Running head: ASSESSMENT CASE STUDY 1

Assessment Case Study

Alma Vaca Ramirez

Brandman University: EDDU-675

June 27, 2020

Assessment Case Study

Assignment Directions:

Read the case study carefully.  Using the information in the Case Study, what would be your

recommendations for assessment for this individual?  Provide information on all areas you think

should be assessed, who would complete the assessments, how the assessments should be

completed (including suggestions for specific assessment tools), and how you would collaborate

to complete the assessment.  

Case Study

Johnny is a kindergartener diagnosed with ASD, who has just moved to the school from out-of-

state, with very little paperwork.  He is in a general education kindergarten class but is

struggling.  He has some limited speech, which is often echolalic, and does not respond

consistently to his teacher and rarely towards his peers.  He can follow 1 or 2 step directions, but

sometimes needs multiple prompts to do complete a task.  He enjoys working on the computer

and has been able to do some grade-level math programs on the computer but will not complete

any paper and pencil tasks.  His teacher reports he holds crayons with his fist when coloring and

will not color for more than a minute or two.  His parents have reported that he knows his

alphabet, and can read at a beginning level, but the teacher reports she has not been able to

confirm that information due to how early in the school year it is, as well as her class size.  

In class, Johnny sometimes appears to want to play with or near his peers, but often grabs their

materials or toys, and occasionally gets physical with them - pushing or poking them on the

playground when he wants to use the playground equipment, for example.  In class he can

sometimes be disruptive, crying or throwing his materials when he is frustrated.  The teacher also
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reports him holding his hands over his ears and crying sometimes during class, and that he has

difficulty staying in his seat.

Johnny enjoys being read to and will sit quietly on the carpet and listen to stories if the teacher

has him sit right in front of her.  He enjoys playing on the playground equipment, particularly the

swings and the monkey bars.  Playground supervisors have reported that he likes to jump off the

swings or from the top of the jungle gym, and that they are concerned he will hurt himself or

another student.  Teachers and staff report that overall, he is a sweet and affectionate child, who

loves getting and giving hugs and high-fives.        

Recommended areas for assessment

The recommended areas for assessment are speech and language, autism spectrum

disorders, IQ, and behavior. It is recommended that Johnny’s speech and language development

gets assessed due to his limited and echolalic speech. His limited response to teachers and peers

is another reason why he should be assessed for speech and language services. An autism

screening is recommended due to Johnny’s Social communication deficits, joint attention, social

reciprocity, challenges in using verbal and nonverbal communication behaviors, and sensitivity

to sensory input. Johnny’s cognitive intelligence should be evaluated to help his team learn what

information he can understand and what concepts still need to be practiced. With IQ scores,

stakeholders can help predict how well and in what learning methods work best for the student.

A functional behavior assessment and behavior support plan are recommended to address

Johnny’s forceful actions when playing with peers in the playground.

Who would complete the assessments?

Speech-language assessment is a complex process conducted by SLPs who need to

follow state and local requirements for the assessments of students. According to Kellie Rowden-

Racette (2014), when it comes to assessing and diagnosing ASD, interdisciplinary collaboration

is important due to the complexity of the disorder, the varied aspects of functioning affected, and

the need to distinguish ASD from other disorders or medical conditions. Ideally, the SLP plays a

key role on an interdisciplinary team, whose members possess expertise in diagnosing ASD.  In

cases when there is no appropriate team available, however, an SLP who has been trained in the

clinical criteria for ASD and who is experienced in the diagnosis of developmental disorders,

may be qualified to diagnose these disorders as an independent professional. IQ tests measure

such things as problem solving skills, memory, and the ability to understand and use language,

some of the same skills that are used in the classroom. Therefore, IQ tests are administered

mainly by school psychologist. The functional behavior assessment is primarily conducted by the

case carrier. However, to collect accurate and truthful documentation it is recommended to work

in collaboration with stakeholders such as, general and special education teachers, SLPs, and

school psychologist, behavior specialist and other stakeholders.

How the assessments should be completed (including suggestions for specific assessment

tools)

One recommended assessments to evaluate Johnny’s speech and language development is

the Bracken Basic Concept Scale: Expressive (BBCS:E) and Bracken Basic Concept Scale:

Receptive. The BBCS:E is designed for children ages 3 to 6 years of age. Its description and

contents are screen concepts of color, letter/sounds, numbers/counting, size, shape,

direction/position, self/social awareness, texture/materials, quality, and time/sequence. On the

other hand, the Bracken Basic Concept Scale: Receptive focus on evaluating the acquisition of

basic concepts of a child, which is strongly related to cognitive and language development as

well as early childhood academic achievement. Suggested assessment tools include direct

observations, check lists, and interviews conducted by SLPs.

