Instructions
- Read the following fictional case summaries, and select one for your Secondary Case Study project. In making this selection, you should consider your interests in further developing an area relative to your professional growth.
- Each of your case studies will have four parts: an introduction, gathering of background information, developing an inclusive education plan, and a conclusion. The case studies are to be written in paragraph form. Please do not include tables or point form lists. This is not an Individual Education Plan (IEP).
- In order to gather important background information, conduct a brief literature search, and select a minimum of 3 primary sources that focus on the area of exceptionality your case study involves. Primary sources are articles/studies published in professional journals. Consult the Library Services section of the Student Manual for detailed information on the types of resources available to you. You should also cite the course text as a secondary source for your case studies.
- Review the grading criteria for the required content and organization of your case studies. As you work on your papers, review your progress frequently with respect to fulfilling the requirements of the grading criteria.
- Your finished case study should be 8 to 10 double-spaced pages using a standard 12-point font size. Your case study will begin with a title page and end with a reference list, which are not included in the total page count.
- The paper is to be written in APA style — refer to The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.), the Purdue Online Writing Lab, the Writing Resources section of Athabasca University’s Psychology Resources (AUPR) website, the course textbook, and the articles you selected. You are expected to use APA format for the title page, in-text citations, and reference list.
- Submit your assignment to the Secondary Case Study Drop Box. Your tutor will mark your papers and return them with feedback to the Assignment Drop Box for you to pick up.
- Your paper will be graded according to how well you demonstrate your knowledge, comprehension, and analysis of the area of exceptionality you choose. The following grading criteria delineate the expectations for this assignment.
Secondary Case Summary 1: Ashley
Ashley is a 13-year-old girl attending a junior high school. Ashley was in a serious car accident a year ago and suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). She spent 4 months in a university hospital in medical recovery and a further 6 months in a rehabilitation hospital. School records indicate that, prior to the accident, Ashley was an honour student in all areas and was very involved in sports. She was also involved in the student council, organizing dances, and student leadership activities. Following the accident, Ashley was walking with the assistance of a walker, but since returning to school, has been using a cane. Ashley worked on her academic skills over the summer holidays prior to returning to school but is still achieving two grade levels below what would be expected for a student her age, and much lower than where she was performing prior to the accident. Ashley tires easily and has difficulty remembering things. Ashley easily becomes emotional in social situations and is starting to withdraw from any activities outside her home.
Secondary Case Summary 2: Ashton
Ashton is 17 years of age and attends his local high school. He is very excited about turning 18 in a month. Ashton has a moderate intellectual disability. He has followed an individual program plan (IPP) since preschool that has addressed his individual needs. He has required limited levels of support over the years. The latest psychological assessment indicated a full scale IQ of 53 (mild to moderate intellectual disability) and adaptive levels of behaviour in the same range. An area of strength in the adaptive scale was his social skills. The multidisciplinary school team working with Ashton has been preparing him for life after high school. He has been gaining work experience hours at a local pet shop, but his parents are not sure what else they need to consider and are looking for support so that his transition to adulthood is successful.
Secondary Case Summary 3: Navdeep
Navdeep is 14 years of age and has recently immigrated to Canada from Afghanistan. Navdeep’s parents are well educated: her father is an engineer, and her mother taught university mathematics. Navdeep is an English language learner, and although she appears to be very bright, particularly in the area of mathematics, tasks that require oral expression are difficult for her. Her marks in the areas of Language Arts and Social Studies are far below her Math and Science marks. Her Math marks are always close to 100%, and sometimes the teacher worries that she is bored with her math program. Navdeep does not ask for help even when it is obvious that she is struggling. She has different teachers for each core subject, and they have shared that Navdeep rarely speaks in class and will never ask for help.
Secondary Case Summary 4: Jamie
Jamie is a 12-year-old boy who attends a large junior high school. He is a friendly boy who tends to have more girl friends than boy friends. He is quiet in class, but has average marks, except for gym class which he is currently failing. The gym teacher has reported that Jamie never brings his change of clothes, and as a result, he does not participate. Recently, Jamie told the school counsellor that he has always felt like he was meant to be a girl. He shared that he feels like his outsides do not match his insides. He has decided to tell his parents that he would like to be identified as a female from now on, and would also like to begin medical interventions for gender reassignment. The school counsellor plans to help Jamie share this information with his parents. This would be the first identified transgender student at this school, so little supports are currently in place to ensure a safe and caring school environment for Jamie.
Grading Criteria
| Report Structure | Grading Criteria | Total | ||
| Introduction | A good introduction should be well written and to the point. It will have the following components: | /10 | ||
| • | An interesting, concise introduction to the case. | |||
| • | A statement of the rationale and purpose of the case study. | |||
| • | An brief outline of the structure of the case study. | |||
| Background Information | Background information for this case study needs to include: | /35 | ||
| • | A discussion of the important issues and concerns that need to be addressed. | |||
| • | A review of the prevalance, causes, and the characteristics of students in this age group with the specific diverse needs you have chosen. | |||
| • | An integrated and comparative discussion of information gathered from the course content, as well as at least 3 current, primary sources. These sources should offer evidence-based information about students with the particular diverse needs for the case you have chosen. The text offers a good deal of information that you will need in order to discuss the case, but it is always good to strengthen your statements by including outside primary sources as well. (Primary research articles are where the author is reporting on his or her research findings. This includes reports of empirical studies, review articles, theoretical articles, methodological articles, and case studies. It does not include letters, book reviews, overviews, news articles, and general information websites.) | |||
| Inclusive Plan Development | Developing a strong inclusive educational plan will include: | /35 | ||
| • | A brief review of the needs and issues for this particular case. | |||
| • | Consideration for possible concerns around cultural, linguistic, social, emotional, and/or behavioural issues. | |||
| • | Strategies for curriculum and instruction for this case. | |||
| • | Classroom adaptations (at least two). | |||
| • | Accommodations for this student (at least two). | |||
| • | Effective inclusive practices. | |||
| • | Enhancing inclusive classroom ideas for this particular student. | |||
| Conclusion | A summary of the case study findings and inclusive plan. | /10 | ||
| Style | Excellent style in the case study will include: | /10 | ||
| • | No grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors. | |||
| • | The use of headings for organization. The Introduction, Background Information, Inclusive Plan Development, and Conclusion should be labelled (centred). Subheadings can also be used (left justified). | |||
| • | The use of a title page with the name of the case study, your name, course name, and your tutor’s name. All centred on the page. | |||
| • | A reference list in APA format. | |||
| • | Sentences that are no longer than necessary. | |||
| • | Avoids the use of first-person language: “I” and “we.” | |||
| Paragraphs that are well structured with opening and concluding statements, and which link to the next section. | ||||
| Total | /100 | |||