Case Study:
Working with Student “F,” a 10th grade Student
with an Emotional Disturbance (ED)
Sarah Krepps
The Pennsylvania State University
Professional Development School 2009-2010
State College Area High School
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Introduction
During my experience with the Professional Development School, a year-long
student teaching program at State College Area High School, I met numerous students that
challenged and interested me as a student teacher, but one student proved to be more
perplexing than his peers. I had never met anyone else like this English 10 student, who I
will refer to as “Student F.” Initially, during the few weeks of school, Student F seemed to
be an ordinary student. He came to class, paid attention, and with the exception of a short
writing assignment, he completed his work. However, in the subsequent weeks, his failure
to complete writing assignments proved to be the rule, not the exception. In addition, he
became increasingly withdrawn from both the teachers and the other students.
Consequently, Student F’s grades dropped dramatically, and at the end of the first marking
period, Student F had an E in English.
Unknown to me at the beginning of the year, Student F ended ninth grade by failing
English 9 as well as Earth Science 1 and Health Education. In addition, he received a D- in
Algebra 1, a D+ in World History 1 and Beginner German 1, and an A in Physical Education
9. While Student F recovered some of the credits during the summer, he was referred to
the school psychiatrist for an evaluation in the first couple weeks of tenth grade. During
the middle of October, my mentor teacher received an email from the guidance office
asking about Student F’s overall achievement and character. A few weeks later, my mentor
teacher and I attended a team meeting1 to discuss the results of the evaluation to
determine Student F’s possible special education eligibility. At the meeting, the school
psychiatrist who conducted Student F’s evaluation informed the other team members,
including myself, about every aspect that is considered when deciding whether a student
needs special education assistance. I also learned an abundance about Student F. From the
results of the evaluation, the school psychiatrist, with the help of the team, diagnosed
Student F as having an Emotional Disturbance and decided that Student F needed Special
Education in the form of Itinerant Emotional Support2.
A meeting where everyone on a team, or all of the teachers, specialists, and principals
working with the student, attends.
2 According to Student F’s IEP, Itinerant Emotional Support is defined as “special education
supports and services provided by special education personnel for 20% or less of the
school day.”
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At the end of November, I attended Student F’s Individualized Education Program
(IEP) Team Meeting. At the meeting, we discussed the results of the team evaluation of
Student F as well as developed an IEP. Again, I learned more about Student F and why the
other team members and myself were making the decisions in Student F’s IEP that we
were. By attending the team meetings, observing Student F for a full day, and working with
him daily in English class, I have been able compile a case study that details the student’s
special needs, instructional adaptations, and growth and learning. All of the information
that I have learned about Student F has been helpful as his teacher, so I will conclude the
case study with some recommendations to guide his future teachers.
Nature of Special Needs
Student F is diagnosed as having an Emotional Disturbance (ED). However, this
distinction is not very helpful because of the broadness and vagueness of the federal
definition. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) defines emotional
disturbance as:
“including one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time
and to a marked degree, and which adversely affects educational performance:
a. An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, and
health factors.
b. An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with
peers and teachers.
c. Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.
d. A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.
e. A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or
school problems.
The IDEA definition also includes schizophrenia but does not apply to children who
are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional
disturbance.” (Yell 4)
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Because a person only needs to have one of the major characteristics to have an ED
as well as that, for each major characteristic, there are numerous other characteristics that
the person may or may not have, I will tell you about Student F in particular. First, I will
describe his background, interests, and home life. Then, I will discuss his academics and
ED.
First, Student F moved to State College, PA during the summer of 1997, when he was
13. Subsequently, he entered eighth grade at Mount Nittany Middle School. Prior to
moving to Pennsylvania, he attended a public school in Fort Pierre, SD (ER). Currently, he
lives with his mother (ER). His father, who was a librarian, died three years ago (ER).
However, his parents were divorced at the time, he did not have a close relationship with
his father, and the death was not sudden. He has one older brother who attends
Pennsylvania State University (ER).
Outside of school, Student F spends a lot of his time playing ice hockey (ER). He is a
player on the State College Junior Varsity (JV) Ice Hockey Team. According to his JV Hockey
coach, Student F “does real well with teammates and associating with kids his age.” In
addition, he works well with the coaches. Student F’s hockey coach also stated that while
Student F is “not as outgoing” and “not one to start conversations,” he “still interacts”
appropriately with his fellow teammates. Additionally, he plays on two traveling ice
hockey teams. Student F also enjoys reading. His mother frequently goes to the local
Schlow Centre Region Library and checks out books for Student F (ER).
In addition, at home, Student F “runs the show,” according to his school psychiatrist.
The school psychiatrist also reports that Student F’s mother is clinically depressed, and
“she avoids conflict and doesn’t want to ask him about anything that may be negative.”
