Don't Forget

For more comprehensive case reports following the methods described in this book, see Appendix J on the CD.

Comprehensive Evaluation

Date of Birth: January 23, 2001 Grade: Repeating 4th grade

Reason for Referral

Will was referred for a comprehensive evaluation by his parents upon recommendation of his school due to concerns with academic skills, specifically reading and writing. He was evaluated by Sunny Valley Independent School District when he was in third grade and did not meet the criteria for any disability condition. He did not meet the mastery requirements for the state assessment (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills; TAKS) in fourth grade in writing; he did meet the requirements in reading. His parents decided that Will needed to repeat the fourth grade but did not want him to repeat the grade at the same school. Thus, they have placed him in a private school for students with learning difficulties. His teachers at that school have indicated to Mr. and Mrs. B that Will is not progressing according to expectations in the area of writing and is also weak in reading; the teachers recommended that he undergo a comprehensive evaluation. The purpose of this evaluation is to identify Will's cognitive and academic strengths and weaknesses, determine if there is a disability condition, and recommend strategies that will aid in his progress and assist in his educational programming.

Background Information

Will is a 10-year-old student in the fourth grade at Benson Elementary. He currently lives with his father and mother, 17-year-old brother, and 6-year- old sister. His father is employed at an oil and gas company as an engineer, and his mother is a homemaker. Will participates in many activities with his family including going to movies, watching television, taking trips, and visiting relatives, and he and his father enjoy participating in and watching sports, especially football.

Will's parents report that he was a planned pregnancy and that Mrs. B was under a doctor's care during the pregnancy. There were no preor perinatal

complications during the pregnancy. Mrs. B stated that he was her easiest pregnancy. Will weighed 8 lbs. 6 oz. at birth. He reached all developmental milestones within age expectations. However, his parents stated that teaching Will to read was frustrating. Will's medical history is unremarkable. He did take Adderall in third grade for three months, but this was discontinued. The parents explained that they did not think that Will had an attention disorder but were trying anything recommended to see if it would improve his academic grades. The medication had adverse effects, and no improvement in academics was noted by school personnel.

Will started preschool at the age of 3, where he attended an extended day program in the morning and preschool in the afternoon. He then attended a Catholic school from prekindergarten through second grade. During this time period, he struggled with reading. Will then transferred to public school in third grade. His teacher reported to his parents that he was having difficulty in reading, and he did not pass reading benchmarks. Will did participate in a reading intervention program at school 45 minutes per day in addition to his classroom instruction, and his parents enrolled him at Sylvan Learning Center for “extra tutoring.” Will did pass the state assessment in reading in third grade.

Toward the end of that academic year (third grade), an evaluation was completed by the school district which concluded that Will did not have a disability. His scores on the WISC-IV were as follows: Verbal Comprehension Index = 98; Perceptual Reasoning Index = 110; Working Memory Index = 104; Processing Speed Index = 78; FSIQ = 99. The General Ability Index was calculated due to the low score in Processing Speed and yielded a GAI of 104. Scores on the WJ III: Tests of Achievement were as follows: Basic Reading = 99; Reading Comprehension = 93; Math Calculation = 94; Math Reasoning = 92; Written Expression = 87.

In fourth grade, Will's grades at the end of the year indicated that he failed Language Arts and had Ds in two other subjects (Math, Social Studies). Will earned a C in Reading. During that year, Will failed the writing benchmark and participated in school-based intervention for this difficulty. The intervention was conducted in a small group setting (3–4 students) and used a computer program to build skills in spelling and written expression (both sentence construction and writing a simple essay). The intervention occurred

for a 50-minute session, 3 days per week. In the spring of that year, Will failed the Writing TAKS. Summer school was recommended. Mr. and Mrs. B decided to get private tutoring for Will in the summer and then enrolled him in a private school to repeat fourth grade. Will's current grades in fourth grade indicate that he is continuing to struggle with writing (average at time of this evaluation was 64). Will does better in math and enjoys science and social studies (“except the writing part”).

Socially, Will gets along well with others and enjoys helping others out. He is a very happy child and likes to joke around with others. His parents report that he tends to bother his younger sister and is closer to his older brother. His parents do not report any attentional, behavioral, or emotional difficulties. They do indicate that he is poorly organized.

Will's hobbies include playing Airsoft games and playing video games on his Xbox. He enjoys playing football and going to the gym. He also likes to play his bass guitar. His parents describe his personality as loving, caring, and being kindhearted to others. Mr. and Mrs. B reported that Will is very persistent about getting his way and can be annoying, and he enjoys seeing how much he can get away with. It is also common for him to purposely do something immediately after his parents tell him not to. While Will does get angry with his parents, they indicated that his overall attitude is pleasant. After high school, Will's parents would like him to attend college; they want him to do “whatever makes him happy.”

Behavior Observations

Will was evaluated throughout five sessions. The first four sessions lasted approximately 2 to 2½ hours; the final session lasted about 1 hour. It was easy to gain rapport with Will. He was respectful, polite, and eager to begin each session. He consistently maintained eye contact and responded appropriately to questions. Throughout the testing process, Will did attempt all tasks asked of him and put forth effort, wanting to do well. Overall, Will was attentive, motivated, and cooperative. The results obtained in this evaluation are considered a valid estimate of his level of functioning in the areas assessed.