Emily is a 9 year old fourth grader with learning disabilities and communication disorders. She receives resource support for an hour each day and struggles below grade level except in math. Socially, Emily gets along with others but seeks adult approval. While physically healthy, her handwriting and attention span need work. Continued support from her IEP team and modifications like visual aids could help Emily reach her potential.

1. INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES PROFILE IDP 1
Individual Differences Student Profile
Kasey Graves
Instructor: Kae Hamilton
Education 205: Developmental and Individual Differences
Spring 2012

2. IDP 2
Individual Differences Student Profile Essay
Introduction
Over the past few months I have had the privilege to observe a little girl whom I will
refer to as Emily. I observed Emily in the Meridian School District in her general education
fourth grade class. One thing to mention about the school is it is one of the few magnet schools
in the valley; it is a magnet school for math and technology. Emily has a learning disability, she
also has a communication disorder which makes her learning disability even more challenging.
Through this essay I will provide you with information about Emily’s general information,
physical development, cognitive development, socio-emotional, and I will provide a summary on
my findings.
General Information
I mentioned in my introduction that Emily is in fourth grade. She is nine years and nine
months in age. Emily is a Caucasian little girl. Emily suffers from both a learning disability as
well as a communication disorder. Emily’s learning disability encompasses phonological
awareness which contributes to her communication disorder. Emily’s parents are divorced. She
has one sibling, a brother, who is two years younger; he also attends the same school. She
spends one week at her mother’s house from Sunday to the following Sunday and the next week
at her father’s house from Sunday to Sunday. Her brother is in the same house with her and on
the same schedule. Her father is remarried so she also has a step-mother but no other siblings.
From the interactions I have observed her family is all very involved in her education. However,
her parents disagree with the school that Emily suffers from any disability.

3. IDP 3
Emily attends school Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m.-3:35 p.m. There is the
exception of Wednesdays where school does not begin until 9:25 a.m. to allow for
collaborations. Emily spends the majority of her day in the general education classroom. She
goes to resource from 2:30p.m. until 3:35p.m. Monday through Friday. Emily takes the bus to
school every day. Afterschool she is picked up either by her mother or step-mother.
Physical Development
If you were to glance at Emily you would see she appears as healthy as you wish all
children to be. She has beautiful big blue eyes and shoulder length straight blonde hair; she is a
very thin girl, a lot thinner than the majority of her peers. She has no visible scars or birthmarks
that I was able to note. Her physical maturation is very average in comparison with her peers.
(Emily has no documented general health concerns; she does not wear glasses, or seem to have a
problem with hearing, and she also has never let it be known that she has any physical defects
such as asthma.)I have noticed though Emily often holds her face down at her paper as she works
which leads me to believe she may need to have her eyes examined. Emily is right handed, I
have found it offbeat though because she only uses her right hand to write; she does not raise her
right hand or use her right hand to hold objects.
From what I have observed, Emily is physically fit. She always participates in physical
education; she also plays extracurricular activities during recess and lunch. I think her eating
habits have room for improvement. She does not eat breakfast on the mornings she is with her
father. She also does not bring snacks to class like the other children do. I had the opportunity
to join her for lunch one day and there was not one thing on her tray that she did not inhale.
While watching Emily in the class as well as performing other activities during physical

4. IDP 4
education and recess she shows her large muscle development as well as her small muscle
development are average. One concern I have with her small muscle development is her
handwriting skills. She suffers in this area and because it is an area where she shows
difficultyand accommodationsmust be made. For example she must complete her spelling
worksheets on a computer, or she must use a word processor to complete essay assignments.
Cognitive Development
When I was gathering information about how long Emily has been on an individualized
education plan I was surprised to find out they could only date it back two years. It is assumed
she has been on one since she entered grade school however, she transferred to a new school two
years ago, and they have no records that go back any farther than that. Currently Emily stays in
the general education classroom for the majority of her day. She attends the resource room for
about an hour and fifteen minutes every day. In general, her grades are below average; she is
below grade level in all subjects except math. Her math skills are exceptional; she excels at a
higher level than the majority of her peers.
Emily has a very short attention span and is easily distracted. She has a syntax disorder
with is consistent with the language disorder. Before all new materials are to be mastered
Emily is given a curriculum based assessment from the results her instructor and resource
teacher are able to collaborate to determine if she needs to be attending resource room while
new materials are being presented or if she would benefit more from the general class direct
instruction. If direct instruction will not work for the material she will receive a differentiated
curriculum approach to mater the content. While Emily has a short attention span she is also
very eager to be an active participant in class. Her hand is always raised, and she is always

