Running Head: STUDENT PROFILE 1

Student Profile

Amanda Haye

Instructor: Kimberly Jones

EDUC 5: Development/ Individual Differences

Fall 2018
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Student Profile Essay

We have all seen movies where a kid was sent into a frenzy because something was not

in the right place, he was picked on for being a little different. Most of these movies focus on the

Autism Spectrum Disorder or simply known as Autism. This condition is not uncommon in the

real world. One in every fifty-nine American kids are diagnosed with Autism each year. Autism

is a developmental disorder that causes issues with communication, social, verbal, and motor

skills. According to Autism Speaks, Autism is “a broad range of conditions characterized by

challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication.” Kids

who have autism often have a series of other medical issues as well. For my student, this disorder

is a day to day struggle. He has shown that he has abilities rather than disabilities. He is a rock

star within his school today because of his abilities.

General Information

This student, Toney, is an almost 18 year old, African American who was adopted at an

early age. He lives in Murtaugh and is in his junior year at Hansen High School. He struggles

with verbal language formation and motor functions. His family is English speaking. He lives in

his home with his parents, and 6 of his siblings. He has 25 siblings altogether many of whom

were also adopted and have challenges of their own. He attends school from 7:58 am to 4:00 pm

Monday through Thursday. He rides home after school with either his father, who is a teacher at

Hansen School, or a sibling that has their driver’s license. At home he enjoys watching football

and playing his PS4.

Physical Development

Toney has long, black hair, brown eyes, and dark skin. He is physically mature but lacks

some mental abilities due to his Autism. He is a taller boy with animated features and a great
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smile. He is taller than about half of the other kids in his class. He is extremely shy and prefers to

talk to adults over his classmates or other students in the school. He has a strong healthy bond

with his personal aid that helps him in his day to day classwork. He is generally healthy and

rarely misses school due to illness. His parents take him for regular check ups. His hearing and

vision are normal. Toney was born right handed but refused to write or do things with his right

hand, so he made himself left handed. He does not play sports for lack of motor control, anxiety

in loud places, or anxiety in crowds. He does, however, enjoy shooting hoops once in a while. He

doesn’t work out aside from the physical therapy he has once a week. I did not ask about his diet.

He has some struggles with large muscle activities, and has a hard time with balance without

holding onto something. His small muscle development is also weak. He struggles to hold small

items or write on college ruled paper. He uses a larger pencil to complete his assignments.

Cognitive Development

Toney is currently an 11th grader attending Hansen High School with a lower than

average IQ. His instructors have seen such a huge growth in him that they feel his IQ result is no

longer an accurate representation of his abilities. He attends General Education classes as well as

some Special Education classes and his grades are average. His classes include Zoology, SPED

English, History, Astronomy, Office Aid, SPED Math and Study Skills. He currently has a

paraeducator to help him individually and in his regular classes. Toney is working as an office

aid to help become more independent. He doesn’t talk much but can show that he really wants to

do well in all his classes. He thinks and responds logically and correctly, when prompted to do

so, in most subjects. Math is hard for him because he is a visual learner and has had some gap in

the learning styles of math over the years.

Socio-emotional Development
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Toney has a small class that tries to include him in class activities. He also struggles with

being social around his peers because of his lack of verbal communication. He is more

comfortable around teachers and administrators, and myself, the more I visited with him. He is

very respectful toward others and speaks frequently about his family. Student is very modest

about his abilities and talents. He seems in tune with his emotional development. Just this year he

has had several opportunities to step out of his comfort zone and become more confident with his

abilities. During his school homecoming, Toney was crowned homecoming prince. He was also

able to answer questions on a studying game played in his history class, which caused the

classmates to receive extra points.

Summary, Conclusions and Implications

Toney is an Autistic teenager dealing with verbal language & physical difficulties. He

struggles socially because of the lack of verbal language abilities but is flourishing in his

academic classes. As he becomes more confident in his abilities, he will be able to gain more

independence over time. He is always working hard and wants to make adults around him proud.

Student has minimal physical restrictions. Although loud noises and large groups make him

nervous, he is able to attend school assemblies and other school functions for a short amount of

time. Toney seems to see his paraeducator and other adults as people who can be trusted. He has

been able to start doing many new “jobs” with in his office aid class that he was previously

unable to do. With this student I would implement an IEP with accommodations for: help one on

one, help note taking, allowing the use of tablets, or laptops to make the learning process easier,

and extra time in completing assignments and extra time for test taking.
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Next time you see a movie about a child with Autism, I hope that you see a young person

who is functioning in the real world to the best of his abilities. Autism can be scary for some, but

for those who live with it like my student, remember they have abilities not a disabilities.
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References

American Autism Association. (2016). What is Autism? Retrieved October 31, 2018, from

https://www.myautism.org/all-about-autism/what-is-autism/

Autism Speaks. (2018). What Is Autism? Retrieved October 31, 2018, from

https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism

STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder. (2012, August 08). Non-verbal girl with

Autism speaks through her computer 20/20 ABC News. Retrieved October 31, 2018,

from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMBzJleeOno