Case Study Practice – Part 1 HSE 226 – Intellectual Disabilities Kathy Holland 2/26/2023 1. Mr. and Mrs. Hall were thrilled to be having a baby. They had grown concerned that, due to their increasing age (Mrs. Hall had just turned 38), all hope for a baby had been lost. The delivery went well with no complications and the Halls took their baby girl home with them the next day. They excitedly shared pictures of their daughter with friends and family, Mr. Hall making jokes about how grateful he was that the baby looked like his wife and not him. Over the next months, the Halls noticed that their daughter was not developing as expected – she was not holding her head up and did not learn to crawl or sit up at the same time as their friends’ children. Their pediatrician gave them some exercises to do with the baby to help increase her muscle tone and some dietary guidelines to help the baby thrive physically. Over the next few years, the baby grew to be able to do the same things other children could do, though she was slightly overweight for her age. When it came time for the baby to start school, she was slightly behind her peers in terms of recognizing letters and shapes, but quickly got caught up with some additional one-on-one instruction from a teacher aide. An IQ test was administered and found that the child’s IQ was on the lower side of normal (89) and additional learning support was put into place to help her learn to read so that she would not fall behind in school. Does this child appear to meet the criteria to be diagnosed as having an intellectual disability? Why or why not? Yes, I believe this child does meet the criteria to be diagnosed with an intellectual disability. Given the facts stated above, there are several specifics that made me draw this conclusion. In particular the statement about not developing as expected, low muscle tone, slightly overweight for her age, and behind in her peers. These are the symptoms I made note of that aided my decision. If yes, which one do you think she is likely to have? I think the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hall has Prader-Willi syndrome. This is a rare genetic condition that has wide-ranging effects on the organism. As was already mentioned, kids with Prader-Willi syndrome frequently struggle with poor muscle tone, cognitive issues, and social and behavioral issues. 2. Tesha is a 15 year-old sophomore in high school. She is popular among the other students at school and attends mainstream classes with support of an aid as needed. Tesha is a bit shorter than her peers and weighs slightly more than some of them, though doctors are not too concerned as long as she eats well and remains active. She has a slightly flattened face, almond-shaped eyes, and her tongue is larger than normal, causing her to have a slight speech impediment. Tesha’s IQ, at the last time of testing, was 70; however, her teachers have found her to be eager and able to learn with extra time and practice. Tesha hopes to go to college, have a boyfriend, and get her own apartment one day. Tesha works at the local recreation center on weekends, helping with sports tournaments. Does Tesha appear to meet the criteria to be diagnosed as having an intellectual disability? Why or why not? Yes, I believe that Tesha does meet the criteria to be diagnosed with an intellectual disability with the facts stated above, there are several specifics that made me draw this conclusion. First was the specific physical descriptions such as her height, weight, flattened face, almond shaped eyes, and tongue larger than normal. The second inkling was her speech impediment, her IQ testing, and her eagerness to learn as well as her future goals. If yes, which one do you think she is likely to have? I believe Tesha has Down syndrome. While she may be popular among her peers, individuals with Down syndrome try to act similar, each person has different abilities. People with Down syndrome usually have an IQ (a measure of intelligence) in the mildly-to-moderately low range as stated above regarding Tesha. Tesha also has a larger tongue than normal causing her speech impediment making her different than her peers. The common physical features I mentioned above also helped me draw this conclusion. While she may need extra support with her academic studies, her work experience on the weekends is very important in guiding her to make knowledgeable choices about her life after school. 3. John is a happy 23 year-old young adult who lives in a group home. John did not do very well in school and was in special-education courses through most of junior high and high school because of his difficulty in learning new things – both in terms of school subjects as well as learning to take care of himself. His IQ is on the borderline of low and average (75) and he is a bit shorter and lower weight than many of his peers. He has difficulty concentrating and will often forget where he has left important things like his wallet, or to turn off the stove when cooking. John’s family members have often lamented that it is so sad that John is the way he is because it could have been prevented if his mother had gotten help sooner, though his mother denies their claims. Does John appear to meet the criteria to be diagnosed as having an intellectual disability? Why or why not? Yes, I believe that John does meet the criteria to be diagnosed with an intellectual disability. There are several factors stated above that have led me to this conclusion. His living situation, his struggle with academics in special education courses, physical appearance, and his cognitive behavior such as losing items and forgetting important things. If yes, which one do you think he is likely to have? John may have fetal alcohol syndrome, in my opinion. Due to his difficulties with attention, distraction, learning, and memory, I specifically selected this syndrome. It seems that John has had a particularly tough time dealing with these FAS effects as an adult. John lives in a group home during this time because that is the time when people are supposed to care for themselves. When trying to manage issues like housing, work, transportation, and money management, adults with FAS frequently require assistance. The last reason is because John's mother could have gotten assistance for her son sooner, but she refuted the claims made by his family members. Most mothers who have FAS are too embarrassed to speak up, and their infants face difficulty through development into adulthood.
