A Case Study: Sammy Sammy is 16 years old and of African American heritage. He lives in a small southern rural town with his mother, father, and younger brother. Sammy's mother and father are both employed in low-wage service jobs. Over the years, they have tried to arrange their work schedules so that one of them has been available when the children were not in school. Sammy's mother has been very involved with the children's education, attending conferences and seeking solutions to problems. Sammy began his elementary schooling at Tate Elementary under the district's majority- minority transfer plan. His mother believed that an integrated school would provide her children with a better education than their local school would. During first grade, Sammy experienced difficulty with the beginning reading process and had trouble staying on task. A special education evaluation indicated that he was eligible for services as a child with a learning disability, and he was served in Tate's resource program for the next 2 years with minimal progress. The next year, the school district opened a self-contained program for students like Sammy. His underachievement was severe enough, and he was transferred to that program. Ms. Cole, his teacher, reported that during the next 2 years, Sammy began to make some progress in reading, but mathematics was still difficult. He had difficulty completing his math assignments, frequently being off task and unable to sustain attention. He also experienced continuing problems with impulse control and displays of anger. However, Sammy impressed Ms. Cole as being a capable child despite his reading and behavior problems. During his second year in Ms. Cole's class, he was mainstreamed for fourth-grade science. Academically he was passing, but his behavior was erratic. He had particular problems dealing with teasing. A behavior contract was initiated in which he earned a star for each class period that his behavior met stated guidelines, and this seemed to have some positive effect. At the end of that year, it was decided that Sammy had made sufficient progress to return to Tate School in a regular fourth-grade class with resource help. It was suggested that he be put on an organizational behavior contract and receive instruction in anger management. Unfortunately, the fourth-grade teacher was not willing to provide any extra support and was, in fact, overtly negative and sarcastic toward Sammy. In addition, the resource position was vacant for the first 2 months of the year, so there was no transition support. Sammy's behavior deteriorated, and his academic progress evaporated. By January he was sent back to the self-contained class, where he stayed for the remainder of elementary school. It seemed as if Sammy had decided that life was easier in the self-contained classroom and that was where he wanted to be. He moved on to another self-contained class in seventh grade, and his behavior became more violent. He was.

1. A Case Study: Sammy
Sammy is 16 years old and of African American heritage. He
lives in a small southern rural town with his mother, father, and
younger brother. Sammy's mother and father are both employed
in low-wage service jobs. Over the years, they have tried to
arrange their work schedules so that one of them has been
available when the children were not in school. Sammy's mother
has been very involved with the children's education, attending
conferences and seeking solutions to problems.
Sammy began his elementary schooling at Tate Elementary
under the district's majority- minority transfer plan. His mother
believed that an integrated school would provide her children
with a better education than their local school would. During
first grade, Sammy experienced difficulty with the beginning
reading process and had trouble staying on task. A special
education evaluation indicated that he was eligible for services
as a child with a learning disability, and he was served in Tate's
resource program for the next 2 years with minimal progress.
The next year, the school district opened a self-contained
program for students like Sammy. His underachievement was
severe enough, and he was transferred to that program. Ms.
Cole, his teacher, reported that during the next 2 years, Sammy
began to make some progress in reading, but mathematics was
still difficult. He had difficulty completing his math
assignments, frequently being off task and unable to sustain
attention. He also experienced continuing problems with
impulse control and displays of anger. However, Sammy
impressed Ms. Cole as being a capable child despite his reading
and behavior problems.
During his second year in Ms. Cole's class, he was
mainstreamed for fourth-grade science. Academically he was

2. passing, but his behavior was erratic. He had particular
problems dealing with teasing. A behavior contract was initiated
in which he earned a star for each class period that his behavior
met stated guidelines, and this seemed to have some positive
effect.
At the end of that year, it was decided that Sammy had made
sufficient progress to return to Tate School in a regular fourth-
grade class with resource help. It was suggested that he be put
on an organizational behavior contract and receive instruction
in anger management. Unfortunately, the fourth-grade teacher
was not willing to provide any extra support and was, in fact,
overtly negative and sarcastic toward Sammy. In addition, the
resource position was vacant for the first 2 months of the year,
so there was no transition support. Sammy's behavior
deteriorated, and his academic progress evaporated. By January
he was sent back to the self-contained class, where he stayed for
the remainder of elementary school. It seemed as if Sammy had
decided that life was easier in the self-contained classroom and
that was where he wanted to be.
He moved on to another self-contained class in seventh grade,
and his behavior became more violent. He was frequently
involved in fights and was suspended a number of times. At 15
he was socially promoted to ninth grade at the high school.
There he was involved in a fight and suspended. His mother
asked that he be placed in the alternative program for out-of-
school youth; she did not understand that by doing so she was
removing him from coverage under IDEA. The school district
said that because she had removed him from school, they no
longer had an obligation to serve him. He was soon expelled
from the alternative program because of fighting and was placed
under the jurisdiction of the juvenile justice system.
Sammy's mother is at her wits' end. She can no longer handle
his emotional outbursts at home, and she feels that the school

