CASE STUDY

JOHN RICK CORPUZ

I. INTRODUCTION
Every child is special.
This maxim is anchored on the study of children with learning disabilities and
exceptionalities. Since they are special, they need special attention and care to
address the learning disabilities they have. Thus, careful observation has to be
made so as to have a comprehensive understanding on their situation to have a
suitable intervention in achieving goals that they may have.
John Rick Corpuz is a Grade 10 student at Batac National High School
Poblacion Campus. He Lneurodevelopmental disorder, attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder and oppositional defiant disorder. He has been emotionally
affected in his early history due to physical abuse. In terms of behaviour, John
Rick sometimes uses inappropriate language and at times becomes physically
aggressive towards adults.
He was also slow to reach developmental milestones in terms of fine motor
and communication development. He has a long-standing history of academic
difficulties. His teachers note the following challenges: 1, problems tracking
assignments and handing in work; 2, illegible handwriting; 3, weak math skills;
and 4, very variable attention. Robert has several, rather narrow, and deep
interests, and has trouble connecting with fellow students. The main reasons
for referral are difficulties he is having understanding readings especially when
they require reading between the lines to understand what the author is
inferring. His teachers describe John Rick as getting lost in details, and not
seeing how data points fit together to form the big picture. This problem
regularly pops up in his expository writing. Despite all of these obstacles, John
Rick is slowly making progress at school.
In Math, John Rick is able to recite the formulas needed of at that level, but is
unable to apply those to daily work. In his Science class, he is able to correctly
respond to factual questions but has not been able to connect interrelated units
and information. His English teachers have noticed that John Rick turns in lengthy
papers that follow the correct format but have very limited content.
II. Strategies
Upon looking into the characteristics of the John Rick, I researched over the
internet on what specific learning disability he might have and I found out to be
Non-Verbal Learning Disability. The Learning Disabilities Association of America
defined Non-Verbal Learning Disability (NVD or NVLD), as a disorder which is usually
characterized by a significant discrepancy between higher verbal skills and weaker
motor, visual-spatial and social skills. Uncontented of what I have researched, I

asked some Special Education Teachers in the adjacent school of my workplace and
they validated the contents of my readings as well as my observations.
Since, Nonverbal Learning Disability refers to a subtype of learning-disabled
children who have outstanding deficits in:
Interpersonal relationships
Visual spatial organization
Organization and planning skills
Flexible concept formation
Study skills
Specific academic areas
Social judgement
The students with NLD is often confused, overwhelmed and anxious as he/she
has such difficulty understanding the world around them. They are often
perfectionists because there are no shades of gray...just black and white. They are
eager to please but need to know and understand the rules and expectations of
each school setting and situation.
The following are suggested strategies to be used:

Use rubric scoring tools that list the criteria for each task assigned
Use Strategic Seating
Unimodal Instruction is important for the NLD student
Ensure that the student is not just Parroting VS Learning
Frontloading is essential