No single assessment tool shall be used as a basis of diagnosis for Autism Spectrum

Disorder (ASD). Autism is a complex disorder with a wide range of characteristics all of which

are exhibited at different frequency and intensity levels. Diagnostic tools commonly rely on two

sources of information which can come from parents/caregivers and a professional.t Before

recommending a diagnostic assessment, it would be appropriate to use some of the screening

tools such as the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Parents Evaluation of Developmental

Status, and the Screening Tool for Autism in Toddlers and young children.

Behavior support plan or also known as behavior intervention plan is comprised of

written documents describing the environmental changes that will need to take place to bring

about changes in a wanted or an unwanted behavior. The process to conducting a functional

behavior assessment is (1) establishing a team (members of the team should include all

individuals who have observed the interfering behavior demonstrated by the student over an

extended period of time in a variety of settings and conditions), (2) identifying the interfering

behavior, (3) collecting baseline data (teachers/practitioners use indirect assessment methods that

include: reviewing previous and current records, conducting formal and informal interviews with

school staff, family members, and the student. Tools used during this process include The

Functional Assessment Screening Tool, Problem Behavior Questionnaire, Questions about

Behavioral Function in Mental illness, Functional Assessment Interview, and Student-Directed

Functional Interview. Direct observation methods generally include ABC data charts, baseline

data charts that measure duration, latency, event, or intervals). (4) Developing of a hypothesis

statement is based upon the assessment results and describes the behavior in sufficient detail.

The next step (5) is testing the hypothesis. Teachers/practitioners test the hypothesis by

modifying the setting/activity to increase the probability that the behavior occurs. Step (6) is

developing interventions. Teachers/practitioners use specific evidence-based practices such as

functional communication training (FCT), differential reinforcement, response

interruption/redirection, extinction, and stimulus control/environmental modification to decrease

the occurrence of the interfering behavior and increase the use of more appropriate replacement

behaviors. Lastly, (7) teachers and practitioners develop a system to monitor the effectiveness of

the intervention that outlines when, where, by who, and how the data is collected. Individualized

intelligence tests take considerable time to administer and interpret. However, they provide the

most comprehensive information about overall general aptitude.

The most widely used individual IQ tests for school aged children are the Wechsler

Intelligence Scale for Children-Fifth Ed. (WISC-V), the Weschler Preschool and Primary Scale

of Intelligence-Fourth Ed. (WPPSI-IV), and the Stanford Binet Intelligence Scales. Theses tests

should be completed in class or in a area where the student feels safe and comfortable. It is

recommended that if Johnny doe not due well in unknown areas, he gets assessed in his

classroom at a time he does best. For example, if Johnny is more focused in the morning before

lunch he should be tested at that time.

Collaboration to complete the assessments:

Assessing, describing, and interpreting an individual's communication ability requires the

integration of a variety of information gathered in the evaluation process. SLPs collect a variety
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of information through collaboration with teachers, parents, and other stakeholders. Same applies

to autism diagnosis. To successfully complete diagnostic tools such as ADI-R, it is vital the

participation and collaboration of parents or caregivers of the individual being assessed.

Collaboration from parents or caregivers and professionals is required beyond the diagnostic

process. It is required throughout functional behavior assessments and behavior intervention

planning too. It is important to maintain collaboration in all areas of assessments including when

conducting IQ tests and one way of achieving successful relationships is through

communication. Teachers, parents, and professionals can maintain communication through calls,

e-mails, IEP meetings, informal meetings, and communication journals. Successful

communication will lead to strong collaboration input from everyone and will result is positive

outcomes when evaluating students, in this case when evaluating and assessing Johnny.
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Resources

Functional Behavioral Assessment: Identifying the Reasons for Problem and Developing a

Behavior Plan. (2020). Iriscenter. Retrieved on June 26, 2020 from

https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/fba/#content

O’Neill, R. E., Horner, R. H., Albin, R. W., Storey, K., & Sprague, J. R. (1997). Functional

assessment and program development: A practical handbook. Pacific Grove, CA:

Brookes/Cole Publishing Company.

Racette-Rowden, K. (2014). Can speech-language pathologists diagnose autism? Leader Live.

Retrieved on June 26, 2020 from https://leader.pubs.asha.org/do/10.1044/can-speech-

language-pathologists-diagnose-autism/full/