Case Study of Student X

Rudra Kalpesh Raval

Student Number: s5331596
EDN School of Education and Professional Studies
7209EDN: Reading Intervention
Lisa Watson
September 03, 2023
 PART A: SUMMARY

Name of Student: X Age: 11 years 5 months

Test Tester Measurement Result

Instrument
School Class Academic Maths – Above Average
Report Teacher Achievement Reading - Below Average
Writing – Below Average
Spelling - Below Average
Language – Average
WISC-V Psychologist Overall IQ Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) – 80 (Low
Average)
Visual Spatial Index (VSI) – 92 (Average)
Fluid Reasoning Index (FRI) – 91 (Average)
Working Memory Index (WRI) – 91 (Average)
Processing Speed Index (PSI) – 86 (Low
Average)
Full Scale Intelligence Quotient- 86 (Low
Average)
WIAT-II Psychologist Academic Word Reading- 89 (Low Average)
Achievement Reading Comprehension 93 – (Average)
Pseudoword Decoding 89 – (Low Average)
Numerical Operations 97 – (Average)
Maths Reasoning 97 – (Average)
Spelling 86 – (Low Average)
Written Expression 84 – (Low Average)
Listening Comprehension 80 – (Low Average)
Oral Expression 95 – (Average)
NAPLAN NAPLAN Literacy and Reading- Just Below Average
Year 7 Test Numeracy Writing- Well Below Average
Spelling- Just Below Average
Grammer and Punctuation- Just Below Average

Student X's academic and cognitive profile exhibits various strengths and weaknesses across

multiple domains, providing insights into their learning capabilities and areas that require

targeted intervention.

Strengths:

Student X has an "above-average" performance in mathematics, indicating a natural aptitude

for mathematical concepts and problem-solving. This proficiency extends to numerical

operations and math reasoning, where they achieve "average" scores, demonstrating

competence in mathematical skills.

Their oral expression skills are deemed "average," suggesting the ability to communicate

verbally effectively, and this strength can be a valuable asset in various academic and social

contexts. Moreover, Student X exhibits average performance in several cognitive domains,

including visual-spatial skills, fluid reasoning, and working memory, indicating adaptability

and sound cognitive abilities.

Weaknesses:

In contrast, Student X grapples with several academic and cognitive challenges. Their reading

performance is consistently "below average," indicating difficulties in comprehension and

literacy skills. The struggles extend to word reading and pseudoword decoding, highlighting

challenges in decoding and recognizing written words.

Their writing abilities are significantly below average, impacting their written expression skills.

Spelling is another area of concern, with "low average" performance indicating difficulties in

correctly spelling words. Listening comprehension skills are also rated as "low average,"

indicating challenges in understanding spoken information.

Verbal comprehension skills, as reflected in the Verbal Comprehension Index, are in the "low

average" range, suggesting difficulties in grasping and using verbal information effectively.

Processing speed is also a concern, with a "low average" score, implying that Student X may

require more time to process information compared to peers.

NAPLAN results reinforce the reading, writing, spelling, and grammar challenges, with

performance ranging from "just below average" to "well below average."

In summary, Student X's academic strengths lie in mathematics and oral expression, while their

weaknesses encompass reading, writing, spelling, verbal comprehension, and processing

speed. Addressing these areas of concern through targeted interventions and support is crucial

to helping them achieve their academic potential and overcome these challenges.
Background Information:

Student X is a child who was born with no obvious difficulties, and the majority of the

important developmental milestones were met within the projected age range. range. However,

there were some delays in speech development, as they began speaking in short sentences later

than expected. Despite these delays, no significant medical or neurological conditions are

indicated. Both visual and auditory acuity are reported to be within normal ranges, and

prescription medications are not used.

The family history reveals that Student X's mother also experienced a delay in speech

development and faced academic difficulties during her schooling. This suggests a potential

genetic or familial link to the speech and academic challenges that Student X is currently

facing. According to one of the research studies, the family environment has a substantial

impact on a child's development because various behaviours are inherited and the lack of

parents who are skilled speakers to model their child's speech.2015 (Syamsuardi, 2015)

Student X has received various assessments and interventions in the past. They underwent

speech therapy between the age group of three and six years to address a cadence mistake

related to certain sounds, such as /th/ sounds. Additionally, occupational therapy was provided

at the age of seven years to aid in the correction of lack of coordination and grip on a pencil.

Despite these interventions, there have been ongoing struggles with speech and academic skills.

Literacy remediation efforts, including participation in the Reading Recovery Program, have

yet to lead to significant improvements. As a result of these challenges, Student X was retained

in Pre-Primary due to academic readiness concerns and speech difficulties.

In the current classroom setting, Student X's teacher reports specific observations and

behaviours. Student X appears to have difficulties with indetermined activities in the

classroom, as well as throughout break and mealtime. They display constant anxiousness in the

classroom, frequently call out, leave their seat, and rush through their assignments. Despite
these challenges, Student X is genuinely interested in classroom activities and is curious about

various subjects.

Considering the provided information, it is evident that Student X's academic journey has been

marked by speech and coordination challenges, as well as struggles with attention and focus.

These challenges have persisted despite previous interventions, and the familial history of

speech difficulties suggests a potential genetic influence. Understanding these factors will be

crucial in developing a comprehensive plan to support Student X's educational and

developmental needs.

