Question: What is one environmental or family factor that impacts this student's life in the case study and how does it affect learning?
Elementary Case Study Ahmed is a third-grade student who was recently evaluated for special education services. He qualified as a student with an Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) and a Specific Learning Disability (SLD) in reading with an emphasis on poor acquisition of phonological awareness. Ahmed is able to hold conversations in English but struggles with academic English. He was adopted at the age of two from Syria after living for a year in a refugee camp. He has been with his adoptive family that includes his parents and their two biological high-school age children. His family's first language is Arabic, although his adopted father travels for business and is fluent in Arabic, French, and English. His adopted mother and the two biological children speak both Arabic and English fluently. His adoptive parents are very supportive of his education and take many trips/participate in many activities to share and appreciate all of the cultures of Ahmed by celebrating a variety of holidays, events, and experiences. At school, Ahmed participates in daily classroom routines with direct teacher or paraeducator support. Ahmed always scoots his desk or chair close to his male classmates and the paraeducator. When Ahmed talks to his male classmates he frequently touches their arm and many of his classmates have complained about this behavior. He is able to verbalize and ask for help when needed but needs consistent prompting to do so. Ahmed is able to read simple two- or three-word sentences in English but struggles to read longer sentences. When stories are read aloud, he is able to recognize story elements and retell certain parts of a story with visual supports. Ahmed needs to work on phonological awareness skills to manipulate sounds in words. Ahmed was given the following goals and objectives to accomplish throughout the year. Goals/Objectives By the end of the 3rd six weeks, while reading a passage, Ahmed will identify initial phonemes in high frequency third-grade appropriate words within a text in 2 out of 5 trials. By the end of the 5th six weeks, while reading a passage, Ahmed will identify initial and middle phonemes in high frequency third-grade appropriate words within a text in 2 out of 5 trials. By the annual IEP meeting, while reading a passage, Ahmed will identify initial, middle, and final phonemes in high frequency third-grade appropriate words within a text in 2 out of 5 trials.