1
Observation Student Profile
George Mason University
EDSE 540: Characteristics of Students with Disabilities who Access the General Education
Curriculum
Dr. Andrea Boykin
, 2
Observation Student Profile
Part I: Demographic and Background Data
Demographic Information
My student’s name is Blake Brown. He is a 14-yar-old Caucasian male with autism,
specific learning disability and other health impairment. He is currently an 8 th grader at Abbott
Middle School.
Disability and Etiology
Blake was initially qualified for special education services as a student with
developmental delay for processing and social-emotional development in June 2016. He was
most recently found eligible for special education services in March 2022 under the categories of
autism, specific learning disability, and other health impairment.
Medical Conditions
Blake has anxiety and this causes him to get frustrated specifically when other students
around him do not follow directions. Blake also struggles with crowds and has the
accommodation to leave class 3-5 minutes early to avoid crowds. He is assigned an IA to support
him in getting from class to class. He currently has a behavior intervention plan that was in place
from October 2017 – June 2023. This helped Blake significantly curb his anger and redirect the
strong behaviors into calming practices. Blake still struggles with lashing out, but it is a
significant difference from 2017 to present day.
Psychological and Social-Emotional Characteristics
Blake attends each class at school with mild-enthusiasm and determination to complete all
tasks given to him that class period. When Blake walks into class, he likes to know what the
daily agenda will be. He understands class routines and enjoys reminding his classmates how we
, 3
begin each class, on our laptops working on a grammar, comprehension, and word study
program. When the daily agenda is not projected at the start of class, Blake needs to speak with
the teacher and get a rundown of what is going to happen that day. He stays on task until each
task is completed. Once he is finished with his work, he needs to have the work checked by the
teacher. If the teacher is unable to review his work, he waits until they are available. Blake’s
anxiety of failing an assignment keeps him from feeling confident in his classwork and
homework. Frequent check-ins and a quick review before he turns in his work helps Blake feel
less nervous about turning in his work by the end of class.
Implications of Characteristics
Blake is polite to his teacher and peers if he is given clear and direct instructions. When there is
any form of confusion, it causes Blake to get anxious and that leaves him to express his feelings
negatively. He will curse at students and ask them why they are so dumb and don’t understand,
or he will throw his pencil and refuse to work because the other students are so behind. When
these behaviors arise, Blake is reminded of his self-soothing practices that help him get back to a
calm state of mind. Blake is reminded to take five deep breaths, take a moment to put his head
down, take a hallway break and sit outside, or ask to speak to the counselor.
Blake struggles to make friends because he is anxious of the way that people perceive
him. He is also aware that his interests are different than those of his peers. When doing group
activities, Blake will begin the assignment strong and give about 2-4 suggestions/opinions on
how to answer the questions. If there is positive feedback from his peers, he will stay at an
engaged level with the group and complete the packet. If there is negative or no feedback from
his peers, Blake will continue working independently and will not engage with the students for
the rest of class. If the students make a negative comment, Blake will sometimes react by yelling
Observation Student Profile
George Mason University
EDSE 540: Characteristics of Students with Disabilities who Access the General Education
Curriculum
Dr. Andrea Boykin
, 2
Observation Student Profile
Part I: Demographic and Background Data
Demographic Information
My student’s name is Blake Brown. He is a 14-yar-old Caucasian male with autism,
specific learning disability and other health impairment. He is currently an 8 th grader at Abbott
Middle School.
Disability and Etiology
Blake was initially qualified for special education services as a student with
developmental delay for processing and social-emotional development in June 2016. He was
most recently found eligible for special education services in March 2022 under the categories of
autism, specific learning disability, and other health impairment.
Medical Conditions
Blake has anxiety and this causes him to get frustrated specifically when other students
around him do not follow directions. Blake also struggles with crowds and has the
accommodation to leave class 3-5 minutes early to avoid crowds. He is assigned an IA to support
him in getting from class to class. He currently has a behavior intervention plan that was in place
from October 2017 – June 2023. This helped Blake significantly curb his anger and redirect the
strong behaviors into calming practices. Blake still struggles with lashing out, but it is a
significant difference from 2017 to present day.
Psychological and Social-Emotional Characteristics
Blake attends each class at school with mild-enthusiasm and determination to complete all
tasks given to him that class period. When Blake walks into class, he likes to know what the
daily agenda will be. He understands class routines and enjoys reminding his classmates how we
, 3
begin each class, on our laptops working on a grammar, comprehension, and word study
program. When the daily agenda is not projected at the start of class, Blake needs to speak with
the teacher and get a rundown of what is going to happen that day. He stays on task until each
task is completed. Once he is finished with his work, he needs to have the work checked by the
teacher. If the teacher is unable to review his work, he waits until they are available. Blake’s
anxiety of failing an assignment keeps him from feeling confident in his classwork and
homework. Frequent check-ins and a quick review before he turns in his work helps Blake feel
less nervous about turning in his work by the end of class.
Implications of Characteristics
Blake is polite to his teacher and peers if he is given clear and direct instructions. When there is
any form of confusion, it causes Blake to get anxious and that leaves him to express his feelings
negatively. He will curse at students and ask them why they are so dumb and don’t understand,
or he will throw his pencil and refuse to work because the other students are so behind. When
these behaviors arise, Blake is reminded of his self-soothing practices that help him get back to a
calm state of mind. Blake is reminded to take five deep breaths, take a moment to put his head
down, take a hallway break and sit outside, or ask to speak to the counselor.
Blake struggles to make friends because he is anxious of the way that people perceive
him. He is also aware that his interests are different than those of his peers. When doing group
activities, Blake will begin the assignment strong and give about 2-4 suggestions/opinions on
how to answer the questions. If there is positive feedback from his peers, he will stay at an
engaged level with the group and complete the packet. If there is negative or no feedback from
his peers, Blake will continue working independently and will not engage with the students for
the rest of class. If the students make a negative comment, Blake will sometimes react by yelling
