Case Study
Becka
Becka is a fourth grade student at Otter Bay Elementary School in Squantoca, Oregon.
She has had a clinical diagnosis since she was two, and has been receiving services
through the schools since she was five. Becka is now nine years old, and receives
special education services in the general classroom for the entirety of her school day.
Her teacher, Daniel Redding, works closely with Becka’s parents, Kathleen and Brent,
to assure that Becka is able to keep up with her IEP goals.
Becka’s parents both work in the local hospital. Kathleen is a nurse practitioner, and
Brent is a custodian. They have lived in Oregon since childhood, and were high school
sweethearts. They had Becka when they were both nineteen. Kathleen went to school
to become a nurse practitioner when Becka turned one, and Brent took care of her
during the day while Kathleen went to school. He worked as a custodian in the
evenings. They have advocated strongly for Becka’s inclusion in the general education
classroom, sometimes needing to threaten the schools with mediation. However, the
schools and Becka’s family have finally recognized the value of her placement, and
have seen significant growth in Becka’s social and academic outcomes. Becka has one
younger brother, Alex, who is in the first grade, and who is progressing well through the
general curriculum. He has no identified disabilities.
When Becka was four, she fell out of a tree, hitting her head on the ground below. Her
mother found her crying, when the other children ran to the house and announced that
Becka had fallen. Although the doctors found no sign of significant injury, Becka has
demonstrated some aggressive behaviors toward other children ever since.
This coming Friday, Becka is scheduled to have an IEP meeting. It is also to review the
results of her most recent psycho-educational evaluation, which was conducted by the
school psychologist, Brandy Nehemeier. In her report, Dr. Nehemeier found that Becka
has a performance IQ of 80, a verbal IQ of 57, and a full-scale IQ of 69. She also found
that Becka’s performance on the Woodcock-Johnson test of academic achievement
showed a standard score in broad reading of 60, in broad writing of 49, and in broad
mathematics of 49. Becka’s visual-motor integration, short- and long-term auditory
memory are areas of need, while her organization and attention are areas of relative
strength.
Dr. Nehemeier also conducted the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) with two of Becka’s
teachers, Mr. Redding and Ms. Ingalls, Becka’s PE teacher, as well as with Becka’s
parents. the results of the CBCL included the following observations:
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Becka is always friendly with other students.
Becka is sometimes liked by students in her class.
Becka often tells lies.
Becka is often defiant when asked to perform tasks with which she is
uncomfortable.
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Becka rarely or never cries in class.
Becka always comes to school with her homework and supplies.
Becka often makes up stories about her parents.
Becka sometimes brings toys to school.
The special education consultant, Mallory Cope, who consults with Becka’s teachers
on appropriate interventions for Becka, has invited two additional individuals to the
meeting, other than Dr. Nehemeier, Mr. Redding, Ms. Ingalls, Becka’s parents, and the
principal, Suzanne Piotrowski.. she has invited Becka and the school counselor, Tim
Mulligan.
In consulting with Mr. Redding, Ms. Cope learned that Becka has been doing very well
with her reading. Mr. Redding has been working with her on her sight words for fourth
grade, and she has been able to recognize them with over 70 percent accuracy. She is
also able to read some books independently, although they are at the second-grade
reading level. She is able to answer comprehension questions about these books with
over 70 percent accuracy, if the questions are asked orally. Becka is less successful
with writing, and she has only been able to write the following words with 100 percent
accuracy:
HAT
MOM
THE
SAT
GOT
AND
I
ME
DAD
FOR
BECKA
CAT
Becka’s math skills are generally at the second grade level, and she is able to perform
single-digit addition and subtraction with over 90 percent accuracy, when carrying and
borrowing are not required. she is able to do double-digit addition and subtraction, with
no carrying or borrowing, single-digit addition and subtraction, with carrying and
borrowing, and single-digit multiplication and division of whole numbers with
approximately 75 percent accuracy.
Ms. Cope and Mr. Redding have worked together to create alternative materials for
Becka, when appropriate, but usually try to use the same materials as those used by
the other students in Mr. Redding’s class. In addition, they have assigned Becka a peer
buddy, Chantal, to work with Becka during independent activities in the classroom, as
well as during special classes, such as PE, art, and music.