adam’s abilities. For example, he always seems to assume a positive attitude towards new tasks, even though it is quickly abandoned once the difficulty increases. Special education services might help him overcome this fear and learn to maintain concentration. However, your consent is needed to approve lessons with a special education teacher who would help Adam improve his performance.

Reference

Lovett, B. J., & Nelson, J. M. (2021). Systematic review: Educational accommodations for children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 60(4), 448-457. Web.