3. and other agencies just want to get rid of him. She knows that
Sammy needs help emotionally and academically. Sammy's
mother and the advocacy representative have requested that the
school revisit Sammy's case and evaluate the possibilities for
reinstituting services. At the request of Sammy's mother, the
following information was provided by Ms. Cole, Sammy's
special education teacher in elementary school:
To Whom It May Concern
I have been asked by Sammy's mother to provide some
historical information that may be useful in Sammy's future
educational placement and planning. I served as Sammy's
teacher in the self-contained class for students with learning
disabilities when he was 9 to 11 years old. I have kept in touch
with the family since and have followed Sammy's journey
through the school system.
When Sammy was a student in my class, he was classified as a
third grader. He was reading at an average second- grade level
and had difficulty completing math assignments. His primary
problems at the time were work-habit related, including
attention to task, task completion, and goal setting. He also
exhibited periodic problems with impulse control in
unstructured settings. This manifested itself by his engaging in
fighting on the playground when teased. His failure to control
his impulses appeared to increase when he was under stress.
such as during state testing periods. It is unclear to me now
whether his learning disabilities led to the behavioral problems
or whether the behavioral problems resulted in his difficulty
profiting from instruction. In any case, both areas impeded his
academic and social progress.
Under certain circumstances, Sammy demonstrated average to
excellent cognitive abilities. When he was 10, Sammy was

4. invited to join a community Odyssey of the Mind team. He was
the only member of the team not identified by the school system
as gifted and talented, but observation of his interactions in the
group would not have called attention to this fact. Because the
competition relied on nonverbal exhibition of creative thinking,
his poor reading skills were not a problem. On the contrary, his
capability in logical problem solving proved to be an asset to
the team, resulting in their winning second place at the regional
competition. ln addition, although he was the only African
American student on the team, he interacted well with the other
members. This experience indicated to me that, given a
challenging environment that did not present assaults on his
self-esteem, Sammy had the cognitive ability to function well. It
also demonstrated that he was able to control his behavior as
well as any other child, given clear goals, supportive leadership.
and interesting tasks. I saw him grow during that semester,
growth that was evidenced in his work at school as well.
By the time he was 11, Sammy had made sufficient academic
and behavioral progress that mainstreaming for fourth grade
science was initiated. He had some difficulty with the work
expectation at first. but with my assistance and oral testing, he
earned passing grades. He then began to have lunch and recess
with that class. Behavior was a recurrent problem, primarily
when he would 'lose it" on the playground. We initiated a
behavioral contract to help him monitor his behavior and work
habits, and there was improvement.
By the end of the year it was decided that he was ready for a
less restrictive placement. His reading was at a lower third-
grade level, and so he was recommended for placement in a
regular fourth grade at his home elementary school. lt was
expected that his resource teacher and general education teacher
would work closely with him during the transition to
mainstream programming. Unfortunately, for a variety of
reasons primarily related to staffing problems during that

5. period, the needed close support and monitoring apparently did
not occur. The reported negative behaviors increased, and
Sammy was returned to a self-contained class in the spring of
that year.
In summary, Sammy has manifested a number of problems in
the past that have interfered with his progress in school. His
problems have primarily involved his inability to set and work
toward goals, to accept the restrictions placed on him, and to
control his impulses. While he appears to have some perceptual
and cognitive disabilities, it appears to me that the behavioral
aspects were primarily responsible for his performance
problems. He needed then-and likely still does need-assistance,
coaching, and support to develop the social cognitive skills to
accomplish what he needs to do and to refrain from actions that
are detrimental to him and others. The frustration he must feel
at this point, after all these years of being shuffled from
program to program without developing the skills he needs,
must be seriously undermining his self-esteem.
Sincerely, Susan Cole
The following psychoeducational testing report was prepared
for the multidisciplinary team meeting at the request of
Sammy's mother.
EVALUATION REPORT
Sammy is 16 years old and attended the senior high school until
3 months ago, when his mother withdrew him while he was
under suspension for fighting. Sammy is currently on probation
with Juvenile Services for fighting al school. Even though he
was never expelled from school, he entered an alternative
program for dropouts operated by the school district. Sammy
was dropped from that program 2 weeks later, again for

6. fighting. Up until his enrollment in the alternative school,
Sammy had been suspended for 21 days this year. Formal
evaluations over the last 8 years have all found Sammy to be
functioning in the low-average range intellectually. Sammy is
currently receiving counseling at the community mental health
clinic.
Test Results and Interpretation
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV (WISC-IV)
Full Scale (FSIQ)
81 (low-average)
Verbal Comprehension (VCI)
82
Perceptual Reasoning (PRI)
87
Working Memory (WMI)
80
Processing Speed (PSI)
78
Verbal Comprehension
82
Similarities
6
Vocabulary
9
Comprehension
8
(information)
7
Perceptual Reasoning
87
Block Design
7
Picture Concepts

