Case Study

Name: Isla Hughes (Pronouns She/Her/Hers)

Date of Birth: April 8th 2011 (11 years, 1 month)

School: Cougar Ridge School

Grade: 5

Background:
o Family: Isla lives at home with her father, stepmother, two biological siblings (one in
grade 8, one in grade 12) and one stepsibling (grade 3). She’s been at cougar ridge school
since grade 4 and it is where both her older siblings attended. Her parents got a divorce
last year, her father gaining custody of the children and staying in their family home.
Isla’s stepfamily moved in a couple of months ago. Her father seems to hold high
expectations of his children and ensures that homework gets completed every time it is
assigned. Isla had been a part of every drama production at this school and hers before
until this year.
o Academic: Isla came into middle school with mediocre grades, but they have been
slipping where now she is barley passing. She has very negative self-talk and says things
like “I just can’t do it anymore”. Her written work in English is very sloppy (vocabulary
wise and penmanship). She seems to have a hard time focusing on all classes (except art
where her work is becoming very dark) and has been handing in empty tests/worksheets.
When asked questions to problems she requires probing (and sometimes an explanation
of words she has heard, used, and seen before). It takes her a fair amount of time, but she
can usually find the answers. Isla’s reading comprehension tests are far worse than any
other test she completes. She seems to have low level reading fluency and a hard time
with comprehension. She has been receiving literacy intervention for vocabulary and
comprehension starting in the middle of last year. However, Isla is still doing okay in
math. She can recognize patterns and use manipulatives. Showing her how pictures relate
to different manipulatives and concepts has worked well for her.
o Social: Isla used to surround herself with a large group of friends. This year she has
become more reserved and quieter. She regularly works with the same person and has a
bit of a fit if they are not paired together.
o Emotional: Isla seems to be feeling a lot of different emotions that are getting in the way
of her schoolwork.

Strengths/Interests:
o Strengths: Isla is a fantastic artist. She is a wonderful singer. Isla does very well with
visual representations. She is always quiet during independent work. She is very caring
(as shown when we found a caterpillar in the doorway, she took charge and made sure it
got its way back to an appropriate place outside).
o Interests: Isla loves art and animals. She enjoys spending time outside and learning about
nature. Isla loves watching plays and musicals and singing. She enjoys reading with the
kinders in our lunch hour trips to the elementary school next door. Isla loves to play
 volleyball and jump rope. She likes to watch football with her older brother and says that
their team is the green bay packers.

Learning Preferences:
o Isla has shown a preference for doing creative project-based work. Including check lists
with pictures so she can visualize what she has left to complete. All things visual.
o Isla has also shown a preference for one-on-one oral “tests”. She has started to not want
to present in front of the class, but when asked to present to just the teacher she does very
well and has a strong presence.

Present Concerns:
o Isla has drawn back a lot socially (less interactions with her peers). The way she talks
about herself is also a concern.
o Isla’s art class creations being very dark.
o Isla’s inability to express herself in writing. Her refusal to write practically anything.
o Isla’s reading comprehension ability.

Instructional Strategies/Supports:
o Universal:
o Change of seating plan
o More small group work (try to create more relationships between different
students)
o Have students present in front of small groups
o Using time consistent examples in teaching (relevant material to what students
may be feeling or going through)
o Introduce a growth mindset/positive self-talk wall. Help students move into a
growth mindset.
o Try new ways of presenting teaching to help decrease cognitive load (don’t talk
while expecting students to write, using the relevant examples, add anchor charts
to classroom)
o Continue to allow for choice in assignment presentation (to allow for creative
outputs)
o Introduce movement and brain breaks
o Introduce the use of dictionary’s
o Introduce the idea of asking someone to rephrase a question when you are stuck
on a problem.
o Encourage class discussion when problem solving and answering questions
(especially comprehension questions in English)
o Individual:
o Introduce a reflective journal (that could be on a computer) to see what may be
happening inside Isla’s head
o Allow her to work on her own in quiet spaces (but ensure to check in and make
sure she is still on task and not day dreaming)
o To build up to full class presentations, have her select a group to present in front
of (keep the group growing until its about half of the class)
 o Extra time on assignments (maybe introducing partner tests so she has someone to
talk the answers through with)
o Encourage her to use a computer to complete written assignments
o Access to a counsellor/psychologist
o Limiting the work sent home
o Use text to speech

Need to Know:
o Does Isla still have communication with her birth mother?
o Is Isla seeing a counsellor/psychologist?
o If so is she taking any medications that may be changing the way she is
presenting?
o Is Isla facing issues of depression? ADHD? Anxiety?
o Has Isla had hear hearing and vision checked?
o Has Isla seen a pediatrician?
o Is negative self-talk common in her household?
o Did her siblings go through anything similar during the parents’ divorce or at this age
level?
o What level is her comprehension at?
o Is the work that is being sent home being completed by her siblings or parents?
o What kind of vocabulary is used at home?
o Why are the targeted interventions not working?

