Case Study Introduction - Jonny

I would like to introduce you to the student I chose for this case study blog. His name is Jonny. Jonny was referred to our program by his pediatrician with concerns about his slow speech and language development as well as a developmental delay. Initial screening by the evaluation team using the M-CHAT determined that further assessment for the presence of an autism spectrum disorder was warranted. Jonny’s initial diagnosis of developmental delay, given at the age of 3 years, 6 months, was changed to autism after further evaluations were conducted. Jonny attends an Early Childhood Special Education Classroom 4 mornings a week. He receives services in Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy which are integrated into his classroom program. Consultative services from an Educational Consultant and an Occupational Therapist are also provided to his daycare.

Jonny demonstrates strengths in some basic pre-academic skills, such as rote counting and identifying letters of the alphabet. His sustained attention and attention to task continues to interfere with his participation in preschool and daycare activities. He is inconsistent with handling transitions in the classroom depending on his overall emotional state. He follows simple directions best when there are no other distractions or when visuals are present. He verbalizes using short sentences and asks questions, although many of his utterances are scripted or out of context. Jonny has difficulty using verbalizations to request, asking and answering questions, attending to a speaker, as well as directing verbalizations to a speaker. He has difficulty in taking turns during an activity. He often seems unaware of the actions of others around him and does not take cues from peers.

Jonny lives at home with his parents and his older brother. English is spoken in the home. The family participates in many activities together including camping and watching movies. Jonny is in daycare for the entire day that he does not attend his specialist classroom and for half-days on the four other days. The family consults with a behavior specialist. There are many challenges for Jonny in his preschool, including transition difficulties and behaviors that interfere with learning. He appears to spend only a few waking hours at the end of the day before getting ready for bed in his home on weekdays.