MODULE 2

APPLICATION
CASE STUDY OF A STUDENT WITH ASPERGER SYNDROME
INTRODUCTION

This is a case study on a young Caucasian male who has Aspergers

syndrome. Asperger Syndrome has no clinically significant general delay
in language or cognitive intellectual development, or in the development
of age-appropriate daily living skills, adaptive behavior (other than in
social interaction) and curiosity about the environment in childhood
(Boucher, 2009, p.13). The student is considered to be high
functioning therefore he is at the end of the Autism Spectrum. Student
is 9 years old and in the third grade. Student is raised by a single father.
The mother is not present in the childs life. She left when he was 7
years old. Father works for the military. As a result, student does not
have a consistent academic history. Student has moved 3 times in the
past five years. Student has a younger brother who is age 5.
DESCRIPTION OF SCHOOL AND
NEIGHBORHOOD
Student lives on a military base. Therefore the military is based of a
tight knit group of people. Therefore, student grew up with other military
kids. However the issue is that the family moved around, therefore the
location and the kids changed frequently. In addition to, the student has
enrolled in several schools. At times the student was home schooled by
the mother and then by the father whom both do not have formal
training in raising a child with Asperger syndrome. Student has attended
public elementary schools in Florida, Texas, and Illinois. All schools are
located in middle class neighborhoods with a ratio of mixed races with
the white being the predominate race. Schools also have a special
education population which consists of 25% student enrollment.
STUDENTS EDUCATIONAL HISTORY

Pre-K program at Fort Dearborn, IL

Kindergarten at Fort Hood, TX
1st grade at Saddlewood Elementary School in Ocala, FL
2nd grade Homeschooled by Mother/Father in Chicago, IL
Due to childs birthdate and late enrollment student is placed in 2 nd grade. Parent at this time
is unable to continue homeschooling his child and is looking for ways in which the child can be
formally taught by professionals. Parent notices that childs social skills are problematic such
as unable to talk to family members, has problems in retelling stories, doesnt like changes in
routines, problem with handwriting, and gets agitated when unable to complete things. In
addition to, he shows exceptionalities in some thing such as can solve things quickly such as
puzzles, likes computers, and loves math. Therefore, parent would like to have son to be able
to function as a normal kid. Also teachers believe student is exceptionally bright, and very
inquisitive, however his behavior is an hindrance to teaching him and other students.
IEP GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

In planning student goals one thing that should be suggested is inclusion.

Student exhibits exceptionalities in learning, therefore he should continue in a
regular classroom setting with accommodations, classroom strategies and
interventions in place. As a result this will also allow for him to work on his
socialization skills in a natural settings with his peers. Therefore here are some
of the goals and objectives targeted for his IEP:
Identify and understand various non-verbal social communication behaviors
(ie. Tone of voice, personal space, vocal volume, body orientation, facial
expressions) by stating their implied meaning 4/5 opportunities to do so
(NASET, n.d., p. 2) .
Engage in conversational turn-taking with others across 3-4 conversational
turns, 4/5 opportunities to do so (topics initiated by self /others (NASET, n.d.,
p.2 ).
IEP GOALS AND OBJECTIVES (CONT)

Identify what happened first, in the middle, and last regarding a

previous read story, past event, or situation (NASET, n.d., p.2).
Accept changes in routine/schedule by exhibiting appropriate behaviors
given
visual and verbal cues 75 % of the time (NASET, n.d., p.3) .
CLASSROOM ACCOMMODATIONS,
MODIFICATIONS, AND INTERVENTIONS
ACCOMODATIONS
1. Teachers will use visual organizers for daily schedules or routines for
consistency in routines.
2. Teacher should be concise, direct and straight to the point when giving
instructions
3. Instructions should be short.
4. Short pauses will be given in-between statements by teacher.
5. Usage of visual cues or visual media for instructional support
6. Time outs for escape sensory overload moments
CLASSROOM ACCOMMODATIONS,
MODIFICATIONS, AND INTERVENTIONS
(CONT)
MODIFICATION
Behavior
Teacher and student work on setting goals together
Assign extra staff to supervise in settings in which student interacts with peers

Communication
Write down questions so that it can be answered later by the teacher
Speech and language services
Small group training for appropriate social skills in various settings

