Abstract
This chapter is a case study about a 4th grade student who has some exceptionalities. His mother has requested he be tested for many years, but school personnel will not agree to provide any screenings because Ethan is not a problem child, and his work is average. Ethan complains of a stomachache often, and his mother notes that she struggles to get him to do his work. There are multiple key statements in the scenarios that should provide data for preservice teachers to use when making an informed decision about the needs of Ethan. There are also questions and activities to aid the preservice teacher in recognizing and avoiding bias, finding resources to support Ethan's exceptionalities, and advocating for his/her students.
TopConclusion
Ethan is taken to a physical therapist at the beginning of summer. The physical therapist asks Dianne to tell him about the Developmental Milestones (cdc.gov, 2021) and when/if Ethan met those milestones. Dianne recalls that Ethan met most of the milestones at the appropriate time. However, around 9 months, Ethan did not crawl, as most children do around that time. He progressed to cruising, which means that he skipped crawling and went straight to holding onto furniture, such as a coffee table, to walk with support.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Gastrointestinal Disturbances: Includes symptoms of stomach pain, heartburn, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, and vomiting. Many students who complain of stomach pain are experiencing high incidences of anxiety due to school-related issues ( Waters, Schilpzand, Bell, Walker, & Baber; 2013 ).
Dysgraphia: Dysgraphia can appear as difficulties with spelling and/or trouble putting thoughts on paper. Dysgraphia is a neurological disorder that generally appears when children are first learning to write. Children with dysgraphia do not have primary developmental motor disorder, another cause of poor handwriting, but may have difficulty planning sequential finger movements such as the touching of the thumb to successive fingers on the same hand without visual feedback (Berninger & Wolf, 2009 AU8: The in-text citation "Berninger & Wolf, 2009" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).