Report Information

What assessment considerations come into play?

o We should first check to see if Isla has been to a doctor to ensure that she does not have
any hearing, visual or underlying health issues. As well as get tested for ADHD and if she
does have ADHD hold off on any more assessment and try the strategies again to see if
there is improvement. It is also important to check her mental health to see if it is
blocking any of her cognitive pathways.
o If there becomes no improvement, the procedure for testing would continue. Ensuring
that the test administer is aware of her attention difficulties and tendency to wander
through her mind would be important, so they know to provide breaks.
o Isla has yet to write a WISC. If there is no improvement in her ability, she will need to
write one. It would be important to write most components in this test for us to truly
understand where Isla is struggling and where we need to add the proper supports.
o Isla may need further testing, such as a WAIT in order get the full picture.

Which assessment instrument(s) would you determine to be appropriate? Of those, which

would be most appropriate, and why?
o Isla could write any of the following tests: Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales – 5th
Edition (SBIS-5), Woodcock-Johnson III, Normative Updates Tests of Cognitive Ability
(WJ IV COG), the WAIT or Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – 5th Edition
(WISC-V). All these cover intelligence and achievement which is what we need more
 information on. The WISC-V would probably be most appropriate as it covers many
areas of intelligence and is based for students in her age level. It is also most commonly
used in Alberta and normed across Canada, so we have a higher chance of getting the
best results for her needs.

For the assessment instrument of your choice, cover the following:

Who is the assessment instrument recommended for?

o Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – 5th Edition (WISC-V) is recommended for
students 6 years 0 months to 16 years 11 months.

Is it level A, B or C?
o Level C

What special training is required to administer it, if any?

o Due to the WISC-V being a level C assessment it is required for the administrator to have
a PhD in Psychology or education. It is suggested that the administrators have technical
training in test administrating and interpretation.

Is it a group or individually administered assessment?

o Individually.

Discuss the validity and reliability of the instrument.

o The full-scale IQ test is the most reliable as it complies scores from all tests together to
get its values. The whole test can be done in different methods for different students
(vocabulary can be tested in multiple choice, if need be, etc.) which can change the
validity for some. The test is required to be done by professionals who have the proper
training. WISC-V has very detailed instructions that are unambiguous. While creating the
test, test-retest stability was measured and found to be strong, leaving the WISC-V to
have a strong support for reliability. Many different special group studies were done with
the test to ensure it had validity. Evidence is found to support the validity through internal
structure and relation with external variables.

What are the available subtests? Explain what each assesses.