7. 12
Matrix Reasoning
8
(Picture Completion)
10
Working Memory
80
Digit Span
6
Letter-Number Sequence
7
(Arithmetic)
6
Processing Speed
78
Coding
4
Symbol Search
8
Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT)
Sammy's PPVT score indicates that his receptive language is
comparable to his intellectual ability measure:
Standard Score: 84 (moderately low)
Percentile: 14
Peabody Individual Achievement Test-Revised
Sammy's reading recognition is significantly below his overall
ability level, although his reading comprehension is comparable
to ability level.
Standard Score
Grade Equivalent
Total Reading

8. 74
5.1
Reading Recognition
64
4.8
Reading Comprehension
84
6.4
Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised (WRAT)
Subtest
Standard Score
Grade Equivalent
Decoding
65
3 end
Spelling
59
< 3 grade
Arithmetic
62
4 end/
Evaluator Conclusions
This evaluation indicates that Sammy is functioning
intellectually in the low-average range. His receptive language
is comparable to his estimated mental age. His academic
achievement in reading recognition, spelling, and arithmetic is
severely deficient. Sammy appears to have poor listening skills,
with stronger visual processing skills. Some adjustment
problems are apparent in the school setting: however, Sammy's
behavior throughout the evaluation was exemplary, indicating
that he can control his emotions. Lack of academic achievement
no doubt contributes to his frustration, leading to his
inappropriate behaviors. The assessment indicates that Sammy

9. should probably continue to be classified as a student with a
learning disability.
Learners with Mild Disabilities: A Characteristics Approach,
Enhanced Pearson 5th Edition By Eileen B. Raymond Published
by Pearson, p. 309 – 311. Copyright © 2017 ISBN-10: 0-13-
382711-9; ISBN-13: 978-0-13-382711-8
BIO150 – Nutrition
Unit 7 Assignment: Stress Reduction Plan
Copyright 2022 Post University, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Due Date: 11:59 pm EST Sunday of Unit 7
Points: 100
Overview:
You may have heard that chronic stress is the “silent killer.”
The effects of stress can
wreak havoc on our bodies internally without us knowing. For
this assignment, you will
analyze your stress level and develop a plan the lower your
daily and long-term stress.
Instructions:
• Take some time to think about the stressors you have in your

10. life.
o Identify three stressors you experience on a daily basis.
Explain each
stressor as it relates to your life and why it adds stress.
• Choose three foods you can add to your diet that will help
with stress reduction.
o Include specific information about why you chose these foods.
List your
resources.
• Choose three foods you would eliminate to help with stress
reduction.
o Explain why you would eliminate these foods.
• Describe an exercise plan that you would like to incorporate
into your routine.
o Explain why you chose this plan, how many times per week
you will
include the routine, and what benefits you are looking to
achieve.
• Explain what is meant by the Mind-Body Connection.
o What would you like to include in your mind-body routine?
o How often will you do this routine?
o What benefits are you looking to achieve from this routine?
o Set up a plan for how you will incorporate more ounces over
the next

11. month. Be specific and explain your reasoning.
Copyright 2022 Post University, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
• Lastly, explain how you think incorporating all of these
changes will help you to
improve your “whole self” outside of just the stressors you are
experiencing.
Requirements:
• Submit a Word document in APA format.
• Include a Reference Page for all of the resources that you used
for the
assignment.
Be sure to read the criteria below by which your work will be
evaluated before
you write and again after you write.
Copyright 2022 Post University, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Evaluation Rubric for Unit 7 Assignment

12. CRITERIA Deficient Needs
Improvement
Proficient Exemplary
(0-8 points) (9-14 points) (15-18 points) (19-20 points)
Identifying
Stressors
The daily
stressors are
not included.
Only one of the
daily stressors
is included.
Two of the
daily stressors
are included.
All of the daily
stressors are
included.
Dietary
Changes
The dietary
changes are
not addressed.
The dietary
changes are

13. included, but
not explained
at all.
The dietary
changes are
included, but
are lacking
details.
The dietary
changes are
written in a
clear and
detailed
manner.
Exercise
Routine
The exercise
routine is not
included.
The exercise
routine is
included, but is
not explained.
The exercise
routine is
included, but is
lacking details.
The exercise
routine is

14. written in a
clear and
detailed
manner.
Mind-Body
Connection
The Mind-Body
Connection is
not addressed.
The Mind-Body
Connection is
defined, but
details about
incorporating it
are not
included.
The Mind-Body
Connection is
defined and a
plan to
incorporate is
included, but is
lacking details.
The Mind-Body
Connection is
defined, and an
incorporation
plan is written
out in a clear
and detailed
manner.

15. Whole Self
Improvement
Explanation
The whole self-
changes are
not addressed.
The whole self-
changes are
somewhat
addressed.
The whole self-
changes are
mostly
addressed.
The whole self-
changes are
addressed in a
clear and
detailed
manner.