Tomas, a kindergartener, showed early excitement for school but struggled with academic tasks like letter recognition and following instructions. His frustrations led to impulsive behaviors, prompting Mrs. Richards to call a meeting with his parents. Harper, a third grader, excels in math but gets upset by loud noises. She loves reading about weather and struggles in assemblies or fire drills due to noise. Austin, a fifth grader, was in a bike accident that caused head and leg injuries. Since returning to school, he has slower processing, trouble remembering, and difficulty with math, which was previously his strength.

1. Part of a special educator’s responsibilities include
understanding the characteristics of the major disability
categories and how the characteristics affect typical
development. When conducting observations and consulting
with staff who work with students with disabilities, teachers
must be able to articulate the differences in development and
prescribe appropriate interventions. Understanding the effect of
culture and language development must also be considered in
meeting student needs.
Tomas, Kindergarten
Tomas entered Mrs. Richards' kindergarten classroom at the
beginning of the school year with great excitement! He showed
great interest in learning and being in the classroom with other
students. As the school year progressed, however, Tomas'
excitement quickly turned into frustration. He struggled with
recognizing the letters in his name, identifying different shapes,
and consistently could not follow two-part instructions. He also
was dramatically less able than his peers to focus on a task. His
frustrations have led to impulsive actions. Mrs. Richards has
called a meeting with his parents to address her concerns.
Harper, 3rd Grade
Harper attends Sunset Elementary School and is in a class with
25 other third graders. Harper loves her teacher Mrs. Hernandez
and struggles when a substitute takes her place. She excels in
math and tends to get bored when the other kids in her class
struggle. Harper also loves reading about the weather, somewhat
obsessively, and can share weather facts and details for hours.

2. She enjoys going to school, but does struggle with the loud
noises a school brings. In school assemblies, for instance, she
becomes overly upset about the noise level and tends to rock
back and forth to calm herself. She also does not like fi re drills
and has refused to leave the classroom because of the sound of
the fire alarm. Instead, she will flop to the ground, kick, and
cover her ears.
Austin, 5th
Grade
Austin was 9 years old when he was hit by a car while riding his
bike on the sidewalk. He broke his arm and leg and hit his head
very hard. When he came home from the hospital he looked just
fine, but he needed help. Now back at school, there are changes
in Austin that are hard to understand. It takes Austin longer to
do things, and he has trouble remembering. He cannot always
find the words he wants to use. Math is hard for him now, but it
was his strongest academic area before the accident.
Mary, 9th
Grade
Mary and her mother recently moved to the school district from
Mexico after divorcing her father, who still lives in Mexico.
Mary and her mother now live with Mary’s uncle, his wife, and
five kids. Mom is working two part-time jobs to make ends meet
so they can eventually afford to move to an apartment nearby.
Mom can speak and read English, but is often working during
times when Mary is home from school. Mary speaks some
English, but only reads and writes in Spanish. She is reading at
the third grade level in Spanish and has difficulty writing

3. paragraphs. Writing is limited to simple sentences. Mary likes
mathematics and can complete simple algebraic expressions,
and is close to grade level in geometry. She does struggle with
word problems.
Essay
Selecting one of the student scenarios above address the
following prompts in a 750-1,000 word essay:
Explain how language, culture, and family background
influence your student of choice.
Summarize the cognitive, linguistic, social, and emotional
development of the student described within the scenario.
Identify three instructional approaches that respond to the needs
of the student described within the scenario.
Explain why teachers need to be committed to respecting
students’ individual strengths, interests, and needs to promote
each student’s growth and potential.
Support your response with at least three scholarly resources.
Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the
APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An
abstract is not required.