o There are five primary indices each with multiple subtests. Each section also has
supplementary subtests for when needed. Recently naming speed and symbol translation
have been added as complementary indices.
o Verbal Comprehension Index – Measures the student’s ability of acquiring and accessing
knowledge. The application of this knowledge requires verbal concept formation skills,
reasoning skills and expression skills. This may be seen as decreased receptive
vocabulary, difficulty having conversations, difficulty listening and understanding, etc.
o Similarities- This measures verbal reasoning and concept formation. Which leads
to the child’s ability to express the concepts in words. It requires students to state
the similarities between different words.
o Vocabulary – This measures the child’s knowledge of word meaning, including
the ability to express the words and their meaning verbally. (Describe words)
 o Comprehension (supplemental) – This measures the common-sense reasoning of
the child. Including the ability to exercise social judgment in specified situations.
This requires students to answer questions about general principals and different
social situations.
o Information (supplemental) – Gains access to the child’s general knowledge. This
test measures long term memory and students’ alertness to the environment. The
test requires students to answer questions about general knowledge.
o Visual Spatial Index – This measures a student’s attention to visual details and the
relationships in visualization skills/ spatial relationships. It looks at students’ ability to
organize visual information. This may be seen as mixing up left and right, having trouble
finding paths in patterns, difficulty reading maps, understanding math, copying down
information, etc.
o Block Design – This measure the student’s ability to analyze abstract figures
visually and then construct them from their individual parts. It measures the
ability to handle spatial reasoning. This requires students to recreate designs using
blocks.
o Visual Puzzles – This measures categorical reasoning ability. This requires
students to view a completed puzzle and select 3 pieces to reconstruct the puzzle.
o Fluid Reasoning Index – This measures the child’s ability to detect underlying conceptual
relationships among visual objects and to use reasoning to identify and apply rules. This
may be seen as difficulty forming concepts, making inferences, thinking about abstract
problems, etc.
o Matrix Reasoning – This measures fluid intelligence, visual information
processing and abstract reasoning skills
o Figure Weights – This measures students’ working memory and fluid reasoning.
This requires students to determine the missing weight from a scale in order to
make it even.
o Picture Concepts (supplemental) – This measures the students’ alertness to visual
detail. As well as the concept of gathering the meaning of details within a
complete picture. This also measures visual memory. This requires students to
choose pictures from 2 or 3 rows to form a group with common traits.
o Arithmetic (supplemental) – This measures a student’s ability to solve numerical
problems without paper and pencil. This also measures mental manipulation and a
certain level of attention. Students are required to solve math word problems in
their head.
o Working Memory Index – Measures the ability to register, maintain and manipulate
visual and auditory information in conscious awareness. This may be seen as forgetting
instructions, difficulty in writing, losing place in reading, trouble with recalling
information, trouble completing tasks with multiple steps, etc.
o Digital Span – This measures a child’s short-term auditory memory for number
sequences. As well as it measures the child’s ability to concentrate and their
attention span. This requires students to listen to a string of numbers and then list
them back in different orders.
o Picture Span – This measures student visual working memory. This requires
students to view pictures for a specified amount of time and then select the
pictures in sequential order on a response page.
 o Letter-Number Sequencing – This measures a student’s ability to sequence, to
mentally manipulate things and their ability to keep auditory information in their
short-term memory. This requires students to listen to the administer read out
numbers and letters and then the student has to list them back in correct order.
o Processing Speed Index– This measures students’ conceptual relationships and how they
use reasoning skills. Their accuracy of visual identification, decision-making and
decision implementation. This requires the child to scan and discriminate between simple
visual information quickly and correctly. This may be seen as taking longer or slower
than others to get answers, an inability to complete tasks in allotted time, poor
performance on timed tasks, etc.
o Coding – This measures visual-motor speed, visual memory, coordination, and
the ability to learn nonverbal material. This requires students to copy symbols that
are paired with numbers
o Symbol Search – This measures visual discrimination ability and scanning,
planning, and processing speeds. This test has a student look at a symbol and then
decide whether the symbol is present in a large group of symbols.
o Cancellation – This measures selective attention, speed in processing and visual
neglect. This requires students to be timed while marking off targeted objects.
o Naming Speed Index
o Naming Speed (Literacy/ Quantity) – This test is used to assess primary reading
and math learning disabilities. This test does not discern intellectual ability. It
provides a broad estimate of automaticity of naming from a variety of tasks.
o Symbol Translation Index
o Symbol Translation (Immediate/Delayed/Recognition) – This test measures
students’ ability to learn, retain, remember, and retrieve information. It measures
through short and long delays.

What might be some pros and cons of this instrument choice?

o Pros:
o Can help identify if there is a specific math or reading learning disability
o Can help identify if there is a learning disability (general)
o Can help identify the areas of growth for Isla
o Can help identify areas of strength for Isla
 Can then use all these ideas to create realistic goals for Isla in her
schooling
o Can help teachers create meaningful learning experiences that can cater to her
areas of improvement that also may help other students.
o Cons
o Can label student with a title that will stick with them through their life –
could possibly be bad or could possibly help with students’ identity.
o The amount of time it may take to conduct the test – Isla is known for
wandering in her mind.
o It can be a measure of the ability to take a test, so it is important to keep in
mind outstanding factors.
 o It will not test for any mental blockages such as hunger, anxiety, or
depression.

Detail pre-assessment strategies you would recommend to the classroom teacher.

o Many strategies are listed above in the case study, however there are some more things
we could try and explore, such as.
o Having some reading time one on one (to build reading ability out loud) and ask
comprehension questions to follow (either after she reads something or after the
book is finished)
o We can limit the number of verbal directions given
o We can increase the amount of checklists/visual directions
o Increase the amount of visual supports
o Continue to use conversation style assessments
o Encourage more use of speech to text assistance
o Provide a scribe where appropriate
o Simplify and break down complex problems
o Use more hands-on learning techniques to keep her interest

What multi-disciplinary team members would you recommend be involved, and why?
o Classroom Teacher
o Administrator
o Parents/Family
o Learning Support Teacher
o School Psychologist
o Counsellor/ Mental health consultant (outside psychologist)
o All of these members are very important to Islas MDT. The classroom teacher,
administrator and learning support teacher would be great to help with talking
about her everyday school habits. They are the ones that work with her the most
closely and know her in class behaviours. They can provide insight where others
may not be able to. Her parents and family are important to incorporate into this
team as well to possibly help find out where some of the mental health issues are
arising from. The family can help support her through the process. The
psychologist is important as they are the ones who are administering the tests. An
outside counsellor would be an important part of the team as well to help find out
what other non-school issues are underlying. They could assist in deciphering if
she needs more psychological help or not. They can help provide strategies to
help Isla manage her thoughts and behaviours better.