After working with Student F and his mother when he first began doing poorly in ninth
grade, his school counselor recommended that Student F and his mother attend family
therapy, so that his mother could gain more authority at home. However, according to the
school psychiatrist, after three or four sessions where Student F “completely shut down”
and “would not say one word,” his mother decided to discontinue therapy. Consequently,
Student F’s school counselor and school psychiatrist recommended for his mother to admit
him as an in-patient at a psychiatric ward for five to seven days for major depression.
However, because of the dynamics at home, nothing was done until Student F’s case was
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reopened at the beginning of tenth grade. Even during the process of determining his
Special Education eligibility, “[the school counselor] had trouble getting Mom to come in to
sign [the recommendation for an IEP] because she probably didn’t want to because of what
Student F would say at home” (ER). In fact, at the end of the evaluation meeting, when the
school psychiatrist asked his mother if she wanted to go through with getting Student F
help, she just sat there and did not respond for several minutes. Finally, she turned to
Student F and asked him, “What do you think?” Overall, according to his mother, “[At
home,] Student F does seem unhappy most of the time, he hides his feelings, and he seems
uncomfortable meeting new people. Student F seems to need a greater amount of parental
attention,” (ER).
On the other hand, Student F is “a very capable student academically and
intellectually” despite his poor school grades (IEP). According to his IEP, Student F
performs above grade level in reading, writing, and math. His testing scores also reflect
this pattern. Student F scored advanced in reading and math on the 2008 Pennsylvania
System of School Assessment (PSSA); he scored a 17193 in reading and 15714 in math. In
addition, when he took the TerraNova, a series of standardized achievement tests for ninth
graders, he scored in the 97th percentile5 in reading, the 72nd percentile in language, the
76th percentile in math, the 68th percentile in science, and 79th percentile in social studies.
Also, according to his IEP, “Student F performs above grade level in writing according to
the recently administered WIAT-II.” Consequently, it was determined that Student F does
not have a learning disability (IEP). This is true of many with an ED. Students with an ED
“span a large range of ability, from mental retardation to gifted and talented, with most
scoring in the average to above average range on IQ tests” (Yell 7). Also, like Student F,
many students with ED “often perform below their expected level in school” (Yell 7).
Consequently, primary characteristics of students with an ED include “low academic
achievement and school failure” (Yell 7). Therefore, despite the fact that Student F does not
have a learning disability, it is not surprising that he performs poorly in his classes. Other
Advanced: 1473 and above
Advanced: 1446 and above
5 Referring to a National Percentile, where he scored higher than approximately 97 percent
of the students in the nation (Scoring - below average: 24 and below; average: 25-75; above
average: 76+)
3
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characteristics of an ED that Student F displays are attention problems, internalizing
behaviors, and withdrawal. First, Student F appears to have attention problems in his
classes. The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY), in their
fact sheet on Emotional Disturbance, states that students with an ED have a short attention
span. In fact, “Student F describes his problems as lack of motivation, inability to
concentrate, and general tiredness” (ER). While observing Student F, I often noticed that he
was not engaged in the lessons. In English class, he frequently stared at his desk or the
floor. When asked to work on some sort of assignment, many times, he simply stared at the
paper or book without doing any work. In fact, Student F did this for an entire period when
the assignment was something he did not want to complete. Student F’s algebra teacher
also noted this in an observation that she submitted during his evaluation: “He usually
looks straight ahead and somewhat down and avoids eye contact.“ Other days, especially
when he was tired and uninterested, Student F put his head down on his desk.
However, as stated above, Student F is intellectually capable and will engage himself
in activities when he is interested in the assignment. In English class, Student F likes
vocabulary and grammar, so when the class is discussing either of these, Student F
participates. In fact, he receives an A on almost every vocabulary quiz. In addition, when I
observed Student F in his health education class, he remained focus for the entire period.
He was instructed to visit a Web page and complete an activity. While other students in the
class became distracted with other applications on their computers, Student F worked for
the entire period. The same was seen in his biology class. He worked on a lab until it was
completed; when he had a question about something, he asked the teacher instead of just
sitting at his desk.
Student F also shows internalizing behaviors, or behaviors that are “covert and selfdirected. These behaviors are also referred to as ‘overcontrolled’ and are characterized by
avoidance, compulsiveness, anxiety, and depression” (Yell 6). Specifically, “Student F
experiences anxiety and avoidance of some academics which interferes with his
performance” (IEP). One example of avoidance is with writing. Student F avoids writing
when he can, and when he must write, sometimes, he refuses. For example, most days,
Student F retrieves his bell work journal in English class but does not write a response to
the daily prompt. In addition, he rarely attempts reading responses, which count for a
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significant portion of his grade in English class. Also, “Student F is said to avoid getting
started on writing assignments due to perfectionism” (IEP). His mother explains: “he tries
to get what he wants to say perfect in his head before writing it down. He also hates writing
about personal experiences because he says, ‘that’s personal’” (ER). However, Student F
avoids not only writing but also some classes in general. His mother states, “If Student F
does not like a teacher, it’s almost a guarantee that he won’t do the work and won’t do well.