5. IDP 5
willing to try. She is often called on and when she goes up to the board to present she has a hard
time placing words in the right sequence. If she realizes she does not know the answer she
simply states “I forgot” rather than to attempt the problem. She shows she possessed
conditional knowledge but she is unaware of how she can represent it in real life circumstances.
It is my opinion Emily often does not like to feel left out therefore she tries to participate even
when she does not understand the questions. Emily appears to be discouraged when she is
incorrect, and she shuts down for the rest of the day and quits participating in class. Emily also
has a learning disability; I can recall many instances where her general education teacher has
shown Emily different learning strategies tailored to her learning style that enable her to retain
the new information and also apply it.
Emily excels in a few of Piagets stages of development, especially when it comes to her
mathematical skills. She possesses what Piagets coined at the concrete operational stage which
is appropriate for her age. Upon my observations, I can see that she is currently in the stage of
formal operation. Emily is able to “think logically about abstract propositions and test
hypotheses systematically” (learning and teaching) Emily understands almost more than I do
when it comes to mathematics. If you present her with a problem she will be able to solve it
systematically. She also is able to understand the steps you take and why you take the steps in a
specific order.
Socio-emotional Development
Emily receives most her education in a natural environment so I have been fortunate
enough to see her daily interactions with her peers and other adults. Emily gets along with
everyone. She is very well liked and she has no major issues while communicating with her

6. IDP 6
peers. One method her teacher uses is the buddy system;at times you can tell her buddy
becomes frustrated while trying to work with her. I believe this is a problem because one student
is ready to move on and Emily is still not understanding the first concepts. I think a better
method for this would be peer mediated instruction; students often can grasp material better
from their peers and this way no one is getting held back. Emily’s relationship with adults is
different. She seeks approval and attention. She is always providing compliments, touching,
hugging, and telling stories. She needs to know someone cares, and she honestly needs that hug
every day. Emily possesses self-determination; she wants to succeed and she is determined to
do so. She is not aware of her disabilities; she feels like she tries hard and does not accept the
outcome of her work. She has a great self-esteem. She is outgoing and well liked.
When I think about Emily’s socio-emotional development from an educated point of
view I am sad to say she is below average in her development. Erickson’s idea of where Emily
should be is somewhere between Accomplishment/Industry vs. Inferiority. Emily can perform,
however she cannot perform at a level that compliments her peers. I believe she is still in
Erickson’s younger early childhood stage of Initiative vs. Guilt. (Educational psychology for
teachers)Emily wants to do things on her own, yet she still fears rejection and seeks approval
from her peers as well as the adults in her life.
Conclusion
Emily needs more help in order to successfully complete school; she is an exceptional
student. I feel the problem lies somewhere between her denial and also her parents’. I know
firsthand the school and all members of collaborations are doing everything in their power to

7. IDP 7
make sure she succeeds. Norm referenced tests should be administered to Emily often to make
sure she is receiving an appropriate education.
Emily is a sweet little girl who is trying hard. Her parents are not involved in the
collaboration or any other part of her special education, and I believe they need to become more
involved because they know her better than anyone else. I would suggest to the teacher that
Emily starts spending her time in the resource room in the morning when they are working on
vocabulary because that is the area I see Emily struggling the most. I also would suggest
extending curriculum ideas so Emily can think of all problems in a mathematical sequence if at
all possible.
Emily is atypical students in all areas except cognitively. She is below grade average in
most subjects, and does not understand the why and when of most concepts. In general, she is
the same as all her peers; she participates the same, she is in great physical condition, and she
knows and understands people. The only area I would say she is atypical in besides cognitive is
socio-emotional. She still has the mindset of a younger child and seeks approval from adults, she
also feels a sense of shame when she is incorrect.
Emily is very organized; she is also a very visual learner. If you could show her images
of problems she would likely be able to grasp concepts. I believe a more real-life setting for
learning would benefit her. Emily needs more help with her phonics. To assist her with this I
believe she would benefit from a reduced spelling list, and also daily participation in group
phonics. With the continued attention of her IEP team, Emily likely has the ability to reach her
full potential.

8. IDP 8
References
Atherton J S (2011) Learning and Teaching; Piaget's developmental theory [On-line: UK]
retrieved 10 April 2012 from http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/piaget.htm
Taylor, R. L., Smiley, L. R., & Richards, S. B. (2008).Exceptional students, preparing teachers
for the 21st century. (1st ed ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social
Sciences/Languages.
Woolfolk& McCune-Nicolich.(1984). Educational psychology for teachers.(2nd Ed.).
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.