final project - Final Project By Jessica Gareis Thomas...

Final Project
By
Jessica Gareis
Thomas Edison State University
A Paper Presented in Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements of
PSY 374 Physiological Psychology
March 27, 2016
E-mail: [email protected]
Major: Psychology

Case Study: Jordan
Jordan is a 12 year old boy who was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder when he
was 3 years old. He participates in special education at a local elementary school. His strengths
include being curious, social, and visually smart. Some of his challenges include communication,
impulsivity, and behavior that may include tantrums, aggression, and property destruction. These
challenges have made it difficult for Jordan to participate in activities inside the classroom. His
birth and development history tells us that Jordan was a full-term baby delivered with no
complications. As a baby and toddler, he was healthy and his motor development was within
normal limits for the major milestones of sitting, standing, and walking. By age 3 he was
described as having low tone with uncomfortable motor skills and inconsistent imitation skills.
With the delay of his communication development, he began using vocalizations at 3 months of
age but still had not developed words by 3 years.
When Jordan was younger he communicated through nonverbal means and used
communication solely for behavioral regulation. He communicated requests primarily by
reaching for the communication partner’s hand and placing it on the desired object. Jordan now
has a positive-behavior support team and receives speech-language intervention. His verbal
communication is not understood by most people so he uses an Augmentative and Alternative
Communication (AAC) Device, pictures, distinctive signs, gestures, and some words to
communicate.
Jordan’s strengths in the area of social communication includes engaging in reciprocal
interactions, sharing attention to regulate the behavior of others, and using several modes of
communication as listed above. His needs in social communication include sharing a range of

emotions with symbols and sharing intentions for join attention by commenting on objects,
actions, events, or requesting information across partners and contexts.
His symptoms include poor eye contact, delayed speech and language development,
temper tantrums and meltdowns, destructive behavior that is harmful to himself, others, and
property. The frequency and duration of his symptoms depend on the day. If his delays in
communication interrupt his routine, he can become aggressive when he cannot express himself
in a way that others can understand him. If it is a good day, the tantrums will go away as soon as
the situation is fixed. When he gets extremely frustrated, that is when the most damage can be