Sometimes it’s not the teacher but the subject – like English” (ER).
Lastly, in an attempt to avoid situations or life in general, Student F withdraws. The
NICHCY defines withdrawal as “failure to initiate interaction with others [or to] retreat
from exchanges or social interaction, excessive fear or anxiety” (“Emotional Disturbance”).
Over the past couple years, Student F has become socially isolated. In fact, “teachers report
continuing problems with classroom participation, homework completion, asking
questions, and general social interaction in school” (IEP). In class, Student F rarely asks
questions or asks for clarification, and he rarely will volunteer to answer a question. If
called upon, sometimes he will give a response. Other times, he will just stare at the
questioner or elsewhere and not answer. Overall, he does not participate in class. Student
F’s other teachers also support this finding (IEP). Thus, it is difficult to know if Student F
understands or is confused in class. Also, Student F rarely completes homework, but
because he never talks, it is difficult to know whether he failed to complete the assignment
because he did not understand some aspect of it or because of another reason. Lastly,
compared to other students, Student F rarely initiates conversations with others. During
my daily observations, I rarely see Student F speak in class or speak with other students.
While other students will chat at the beginning and end of class, during transitions in class,
and in between classes, Student F normally keeps to himself and does not talk to anyone.
The one exception is his biology class. In this class, Student F talks to a fellow hockey
player. I am not sure if it is solely because he has a friend in the class, but during class, he
showed positive emotions; he was smiling and appeared to be happy, which rarely occurs
any other time. Also, he was playful with his hockey friend. The two joked around, and he
told a story while being very animated with his hands. But as I stated before, Fletcher also
focused on finishing his lab. In addition, he interacted with a few other students at his lab
table. However, when the bell rang, Student F grabbed his stuff and left without saying
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goodbye to anyone, just as he does in his other classes. Also, when he has a laptop or when
he is in a computer lab, he will generally sit and wait for instructions while other students
will check their e-mail, listen to music, browse Web sites, and play various games. In
addition, as noticed by many of his teachers, “it takes longer for him to join groups when
directed as part of an instructional activity” (IEP). This occurs frequently in English class.
Sometimes, Student F will simply work on an activity himself in his group. When the group
work involves writing, he generally listens and allows the other group members to
complete the work. However, when the activity is something that is fun, he will
participate. For example, while reading Lord of the Flies, the students worked in groups to
create shelters, like the kids in the novel do. During this activity, Fletcher helped his group
throughout the entire period. Overall, “socially, in both classroom settings and with his
family, Student F [normally] appears uncomfortable around others” (IEP).
Instructional Adaptations Employed
For students with an ED, “the continuum of placement options ranges from full-time
in a general education classroom to segregated schools and homebound or hospital
environments” (Yell 17). Students with ED are normally “placed in more restrictive,
segregated settings” (Yell 17). Before Student F was identified, his educational program
was full-time regular education. After being identified, Student F will continue with his fulltime regular education program except for that he will receive Itinerant Emotional Support
(IEP). Normally, a student with an ED would meet weekly with an emotional support
specialist one or two times a week for a 47-minute period. However, because of Student F’s
personality and specific needs, the IEP team thought it would be best to have him in the
least restrictive arrangement: to meet bi-weekly, on the weeks when progress reports are
completed, for a 20-minute period (IEP). This allows a specialist to evaluate Student F
regularly without invading his privacy.
During the time Student F spends with the emotional support specialist, the
specialist and Student F will discuss that week’s progress reports that each of his teachers
has completed (IEP). In looking at the reports, the specialist will try to get Student F to see
cause and effect, specifically the relationship between what he is doing and what he is
getting for a grade. After, she will help Student F to make short-term goals. In addition, the
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specialist wants to try to motivate Student F to do his best in everything that he does,
possibly by getting him to see himself as participating in the community in ways other than
hockey (IEP). Also, Student F will be completing his transition goal that was set in his IEP:
to explore employment (IEP). Lastly, since Student F is a newly identified student, the
specialist will be working with Student F to make sure he understands why he is in
emotional support (IEP).
In order to help Student F in the regular education classroom, a few program
modifications were made. First, all regular education teachers must complete bi-weekly
progress reports. As mentioned, these will be used by the emotional support specialist to
help Student F in his classes. Next, since Student F has trouble paying attention, teachers
should use “verbal prompting and proximity control to encourage on task behavior” (IEP).