Handwriting
Extra time to write
Allow usage of computer and other technology as a tool to complete written
assignments
CLASSROOM ACCOMMODATIONS,
MODIFICATIONS, AND INTERVENTIONS
(CONT)
INTERVENTIONS
Teach initiation of appropriate social interactions in various situations.
Usage of role play
Greeting Card with visual cues as to appropriate behaviors
Narrative discourse: Turn-taking cards
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR STRATEGIES,
ACCOMMODATIONS, MODIFICATIONS
All instruction must be visually supported through
1. Visual Cues and Visualization
2. Whole Word Print
3. Photos and Videos
4. Video Taping of Self or Others Doing the Desired Skill
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR STRATEGIES,
ACCOMMODATIONS, MODIFICATIONS (CONT)
Teacher must use social skills training
1. role playing,
2. video-taping/audio-taping,
3. peer partners/buddies,
4. individualized visual social rule cards,
5. social stories and social scripts,
6. lunch/recess club.
SUMMARY AND SYNTHESIS

According to Boucher (2009), The range of actual manifest behaviors of Asperger Syndrome that may qualify as
forms of impaired social interaction, communication, and restricted and repetitive behaviors is enormous, varying widely
across individuals and within individuals at different stages of development and in different situations (p. 21). Therefore,
as demonstrated with the child in this case study, the child exhibited more problematic issues in the area of social than
academic. This is typical, for according to Lugnegrd, Hallerbck, and Gillberg (2015), Individuals with AS, might be
expected to have less disabilities in communication and social skills. (p. 264). In addition to, this type of child can be
describe as being twice exceptional, for he is bright in the area of academics but shows learning disabilities in the area of
socialization skills. According to Baldwin, Omdal, and Pereles (2015), Strategies for servingtwice-exceptionalstudents
include addressing the students strengths and interests; providing appropriate social and emotional support; offering
adaptations for academic strengths and accommodations for learning needs; and creating a supportive, safe, problem-
solving culture that values the success of every student (p. 216).Thus, in examining the student in this case study
communicating with peers and family members was difficult for this child. In addition to, this student has experience
inconsistency within his early years of education and family life. Therefore , this has made things challenging for a child
labeled as high functioning on the Autism Spectrum. For a person having Asperger syndrome (AS), constant change is not
one in which a person can easily cope with, especially with the mother leaving and the father having to move from one
military base to another. As a result, this makes it hard for educators to actually put a plan in place to help the child to
effectively engage socially and academically.
SUMMARY AND SYNTHESIS (CONT)

According to Styslinger (2012), People with Asperger are often preoccupied with certain
skills, activities, or materials and, as a result, exhibit a onesided conversational style (p. 41).
Although the student is considered to be very bright in areas of his interest such as math. As a
result, at times his teachers and parents become frustrated for teaching him new skills and
talking to him can become challenging. Consequently this is due to AS students having
difficulty sharing topics or engaging in reciprocal conversation, thus appearing unwilling to
listen to others (Stylslinger, 2012, p. 41). Thus, this is what leads the parent to acquire in
having his child assessed and requesting for an IEP to be created. However, some of AS
characteristics creates social indifference which mainly is due to them not being able to
understand nonverbal cues such as facial expressions, gestures, tone, and proximity, as a
result, seeing and appreciating varied points of view can be challenging (Styslinger, 2012, p.
41). Subsequently, it is important to focus on building the childs strengths which would be his
exceptionalities as well as train his weaknesses which is his social skills in order to give him
success in and out of the school setting.
SUMMARY AND SYNTHESIS (CONT)

In conclusion in helping to create a least restrictive environment for

this child one would not recommend him to be placed in a diverse
learning setting. The child can do the work academically with
accommodations and interventions in place within a regular classroom.
As a result, his IEP would have a strong emphasis on socialization. In
addition to, some classroom accommodations will be used in order to
help him adjust to changes within his routine or schedule, writing, visual
needs, etc. Therefore all of these things will help in supporting the
student academically and socially.
 REFERENCES

Baldwin, L. l., Omdal, S. N., & Pereles, D. (2015). Beyond Stereotypes: Understanding,
Recognizing, and Working
With Twice-Exceptional Learners. Teaching Exceptional Children, 47(4), 216-225.
doi:10.1177/0040059915569361
Boucher, J. (2009). The autistic spectrum: Characteristics, causes, and practical issues.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. ISBN: 9780761962120.
Lugnegrd, T., Hallerbck, M. U., & Gillberg, C. (2015). Asperger syndrome and
schizophrenia: Overlap of self-reported autistic traits using the Autism-spectrum
Quotient (AQ).Nordic Journal Of Psychiatry,69(4), 268-274.
doi:10.3109/08039488.2014.972452
 REFERENCES (CONT)

NASET (n.d.) Examples of IEP goals and objectives; Suggestions for students with autism.
Autism Spectrum Disorder Series. Retrieved from
https://www.naset.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Autism_Series/Examples_IEP_Goals_Object
ives_for_ASD.pdf
Styslinger, M. E. (2012). Making meaning: strategies for literacy learning: the unique
characteristics of students
with Asperger syndrome mean teachers must think strategically about how to ensure
that they become proficient readers.Phi Delta Kappan, (4), 40.