What non-educational assessments, appointments or consultations would you recommend,

and why?
o It would be recommended that Isla sees a pediatrician to assess the possibility of ADHD.
If it turns out she does have ADHD we can figure out a plan together to help her succeed.
o Isla should see a psychologist to check in on her mental health. If she has depression or
anxiety, getting her on some kind of medication may help get rid of any blockers that are
deterring her from completing schoolwork.
 o Isla should get her vision and hearing checked out as well. This can just ensure she is not
having any problems in this sense that are inhibiting her abilities.
o A speech language pathologist may also be something to check out to see if she is having
any issues with processing speech.
o An occupational therapist may also be something to check out to see if Isla is having
difficulties with her fine motor skills that is contributing to her not writing.

What other assessment instruments and/or processes would you recommend in order to
ensure the process and data collected is comprehensive?
o Isla should see all the non-educational specialists listed above. Especially the
psychologist. Depression and anxiety are big deals and need to be checked on. If either of
these are waying on Isla, her cognitive load may be too heavy. Getting her access to any
medication if needed could help ensure her cognitive load goes down. If her family does
not want her on medication, even having a counsellor or psychologist to talk to could also
help lesson her burden.
o Depending on her results from the WISC-V it might be needed or wanted to take a deeper
look into any literacy issues she may be facing. A WIAT may be a good addition for Isla.

Detail the referral process that the team would undertake on behalf of the student.
o We would start with detailed notes about we are seeing going on with Isla in class. We
would then reach out to the learning support teacher and administration about what
strategies we could try in the classroom to help support her and her learning. If we notice
that nothing changes within her (after a considerable amount of time, 4-6 weeks) we
would want to set up a meeting with her learning team (ensuring parents are present) to
discuss how they would like to move forward. If there become other strategies that we
want to try we would keep that up as well as suggest Isla see any doctors for hearing,
vision, and mental health. After these appointments if anything comes up, we will issue
new strategies to target the specific issues. If nothing comes out of the appointments, we
will want to ask permission from the parents to get Isla assessed by the WISC-V, so long
as we have tried everything that could benefit her, and we do not see any improvement.
So long as we have parental permission, we will continue forward with the testing
process. After the test is complete, we will create an ISP as a MDT and continue forward
with Isla’s education.

Report

Full Name: Isla Anne Hughes School: Cougar Ridge School

Grade Level: 5 Date of Assessment: May 15 2022
Date of Birth: April 8, 2011 Examiner: Freida Light
Age: 11 years, 1 month

Test Administered:
o Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fifth Edition Canadian (WISC-V)

Behavioural Observations During Test:

 o Isla was very shy upon first introduction. It took a while for her to warm up to the
administrator. Isla spent some time talking about the recent play she saw with her father
and older sister. She cooperated quiet well with the testing but required a few bathroom
and brain breaks. Isla took the tests to the best of her ability as shown by her asking
questions whenever she had any and taking each test head on. The results of the
assessment are deemed as valid.

Results:
Scale Composite Score Average Range
Verbal Comprehension 73 Very Low
Visual Spatial 111 High Average
Fluid Reasoning 93 Average
Working Memory 71 Very Low
Processing Speed 84 Low Average
Full Scale IQ* 89 Low Average
*FSIQ calculated from Similarities, Vocabulary, Block Design, Matrix Reasoning, Figure Weights, Digit Span, and Coding

Scale Subtest Composite Score Range

Verbal Similarities 78 Very low
Comprehensio Vocabulary 70 Very low
n (Comprehension) 70 Very low
(Information) 75 Very low
Visual Spatial Block Design 114 High Average
Index Visual Puzzles 109 Average
Fluid Matrix Reasoning 97 Average
Reasoning Figure Weights 90 Average
(Arithmetic) 95 Average
(Picture Concepts) 92 Average
Working Digit Span 71 Very low
Memory Picture Span 75 Very low
(Letter-Number Sequencing) 67 Extremely low
Processing Coding 80 Low Average
Speed Index Symbol Search 89 Low Average
(Cancellation) 85 Low Average