Analysis:

Reading ability has been reported as “a cognitive ability which a person is able to use when

interacting with texts” by (Urquhart & Weir, 2000). As researchers have identified (Konza,

2010) that the Big six of literacy has great emphasis to understand and interpreted the skills

that affect a child in his or her reading comprehension and overall literacy, we have identified

with the data provided that Student X faces challenges in Vocabulary, Comprehension and

maintaining self-regulation. Following below we will discuss in length the three

aforementioned components.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary is a crucial part of literacy that includes a person's understanding of words and their

meanings. It is critical for reading comprehension since comprehending the meaning of

individual phrases and how they interact with each other is necessary in order to make sense

of written texts. A student's ability to grasp complicated texts might be hampered by a limited

vocabulary, which can also have an impact on their overall academic success, as reading is a

skill that pervades many subject areas (The “Big Six” Components of Reading, 2016). Student
X's reading difficulties, particularly with regard to below-average performance in reading

comprehension and listening comprehension, point to probable vocabulary issues (Biemiller,

2010). Understanding text and spoken language is strongly reliant on a large vocabulary. When

a student's vocabulary is restricted or who has less access to the books, they may struggle to

understand and interpret the words and concepts found in reading materials (Beck &

McKeown, 2007). This can make it difficult for them to understand written texts and follow

instructions in class.

A large vocabulary is essential for comprehending material. It entails understanding the

significance of words, their setting, and how to effectively employ them in dialogue. Also, to

improve and help Student X to build his vocabulary, his parents and teachers have to create a

strong foundation in oral language, repeated exposure to targeting teaching on how the words

are heard and used in a sentence (NSW Department of Education Literacy and Numeracy

Teaching Strategies -Reading Education.nsw.gov.au Vocabulary in Context Stage 3 Overview

Learning Intention, 2022). As explained by (Graves & Watts-Taffe, 2008) word awareness and

curiosity in their meaning and linking of words with range of vocabulary books of Tire 2 and

3 will help Student X vocabulary significantly (Beck & McKeown, 2013).

Comprehension

The ultimate goal of learning reading abilities is to comprehend and its rightful place is at the

zenith of all components of Big Six. Comprehension is unlikely to happen until students have

a sufficient understanding of the text's vocabulary, appropriate previous information,

competency with the syntax and semantics that aid in anticipating word relationships, and the

capacity for reading the text across lines. Comprehension involves a strong connection to the

text as well as a set of skills that go beyond mere word identification. (Konza, 2010)
According to the findings, understanding is a major factor influencing Student X's literacy

abilities. Their below-average score in reading comprehension and hearing comprehension

demonstrates difficulties in comprehending and making sense of written and spoken text. To

improve this Student X has to skimming the text to understand the general idea of the context

and scan for specific information and read thoroughly to understand in detail. Also, they should

be aware of the author’s purpose of writing to understand the reason and characteristics. (Cain

et.al., 2011) Furthermore, reading comprehension is made up with accumulation of decoding

and Language Comprehension, without one aspect the comprehension is deficit so for Student

X not only he has to understand alphabetic principle and spelling sound also integrating it with

facts, concepts, links, syntax, semantics, metaphors, genres to have clear skilled reading

(Integrating the Big 6 of Reading - the Simple View of Reading, 2020).

Self- Regulation

In the context of literacy, self-regulation refers to a learner's ability to monitor, manage, and

direct their own learning and reading practices (Denton et al., 2020). It includes a variety of

metacognitive and mental processes that are essential for becoming a successful reader and

writer; while the data does not specifically address self-regulation, it is an important component

of literacy development and can have a substantial impact on a student's ability (Cirino et al.,

2017)

Student X can learn to self-regulate by engaging in a metacognitive process that involves

monitoring and reflecting on their own thinking and learning, which includes breaking down

comprehension during reading and problem solving by employing various strategies such as

emotional awareness and saying positive self-statements, goal setting, and improving self-

monitoring procedures.
Recognizing adverse thoughts (Burnett, 1999) and processing them academically with positive

action can help any elementary kid enhance their learning abilities (Kumschick et al., 2014).

Interventions in combination with self-regulation and reading comprehensions have proved to

be helping students with their reading outcomes (Antoniou & Souvignier, 2007) and

complemented to be one of the most powerful manner of interventions which has shown

significant results.

In regards to Student X, following such strict regime may not be possible to do so but creating

your own time-table, planning in advance and self- monitoring the progress with the help of

the teacher or parent will be improved use of self-regulation exercises and it will supersede any

kind of negative thoughts, self-doubt leading to negative behaviour towards other and

themselves.

Conclusion:

The data from Student X demonstrates difficulties with vocabulary, especially within the

contexts of reading comprehension and listening comprehension. Their capacity to grasp and

interpret written and spoken language can be hampered by a limited vocabulary, affecting their

general comprehension and academic progress. Student X can improve comprehension by

skimming and scanning, reading thoroughly, and grasping the author's goal. A comprehensive

approach to reading comprehension is required, incorporating decoding and language

comprehension. While it is not expressly indicated in the data, self-regulation is important in

literacy development. Learners who are self-regulated monitor, manage, and direct their

learning and reading activities. Metacognition, goal setting, and self-monitoring are all

strategies that can help Student X take control of their learning process, enhance focus, and

overcome negative ideas or behaviours.

The importance of addressing these components stems from their interdependence. Increasing

vocabulary broadens comprehension, and strong self-regulation can facilitate both vocabulary

and comprehension gains. Interventions should be targeted to Student X's individual

requirements and may include tactics for increasing vocabulary, improving comprehension,

and developing self-regulation habits.

Furthermore, recognizing a family history of speaking difficulties reveals a possible hereditary

influence, complicating Student X's reading challenges. A coordinated effort involving

educators, parents, and experts is essential in order to provide focused interventions, support,

and a conducive learning environment to assist Student X in reaching their maximum potential

and successfully navigating their academic journey.

In conclusion, understanding and addressing these literacy components, in conjunction with

recognizing individual strengths and challenges, will be pivotal in crafting a comprehensive

plan to support Student X's educational and developmental needs effectively.

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