Lastly, to aid Student F in writing, “lengthy assignments and long term projects [should be]
broken down into small, manageable parts [or] chunked to promote understanding and
completion” (IEP).
In addition, my mentor and I employ instructional adaptations other than those
specified by Student F’s IEP. First, every class, we begin by having all of the students
complete “bell work,” or a short assignment to complete independently after the bell rings,
which is journaling most of the time. While a prompt is given, Student F is allowed to
modify the prompt. In an attempt to get him to write more about less personal ideas, I have
suggested that he answer the prompt from the point of view of another person, a character
from a book or film, or an imaginary character. Also, we have allowed Student F to modify
the prompt completely and discuss that week’s hockey events. Also, for some assignments
that require a great deal of writing, my mentor and I grade Student F’s work to a different
standard than we do for other student’s work. While Student F rarely writes, when he does
take the time to write sometime, normally it is thoughtful; therefore, we grade his based on
completion.
Learning and Growth
Since Student F’s IEP was implemented, I have applied the modifications listed in his
English 10 class. In fact, I used verbal prompts and proximity control to help Student F stay
focused before his IEP was implemented. While there seemed to be an improvement in
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Student F’s attitude and performance for a short period of time between when the
evaluation took place and when his IEP took effect, Student F’s progress has decreased
since then. Student F continues to do well on some assignments and quizzes such as
vocabulary quizzes, reading check quizzes, and grammar exercise packets. However, when
writing is required, Student F generally falls short. Because the writing assignments are
generally worth more points, Student F’s grade remains failing or close to failing. But, as
stated before, Student F is bright and has the skills and capability to do well in English
class. Therefore, I will continue to try to help Student F along with the rest of his team, but
until Student F realizes that English class is just as important as his other classes and that
writing is necessary, even though he dislikes it, he will continue to struggle in English class.
Recommendations for Future Teachers
While working with Student F, I have tried a variety of approaches, and some have
worked better than others. The following methods are ones that I recommend for other
teachers to use when working with Student F. First, Student F needs to be motivated
through positive feedback and reinforcement on a regular basis. While Student F has the
ability, he does not have high self-esteem; when asked if he can do something, he normally
responds, “probably not.” By saying something positive when he attempts to answer a
question or does well on an assignment or quiz, I show him that I recognize his
contribution and effort to the class. Consequently, Student F has become more comfortable
in participating in English class.
Next, Student F benefits from a daily schedule. By establishing certain routines,
Student F knows what to expect as well as what I, his teacher, expect from him. One
routine in English class is bell work. Each day, a journal prompt or grammar activity is
provided. Therefore, Student F knows that when he comes into the room, he should look at
the white board for the bell work assignment. Having something to do immediately when
the bell rings at the beginning of class each day helps Student F to switch his focus for
English class. Another aspect of a well-organized and structured environment is a daily
agenda. Again, this allows Student F to know what to expect during class each day.
My third recommendation is to make sure any instructions or explanations are
clearly stated. Student F does not ask questions even when confused. Therefore, try to
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anticipate questions he may have. Also, ask him individually if he understands; in a one-onone setting, Student F will normally ask a question if he has one. Additionally, I normally
check in on him throughout the period, especially when the students are working
individually, to answer any question that may have come up.
Next, while I use verbal prompting and proximity control, as stated in Student F’s
IEP, I recommend avoiding these techniques if they are not working on a particular day.
When needed, I will verbally prompt Student F or stand near him to help him focus.
However, sometimes, Student F does not feel like completing an assignment, especially if
there is a lot of writing involved. In these situations, Student F will become angry and less
likely to work if a teacher continually asks him to do the assignment or hovers. If this
occurs frequently, a bad relationship could develop between the teacher and Student F. On
a similar note, Student F values his privacy greatly, so it is best to avoid asking him
questions about himself or his life.
Finally, Student F will be evaluated at the beginning of each school year in order to
assess whether special education services are still needed. First, I recommend
participating in the evaluations; any amount of information is helpful for other team
member to know. Also, I highly recommend attending the team meetings. It is beneficial to
know the other teachers who are working with Student F. In addition, the meetings
provide an extremely informative update on Student F that is valuable to everyone
involved in his education.
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Works Cited
“Emotional Disturbance.” NICHCY Disability Fact Sheet—No. 5. The National Dissemination
Center for Children with Disabilities. January 2004. Web. 5 November 2009.
Yell, Mitchell L. Evidence-based Practices for Educating Students with Emotional and
Behavioral Disorders. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall, 2009.
Print.
Note: Information on Student F was taken from his school file, which included his
Evaluation Report (ER) and Individualized Education Program (IEP); interviews with
Student F’s team members and hockey coach; and personal observations.