Summary of Results:
o Verbal Comprehension
o The verbal comprehension test assesses Islas knowledge of words. It tests her
ability to know them, use them and interpret them. Isla scored very low on this set
with a score of 73. This aligns with the issues present of Isla having difficulty
with her reading comprehension skills. Isla will need support in this area.
o Visual Spatial
o The visual spatial test assesses Isla’s ability to picture things in the mind, attention
to detail, and ability to organize information. This also requires the skill of
copying information from one area to another. Isla scored in the high average
 range of these tests with a score of 111, which is higher than most kids at her age
level. With Isla having tested well in this area it will be important to ensure these
skills are used to help develop some of the weaker ones.
o Fluid Reasoning
o The Fluid reasoning test assesses Isla’s ability to identify and apply rules and
detect underlying conceptual relationships. Overall Isla scored average in these
tests with a score of 93.
o Working Memory
o The working memory test assesses Isla’s ability to measure, maintain, manipulate
visual and auditory information in a conscious awareness. This test requires
attention and concentration. Students who test low in this area may see difficulties
with written work. Overall Isla scored very low in these tests with a score of 71.
During the testing it was noticed that Isla holds her pencil in a functional but not
best practice way, it is recommended to show her the proper way to hold a pencil
as a first step to improvement. Isla will need more support in this skill area.
o Processing Speed
o The processing speed test assesses Isla’s ability of visual identification, decision-
making and decision implementation. As well as provides a measure of Isla’s
ability to quickly and correctly scan, sequence, or discriminate simple visual
information. Overall Isla scored low average in these tests with a score of 84.
With this score Isla may just require extra time to complete tasks and
assignments, if this is received it does look like Isla will be able to succeed.

Recommendations:
o Isla’s Full-Scale IQ is in the low average range which means she can be recommended
for status for a learning disability (Code 54). An ISP should be created for her.
o Due to Isla’s low average result in Verbal Comprehension, it is recommended that she
continues vocabulary and comprehension intervention. Other things that can be put in
place universally are group reading actives to help strengthen verbal communication.
This would also be helpful as a one-on-one task with an adult support to help with
comprehension as they can ask specific questions to ensure the right things are being
picked up on. Encouraging question asking to increase vocabulary and using word walls
would benefit Isla greatly. Appealing to their curiosity and using investigative vocabulary
activities would be a great addition. It is encouraged that family starts using “word of the
day” talk at home to increase her vocabulary and comprehension skills as well. It is also
encouraged for her family to ask her lots of open-ended questions and leave her lots of
time to reply. Her family is also encouraged to read with her daily. Positive feedback
from all adults in Isla’s life is always widely encouraged. Visual supports for instructions
are recommended for Isla. It is encouraged for her to be given fill in the blank notes as
well to encourage her to stay focused and work on her wiring ability at increasing
difficulty.
o It is encouraged to use Isla’s strong Visual Spatial scores to aid in the further
development of other areas. It is a strength (and seems to be a huge enjoyment as well)
for her which can greatly help her reach higher places. Visuals and manipulatives should
be considered for most all tasks.
o Although Isla scored average in fluid reasoning it may still be beneficial for her to have
strong supports in the areas of structure and practice. It can help increase other areas of
concern as well. It is recommended for Isla to use a device to help her keep her spot when
reading longer text and using a highlighter/underlining key/important information while
reading.
o Isla may have large difficulty with concentration and her ability to pay attention due to
her very low score in working memory. It is recommended to break work into smaller
tasks, use fill in the blank notes, provide structure and outline for written responses or use
speech to text when applicable. It is also recommended to link all new information being
learned to something Isla already knows. Isla’s family can assist by playing memory
games at home. Creating small and measurable goals can also help Isla in this area. It is
encouraged that Isla repeats back instructions after they are given. Isla seems to be
holding her pencil in an odd way, changing this may increase her abilities.
o Isla has scored in the low average range for Processing speed. The main intervention we
can use for this area is to allow Isla to be given more time to complete assignments and
examinations. It is encouraged to give her timed tasks to help improve her speed, such as
timed sorting games with increasingly difficult rules. It can be encouraged to work
quickly rather than accurately to help build this skill. During higher stakes assessments a
reader could be used to assist Isla. It may also be beneficial to create schedules together
to sort out allotments of time for tasks.
o It is also recommended to watch Isla’s self-talk; help navigate it towards a healthier
version and her towards a growth mindset.
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